These Gluten-Free Baked Meatballs are tender and juicy! The meatballs bake right in the sauce to save on time and it creates an amazing flavor. It's truly the perfect weeknight meal - minimal prep work, and simple ingredients!
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Why I love this recipe
This is one of those recipes that you can "set it and forget it." Once you roll out the meatballs, add in the sauce, and pop them in the oven, all you have to do is wait! In less than an hour you'll have juicy, tender meatballs that the whole family will love. Plus you only need a few simple ingredients like ground beef, fresh herbs, and coconut flour!
🍴Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef - You can also use ground turkey. It's important to choose quality meat. I buy most of my meat from Butcher Box because it's high quality, and it gets sent right to my door! When choosing meat, check to make sure there are no added hormones, and that the cows were grass fed AND grass finished. A lot of brands market their meat saying "grass fed" but that can mean they ate grass ONCE in their life!
- Eggs - I would not recommend using an egg replacement for this recipe. The eggs help to bind the meatballs!
- Fresh Parsley + Fresh Basil - You can use fresh herbs, or frozen herbs! I like to store my fresh basil and parsley in the freezer so it lasts longer.
- Coconut Flour - I used a small amount of coconut flour to help bind the meatballs together.
- Salt - Feel free to add more salt!
- Red Pepper Flakes - I love that they add a subtle kick! If you're not into spice, just skip the red pepper flakes. You can also use black pepper.
- Tomato Sauce - You can bake the meatballs on their own, but I love making mine with my homemade sauce. The meatballs and sauce cook together, and the flavor is incredible! If you don't want to make your own sauce, just use one or two jars of sauce.
Gluten-Free Pasta Suggestions
Jovial is one of my favorite gluten-free pasta brands! They have a huge selection of shapes, but my favorites are their Penne, Bow Ties, and Fettuccine. The Whole Foods brand makes a delicious chickpea pasta that is organic, and only has ONE ingredient – chickpeas. They also have a Mung Bean pasta that tastes great, and has a nice texture. I use it for most of my sauce recipes because it doesn’t get soggy. (Wouldn’t recommend eating it without a sauce.)
A lot of the gluten-free pasta products are filled with additives and “gums” that are unnecessary. Make sure to always check the ingredients! Don’t be tricked by fancy labels!
If you’re interested in making your own vegetable noodles, I highly recommend purchasing an inspiralizer. I’ve had mine for about six years, and it’s amazing!! I use it for zucchini, broccoli, yellow squash, beets, sweet potato.. I also have two of her cookbooks! It’s a fun way to sneak in extra veggies!
🍴Step by Step Instructions
Step 1:
Start by adding all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Use your hands or a stand mixer to blend. DO NOT over mix the meat. If you're using a stand mixer, put the meat in last so the eggs and flour don't fly out of the bowl.
Step 2:
Once the mixture is blended, roll into about 20 medium sized meatballs. Gently press them into a ball shape so they are not tightly packed.
Step 3:
Add the meatballs into a large baking dish, and pour the sauce over top. Bake the meatballs at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Step 4:
When the meatballs are done, remove from the pan from the oven and serve with your favorite gluten-free pasta! Enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Use a stand mixer to blend the meatball mixture, and thank me later. Add all of your ingredients into the mixing bowl, turn the mixer on a low speed, and blend until it's fully combined! It's important not to over mix or else the meatballs will be tough.
- Want the perfect size meatballs? Use a ice cream scoop! I use the scoop to get the mixture out of the bowl, then give them a quick touch up with my hand to make sure they're round.
- If you're looking for a gluten-free bread to serve on the side, my Focaccia Bread, or a toasted slice of my Paleo Garlic Herb Bread would be great!
- For the sauce, I used my Creamy Tomato Sauce recipe and blended ALL of the ingredients in my high speed blender. (It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.) You can also sub with any jarred sauce that you have on hand!
- For a delicious Paleo & Whole30 option, you can use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash! Never made spaghetti squash? Check out my How to Cook Spaghetti Squash Post!
Frequently Asked Questions
I used a very large baking dish for this recipe so the sauce didn't boil over in the oven. It was about 17 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 3 inches deep. If you use less sauce, you probably won't need a pan quite as deep.
I wouldn't reccomend making this recipe without eggs because it helps to bind the meatballs together, and creates a tender consistency.
How to store leftovers
Store leftover meatballs in an air tight container. (I prefer glass containers.) They will stay fresh for about 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze leftovers for later! They will stay fresh for about 2-3 months.
More Italian inspired recipes!
- The Best Paleo Meatballs
- Whole30 Italian Stuffed Peppers
- Italian Vegetable Meatball Recipe
- Paleo Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
After you make these Gluten-Free Baked Meatballs, make sure to leave a comment & rate the recipe! Your feedback is helpful for me, and for anyone planning to try this recipe. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Recipe
Gluten-Free Baked Meatballs
Equipment
- Large Baking Dish - 16x11
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Ground Beef
- 2 Eggs
- ½ Cup Fresh Parsley You can sub with 1 teaspoon dried parsley.
- ½ Cup Fresh Basil You can sub with 1 teaspoon dried basil.
- ¼ Cup Coconut Flour
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Start by adding all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Use your hands or a stand mixer to blend. DO NOT over mix the meat. If you're using a stand mixer, put the meat in last so the eggs and flour don't fly out of the bowl.
- Once the mixture is blended, roll into about 20 medium sized meatballs. Gently press them into a ball shape so they are not tightly packed.
- Add the meatballs into a large baking dish, and pour the sauce over top.
- Bake the meatballs at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
- When the meatballs are done, remove from the pan from the oven and serve with your favorite gluten-free pasta! Enjoy!
Notes
Helpful Tips
- Use a stand mixer to blend the meatball mixture, and thank me later. Add all of your ingredients into the mixing bowl, turn the mixer on a low speed, and blend until it's fully combined! It's important not to over mix or else the meatballs will be tough.
- Want the perfect size meatballs? Use a ice cream scoop! I use the scoop to get the mixture out of the bowl, then give them a quick touch up with my hand to make sure they're round.
- For the sauce, I used my Creamy Tomato Sauce recipe and blended ALL of the ingredients in my high speed blender. (It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.) You can also sub with any jarred sauce that you have on hand!
- For a delicious Paleo & Whole30 option, you can use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash! Never made spaghetti squash? Check out my How to Cook Spaghetti Squash Post!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to store leftovers
Store leftover meatballs in an air tight container. (I prefer glass containers.) They will stay fresh for about 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze leftovers for later! They will stay fresh for about 2-3 months.Nutrition
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I made these twice!! My family loved them. So juicy!
Yayy! So glad you liked them. (: