A dinner my son used to love before his coeliac diagnosis was meatballs, but they were often made with gluten-containing bread. Gluten-free bread is so expensive I wanted to create a recipe that didn't need it.
These gluten-free meatballs are simply flavoured with parmesan and parsley, and they are egg-free as well as gluten-free. Make a large batch and store in the fridge for busy weeknights, then heat up whilst cooking your favourite gluten-free pasta for dinner in less than 15 minutes. The meatballs also freeze well too.
IMPORTANT - PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR INGREDIENT PACKETS TO ENSURE THEY ARE GLUTEN-FREE
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 25 g parmesan grated
- 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil to fry the meatballs
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 240 ml water
- parmesan rind optional
- salt
- black pepper
To serve
- gluten-free spaghetti or your favourite gluten-free pasta
- parmesan
- fresh parsley
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, add the minced beef, garlic, parmesan, parsley and salt, mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Take a teaspoonful of the mixture and roll into balls, squeezing it between your hands as you do so - to help the meatball stick together.
- Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat and cook until golden all over – around 5-6 minutes in total. Depending on the size of your pan, you might have to cook the meatballs in two batches.
- Once browned, remove the meatballs to a plate and set aside. They will not be cooked all the way through at this point.
- Add a splash of water to the pan and scrape up any bits caught on the bottom of the pan, then tip these on to the plate too.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the other tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and fry for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
- Return the meatballs to the pan with the tomatoes, water, parmesan rind, if using, and salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Take the lid off and cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked.
- Serve straight away spooned over gluten-free spaghetti or your favourite gluten-free pasta, sprinkling with extra parmesan and chopped parsley.
- Store any leftover meatballs and sauce in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Storage: I do not recommend storing the cooked pasta with the meatballs as the pasta will soak up all the sauce as it sits.
Nutrition
Calories 433kcal | Carbohydrates 7g | Protein 25g | Fat 34g | Saturated Fat 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat 1g | Monounsaturated Fat 17g | Trans Fat 2g | Cholesterol 93mg | Sodium 332mg | Potassium 580mg | Fiber 2g | Sugar 4g | Vitamin A 251IU | Vitamin C 13mg | Calcium 138mg | Iron 4mg
Private Notes
IMPORTANT - PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR INGREDIENT PACKETS TO ENSURE THEY ARE GLUTEN-FREE
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ c parmesan grated
- 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil to fry the meatballs
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 c water
- parmesan rind optional
- salt
- black pepper
To serve
- gluten-free spaghetti or your favourite gluten-free pasta
- parmesan
- fresh parsley
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, add the minced beef, garlic, parmesan, parsley and salt, mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Take a teaspoonful of the mixture and roll into balls.
- Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat and cook until golden all over – around 5-6 minutes in total. Depending on the size of your pan, you might have to cook the meatballs in two batches.
- Once browned, remove the meatballs to a plate and set aside. They will not be cooked all the way through at this point.
- Add a splash of water to the pan and scrape up any bits caught on the bottom of the pan, then tip these on to the plate too.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the other tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and fry for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
- Return the meatballs to the pan with the tomatoes, water, parmesan rind, if using, and salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Take the lid off and cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked.
- Serve straight away spooned over gluten-free spaghetti or your favourite gluten-free pasta, sprinkling with extra parmesan and chopped parsley.
- Store any leftover meatballs and sauce in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Storage: I do not recommend storing the cooked pasta with the meatballs as the pasta will soak up all the sauce as it sits.
Nutrition
Calories 433kcal | Carbohydrates 7g | Protein 25g | Fat 34g | Saturated Fat 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat 1g | Monounsaturated Fat 17g | Trans Fat 2g | Cholesterol 93mg | Sodium 332mg | Potassium 580mg | Fiber 2g | Sugar 4g | Vitamin A 251IU | Vitamin C 13mg | Calcium 138mg | Iron 4mg
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