Gluten Free Homemade Meatballs
Homemade Meatballs are such a comfort food to us. I remember growing up a regularly eating pasta and homemade meatballs. They are a food that almost everyone likes (sorry vegetarians and vegans) and they are so easy to make. When I was younger I remember my parents making them at home but I never really got involved. To this day, I hate touching raw meat but I now will suck it up if I have to. So it wasn’t under Matt and I got married that I started actually making homemade meatballs.
Most meatballs when purchased in a grocery store or when you eat out at a restaurant will have tons of gluten in them. Bread crumbs are used as a filler, which means that those that are gluten free, sadly can’t have them. So we are created this recipe for everyone to enjoy. It is actually pretty much the exact same as a regular homemade meatballs recipe but made with gluten free bread crumbs
Homemade Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
Depending on where you live, it may be hard to find gluten free bread crumbs. They are available at our regular grocery store. We do buy them and keep them in our cupboard if we are in a rush but we usually make our own. I am notorious for letting crackers and bread to go stale. I don’t mean to do it, but you know how it goes. You buy something, you open the box, eat a few and then it gets pushed to the back of your cupboard. Well this is a solution for you, if you’re like me.
Whenever We have stale crackers we always throw them into our food processor and make them into bread crumbs. It is literally that easy. No added steps just a matter of breaking the crackers down into super small pieces. We then store them in OXO containers and use them for recipes such as these homemade meatballs. This will also work with stale bread, however we tend to save that to make croutons. If you don’t have crackers lying around like we do, or you don’t have the time. Regular store bought gluten free bread crumbs will do the same job.
Let’s Talk Meatballs
This recipe requires you to cook the meatballs in the oven and then finish it in a pot of sauce. Technically when you pull the meatballs out of the oven, they will be fully cooked. However we like to combine ours with the sauce and allow them to cook for a while longer. We find cooking them in the sauce allows them to be a little more cooked while not drying them out.
These meatballs are flavourful, but also so so tender. They don’t completely fall apart into a crumbled mess, but they aren’t tough either. We also cooked them on a wire rack on top of a parchment lined baking sheet to catch any of the dripping fat from the meat. This makes them a bit healthier and ensures you don’t add extra oil to the pasta sauce. If you don’t want to finish them off in the pasta sauce, just check one of the added notes to the recipe down below that is marked is a **.
Just one last note to mention. We precook our celery, onions and garlic in a pan before adding it to the meat and seasoning mixture. The reason we do this is to ensure that you don’t get any raw chunks of onion when you bite into the meatballs or a hard piece of celery. How, unappetizing would that be.
Well, thats it foodies. Super easy and simple recipe. Toss everything into a bowl, roll them into balls and throw it all in the oven. They pair amazingly with pasta and sauce, to round out a meal. If you’re looking for a fresh element that is still fun for the side, check out this Greek Salad with Crispy Feta Croutons. Let us know how you like this recipe, and keep an eye out for a homemade pasta sauce coming, in the next couple of months.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 45 minutes |
| Servings |
pieces
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- 2 large Celery Stalks chopped
- 1/2 medium Onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
- 1/2 cup Fresh Curly Parsley chopped
- 1/2 tbsp dried basil
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
- 1 Egg
- 2 tsps Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper*. Wash and dry all produce. Chop celery stalks, dice onion, mince garlic and chop parsley. Place parsley in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a medium pan over medium heat, add in 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Then add in your celery, onion and garlic. Cook stirring often until onions and celery have softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with chopped parsley.
- Add ground meat, dried basil, dried oregano, gluten free bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Using your hands, mix everything together until it has formed a consistent texture throughout. Take a clump of the mixture and work it into a 1 1/2 inch round ball. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture, until you have none left.
- Place baking sheet into preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Once they are done, transfer the meatballs to a pot with your pasta sauce**, over medium heat. Cook the meatballs for another 15 minutes.
- Divide your choice of pasta between the bowls. Top with homemade meatballs and sauce.
- ENJOY!
*Another option is to cook the meatball on a wire rack that is set into the baking sheet. This will allow any fat from the meat to drip off into the baking sheet, resulting in a healthier meatball.
**If you prefer to not finish cooking the meatballs in pasta sauce, leave them in the oven for 5 minutes longer. The sauce allows them to finish cooking without drying them out. But they are almost completely cooked around 30 minutes in the oven.