Gluten Free Oven-Baked Meatballs
It’s been a busy day and you and the family are heading into the house with voices asking, “what’s for dinner”. It’s definitely a great opportunity to whip out these tasty, gluten free oven-baked meatballs to build a delicious meal that everybody will love.
All you have to do is decide on an Italian, Mexican, Greek or some other spin with your added toppings and spices.
Make ahead and freeze this quick recipe for use on busy weeknights.
- 2 Pounds/Packages Ground beef (defrosted)
- 2 Tablespoons Salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon Ground pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Turmeric (optional)
- 1/3 Yellow onion (chopped, optional)
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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Gather your ingredients together along with your bowl, cooking sheet, parchment paper, plus a spoon and fork if preferred for mixing and meatball building. Line your cooking sheet with parchment paper.
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Mix all your ingredients together either by hand or with your fork.
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Either spoon up or grab some of your meat mixture and shape into a ball slightly smaller than a golf ball, then plan on the parchment papered cooking sheet about 1 inch apart.
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Place your cooking sheet on an oven rack in the middle of your oven, and bake for approximately 20 minutes. (Meatballs are done when you don't see pink meat when slicing through to taste a sampling...such a tough responsibility)
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Let cool, then containerize for even freezing. Consider using a flat, glass dish or a large freezer bag to freeze flat for easy portion access later.
- Enjoy fully grass fed, grass finished, local beef whenever possible, but you might enjoy mixing 1 ground beef and 1 venison or other option. Don't forget to consider the fattiness of the meat when choosing combination.
- I like using Redmond Real Salt.
- There are some great organic, non-irradiated garlic powder options, but you might prefer minced 2-4 garlic.
- There is also non-irradiated onion powder you might prefer over chopping onions to save time and avoid tears.
Keeping Them Together
Try to choose 85/15 when possible for fat content on the beef. The fat helps to hold the meatballs together but also gives you the added flavor even with some of the fat cooking out in the oven.
Switching up the meat selection will impact the fat level, so be sure to consider that as you make your ingredient choices for your delicious, gluten free, oven-baked meatballs.
If you already have a weeknight meal that you plan to add these to, don’t let me stop you on adding more ingredients in your meatballs.
And just to throw out a few suggestions, what about:
- Italian – chopped oregano, parsley, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, onion powder, tomato paste
- Tex-Mex – cumin powder, chili powder, onion powder, chopped oregano
- Barbeque – onion powder, chopped oregano leaf, tomato paste, coconut aminos, paprika, chili powder, Dijon mustard
What about making separate batches of your chosen flavor themes at the same time?
No breadcrumbs, bread, crackers, or eggs needed to hold these together, so the recipe above gluten free, dairy free, and egg free. If you’re okay with eggs, and would like to include, just add 1-2 eggs with other ingredients.
Cut the garlic and onions if you need a low-FODMAP recipe and watch out on some of your added seasonings listed above too for the same reason.
Freezing
This recipe amount will usually cover one meal + lunches the next day in our household, but I definitely consider making more than one batch to cover more than one meal in the upcoming weeks to save you time and effort.
Also, I prefer freezing as much as possible in glass, and the 2 package batch of meatballs perfectly fit in my 6 cup, rectangle dish, but definitely consider freezing your cooled and bagged meatballs flat to save freeze space.
Some Helpful Resources
Check out these links for examples of some of the items I mentioned in this post:
- My favorite salt is Redmond Real Salt (Fine) and you can set it up on Subscribe and Save, but be sure to compare with your other resources for competitive prices
- I’m using my Pyrex 6 cup Glass Dish to freeze the 2 pounds of meatballs. Pyrex offers a W.I.D.E. variety of dish sets, so pick your combo favorite and definitely watch for occasionally awesome discounts offered.
- I’m using the If You Care Parchment paper in my images but there are several brands you can choose from.
We’ve Enjoyed These Gluten Free Oven-Baked Meatballs in a Variety of Meals
We’ve included these tasty meatballs in a variety of meals, including dropping them in spaghetti sauce, sliced and added to gluten-free sandwiches, as well as simmered on the stove in flavorful sauces and soups.
Here are two possibilities already on the website that you might like:
- Hearty Italian Meatball and Vegetable Soup (great when using Easy Ground Beef Meatballs)
- Crazy Day Hamburger Stacks
Making these gluten free, oven-baked meatballs ahead of time can save you A Lot of time and frustration on those busy nights when you would rather spend more time enjoying your family. They also guarantee you and your family safe and clean meals using ingredients you control and Know are healthy and safe for you.
All wins in my book.
