25 Minute Gluten-Free Beef Meatballs
Baking these meatballs in the oven saves time and allows you to get other dishes for dinner ready while they bake. You can serve these dairy-free and gluten-free beef meatballs with any sauce you like, but I’ve included a really simple semi-homemade sauce using regular marinara or tomato sauce and a little spicy harissa paste to liven it up. The end result is a slightly sweeter, spiced arrabbiata. If you’re sensitive to heat, start with 1 tablespoon of the harissa and go from there. Every brand will have a different potency. I use the Mina harissa spicy and 3 tablespoons was the perfect kick for me. The mild version has hardly any heat, but will give you a nice sweet red pepper flavor. So you can always opt for that.If oats aren’t your thing, see above for other gluten-free meatball binder ideas!
Servings 4
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- ½ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup finely chopped basil or mint
- 1 garlic clove minced or pushed through a press
- 1 large shallot or ¼ small onion minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pound ground beef preferably 87% or less lean – you want some fat!
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove thinly sliced
- 1-3 tablespoons harissa paste
- 2 cups tomato or marinara sauce
- ¼ cup torn basil or mint leaves divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small food processor, pulse the oats until coarsely ground. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- To the same bowl, add the egg, tomato paste, basil or mint, garlic, shallot, paprika, and salt. Mix with a fork until the ingredients are well distributed.
- With clean hands, mix the ground beef with the other ingredients until loosely combined. You don’t want to overly break up the meat. Form the beef into a dozen 2-inch balls (an ice cream scoop works well for portioning) and roll in your hands until round and smooth. Arrange the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until cooked through and beginning to brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes.
- While the beef meatballs are baking, make the sauce: in a large saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, carefully add the harissa and cook for one minute more, until you have a fragrant chili garlic oil. Stir in the tomato or marinara sauce and half the basil or mint. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through a beginning to reduce, about 3 minutes.
- Toss the baked beef meatballs with the harissa sauce and garnish with the remaining herbs. Serve immediately over pasta or on their own!