Growing up I used to help my mom make meatballs all the time. Spaghetti and meatballs was a regular dish in my house and always a favorite of mine. This recipe is my own take on the meatballs, inspired by my mom’s recipe. Nice and browned on the outside, flavorful on the inside and nuzzled into my easy homemade sauce recipe for the best comfort food. Give it a try when you’re in the mood for some home cooking!

gluten-free Meatballs and Sauce Ingredients

Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic are commonly the base of tomato sauce because the provide great flavor and texture. Sweet yellow onion is best to use for this sauce. Be sure to cook your onion down until it is very soft and browning for best results.

Spices: The spices you’ll need for this recipe include salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. These are pretty basic household spices that I include in many of my recipes. The red pepper flakes can be omitted if you’d like no spice, but the spice is subtle.

Tomato Paste: Tomato paste is used to thicken the sauce and reach desired texture, but it also adds a lot of depth to the flavor of the sauce. Be sure to let the tomato paste cook down for a few minutes before adding the crushed tomatoes to the sauce for best results.

Crushed Tomatoes: I always use crushed tomatoes for my tomato sauce. If you’d like more tomato chunks in yours, feel free to use stewed whole tomatoes and use your hands to break them down. You could also use a mix of diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes.

Basil: In addition to the Italian seasoning, the meatball mix calls for fresh basil leaves. These are used to make a mix with fresh garlic cloves and cashews that will replace the usual breadcrumbs and add more freshness.

Ground Beef & Pork: You’ll want to use a 1:1 mix of ground beef and ground pork for the meatballs. I have not tried this recipe with a different meat mix but feel free to get creative and experiment with things like veal or ground turkey.

Eggs: Two eggs are needed for the meatballs to bind everything together and add a bit of moisture so they don’t dry out. You’ll want to slightly beat the eggs before adding them to the meatball mix for best results.

Panko: This recipe calls for gluten-free panko in the meatballs, but if you’re not gluten-free you can use regular panko, or even your typical breadcrumbs. Another option would be to use almond flour.

If you try out this recipe, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below if you love it. You can also snap a photo & tag @jenneatsgoood on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support this blog and make it possible for me to continue to create healthier recipes!

CLASSIC GLUTEN-FREE MEATBALLS AND SAUCE

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

5.0 from 5 votes

Servings

–

5-6

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

TOMATO SAUCE
2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt + additional to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp tomato paste
64oz crushed tomatoes
MEATBALLS
2 eggs, beaten
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped basil
1/2 cup gluten-free panko
1-2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2-4 tbsp avocado oil

Directions

In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent and browning. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Season the onion and garlic with the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning and cook for a few minutes, until fragrant.
Incorporate the tomato paste and cook down for 3-4 minutes. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir, and cover the pot. Cook for a least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, on low heat.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, beef, pork, basil, panko, and spices. Use clean hands to mix everything until fully incorporated. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to make ~2-inch meatballs and set aside (recipe makes about 16 meatballs).
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the meatballs (you may need to do multiple batches) and cook on all sides to brown and fully cook. Once cooked, carefully place the meatballs in the sauce and cover.
Let the sauce and meatballs simmer on low heat until serving. Top with additional fresh chopped basil if desired.