This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure here.
Ah! A classic dish and a family favourite: baked meatballs in tomato sauce. But just how do you make gluten free meatballs? What do you use instead of the usual binders of flour or breadcrumbs?
Read on to find out more about a delicious recipe that can be prepared in advance, frozen and brought out in times of minor crisis.
Like a weekday evening when everyone is tired, grumpy and needs a bit of love.
What better way to show that love than with food?
What makes these meatballs gluten free?
So instead of using flour or bread crumbs (that are full of inflammatory gluten), I will reveal my First Secret Ingredient to bind these gluten free meatballs together:
Yep, the flour made from chickpeas (or garbanzo beans for my North American readers). I’ve already waxed lyrical about the glory, power and healthy might of the humble chickpea in my post about Chickpea and Bacon Pasta.
And this gram flour is ever so versatile. Not only, with the addition of a couple of eggs, does it help keep the mincemeat together but it adds extra protein, fibre as well as good stuff like Vitamin B6.
Speaking of meat…
Which meat is best for meatballs?
For this recipe of gluten free meatballs, I went for minced pork as the meat’s extra fattiness works well with the gram flour’s absorbing properties as well as THE SECRET INGREDIENT. (More about that later…)
You could also use minced lamb as that has a high fat content as well. If you do go for minced beef make sure it has a higher fat content whilst leaner minced chicken or or turkey will need a splosh or two extra of oil.
Why have vegetables in gluten free meatballs?
Along with the minced meat, you’ll need some vegetables in your meatballs for flavour as well as a cunning means of getting more goodness into fickle children.
Bulking your meatballs out with vegetables also means you can make more of them, using less meat and over time, saving you pennies and helping stretch out that budget.
What’s not to love about the combination of healthy food AND a healthy budget?
But back to the vegetables… onions, garlic, carrot, celery and leeks are all completely smuggle-able into a meatball. And those alliums are ever so good at feeding that microbiome as well as helping with digestion.
HOWEVER…You’ll need to chop up these vegetable super fine.
This is not only to hide them from the incredibly acute vision of the fussy eater but, if the veggies are too chunky, then they don’t help bind the meatball and the thing just crumbles away. Into an odd sort of mincey mush.
Not nice.
So make sure your veggies are super finely chopped. Go for a food processor if you can. I swear by my Vitamix (bloomin’ expensive but, by gum, worth every penny. You can get one HERE).
In addition to these veggies, you can also add the Second Secret Ingredient:
Mushrooms.
What’s so special about mushrooms?
Yes, the mighty mushroom is the secret ingredient in these gluten free meatballs. Like your other veggies, you’ll need to chop these up mighty fine so that they will bind together with the rest of the ingredients.
Jolly useful mushrooms are a neutral brown or beige sort of colour that fits ever so well with cooked mince meat. The children will never know…
As for the health benefits, how about a good source of fibre and protein that’s anti inflammatory and chock full of useful stuff like potassium and other elements like magnesium and selenium?
Oh. And mushrooms are much cheaper than meat. So by combining all of the goodness of meat with vegetables and mushrooms into one recipe, you’ve got some rather healthy gluten free meatballs for a hungry family at a pretty decent price per head.
Well done.
Poaching the Meatballs
Now, having made your meatball mince (See the recipe card below btw for full details) you can go ahead and poach them.
Why poach meatballs?
- So they’re cooked through (they’ll float to the top of the boiling water when they are ready btw) before you put them in the oven with a delicious tomato sauce.
- So they’re cooked through and, once cooled, freezable and ready for another day.
- You actually fancied soup instead of roasted meatballs in tomato sauce so added some simple chopped veggies to the poaching water as well as noodles to enjoy a lovely meatball soup.
- Because once the meatballs are poached you can use the delicious poaching water (or boullion) as a basis for a soup that doesn’t involve meatballs. DON’T LET ANYTHING GO TO WASTE.
But if you choose option 1. you’ll need a tomato sauce.
Make Your Own Homemade Tomato Sauce
For those visual learners out there, here’s a video I made of how to make a simple, oven roasted tomato sauce. Hurrah!
For those who like a detailed set of instructions, have a look at the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
For those who are more of a bish-bash-bosh, creative-mess-of-a-cook sort of person, essentially you need to gather up as many tomatoes as you can. This is especially helpful when tomatoes are growing in excessive abundance in the garden or are on special offer in the supermarket.
Waste not, want not and all that.
Next, wash the tomatoes and get as many as you can into as many roasting dishes as you can. Smother them in garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, pepper, your herbs of choice. Roast them until they go soft and caramlised brown on the outside.
Let the tomatoes then cool and then whizz them up into a sauce.
Cover your meatballs in this tomato-sauce-beyond-compare* and then roast again.
Serve up with rice or pasta (gluten free of course) or potatoes. Make sure there are some steamed vegetables or – ESPECIALLY ON THOSE EVENINGS WHERE EVERYONE IS LOSING THE PLOT AND YOU NEED EVERYONE IN BED ASAP – maybe a quick, prewashed salad from a bag as an accompaniment.
*Or save the sauce for another time. You’re call.
Remember, you’re the boss of that kitchen. Own it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to bake or fry meatballs?
It’s all about personal preference. Sometimes I fancy baked meatballs in a sauce. Sometimes I fancy friend meatballs in gravy. Just depends how you are feeling.
How long does it take to oven cook meatballs?
If you poach them beforehand, then only a half hour or so. If you don’t, it’ll be longer. Essentially, when the tomato sauce is bubbling along the edges and the tops of the meatballs are looking roasted, you’re done.
How do you keep gluten-free meatballs from falling apart?
With gram flour and very, very finely chopped vegetables mushed together with the minced meat and a couple of eggs. Job done.
What can I use instead of breadcrumbs in meatballs?
Gram flour. Seriously, this stuff is pure magic and should be a staple in any gluten free kitchen. HOWEVER, if you’re in a gram-flour crisis, then gluten free flour will do. I’ll let you off on this occasion…
What happens if you don’t add breadcrumbs to meatballs?
Disaster and a mushy, mincemeaty mess. Don’t do it. No one will be happy. Especially not the hungry children on a busy weekday evening.
Can I add flour instead of breadcrumbs for meatballs?
If you must. Back to my point above; gluten free flour will do the job but for a supercharged and healthy gluten free meatball, then gram flour is king.
Equipment
You’ll find me waxing lyrical about this beast of a food processor throughout this blog but…
All hail the Vitamix. For the speedy chopping of vegetables so small that you can smuggle them into a meatball and make your family all the healthier…
The Vitamix is the bomb.
Gluten Free Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
This is a simple and hearty dish, a favourite with adults and children alike. You can serve these meatballs with rice, pasta, potatoes, or even enjoy cold as a leftover for lunch. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- For the Meatballs:
- 800g minced pork
- 1 large onion (red or white. Your choice)
- 2 large carrots
- 200g (give or take) mushrooms
- 1/2 cup gram flour
- 2 eggs
- salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian dried herbs
- For the Tomato Sauce:
- EITHER - Large bottle of store-bought tomato passata (make sure it is mostly tomato and doesn't have sugar or additional flavours and preservatives)
- OR - 1 kg (at least. Or more if you want the freeze some sauce) of tomatoes
- 1/2 bulb of garlic
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
- Oregano / Rosemary / Thyme (your dried herb of choice)
Instructions
- If you're using store-bought passata (the easy choice), skip to step 7. If you're making your own passata, wash the tomatos and put in an oven dish.
- Peel and squish the garlic and scatter the cloves amidst the tomatoes.
- Add salt, pepper, herb of choice and splash liberally with the olive oil.
- Put in the oven for 1 hour at 180 degrees C (fan oven).
- After an hour, when the tomato skins are browning, take out of the oven and let it cool.
- Once cool, pour the contents into a suitable recepticle and whizz up with a stick blender until smooth. Put on the side.
- For the meatballs, you can either chop up the carrots, onion and mushrooms with a knife or stick them in a beast of a food processor (like a Vitamix). You want them as finely cut up as possible.
- Put the veggies in a bowl. Add the minced pork, gram flour, eggs, salt, pepper and herbs. Then squish it all together with your hands. Roll meatballs that are about the size of a golf ball and put on a plate.
- Meanwhile, start boiling a large pot of water. Once it is boiling turn it down to an energetic simmer. Start plopping the meatballs in the water. At first they will sink but when they are cooked they float to the top.
- Take the cooked meatballs out of the water with a slotted spoon and place in a baking dish.
- Once finished, you can use the cooking water that is now a bouillon from the poaching process to cook rice, or have a base for a soup. Don't waste it!
- Back to the meatballs... cover them in the tomato passata and put in the oven at 180 degrees C (fan oven) for 45 minutes, or until the tomato sauce is bubbling and the tops of the meatballs are browning.
- Serve with rice, pasta or potatoes. Enjoy!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Generated with Pin Generator
