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This almond flour meatballs and sauce recipe cooks for three hours and results in a rich tomato sauce full of flavorful healthy meatballs. This recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.

Almond flour meatballs in a large pot.

Do you ever get inspired to eat something after watching an actor eat that food in a movie or TV Show? This happens to me ALL the time. I have been watching the Sopranos and have been wanting Italian food all the time, or more specifically, “spaghetti and gravy”.

This gluten-free meatballs recipe is a delicious recipe where meatballs are made with almond flour instead of bread crumbs and cooked in a delicious marinara until the flavors all melt into each other. I love eating this recipe with a lemon arugula salad or lemon asparagus on the side.

Why this recipe works

  • The flavor of meatballs after they cook in marinara sauce for 3 hours is incredible.
  • This recipe is great for those following a gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo diet.
  • This recipe is easy to customize to your tastes or what ingredients you have on hand.
  • It comes together easily, even if it takes a while to cook.
Gluten-free Italian meatballs in a bowl with a bite taken out of one of them.

Recipe ingredients

  • Ground beef– you can use regular fat or lean ground beef in this recipe.
  • Eggs– these help bind the meatballs together.
  • Almond milk– you can also use whatever type of milk that works for you and your dietary needs, such as regular milk, oat milk, or coconut milk.
  • Almond flour– blanched almond flour works best here because it has a refined texture.
  • Dried parsley, basil and oregano– these herbs add flavor to both the meatballs and the sauce.
  • Garlic powder– this adds flavor to the meatballs.
  • Garlic and onion– these both flavor the sauce.
  • Strained tomatoes and chopped tomatoes– these both make up the bulk of the marinara sauce.
  • Cloves– this adds a a wonderful flavor to the sauce.
  • Honey– this adds a natural sweetness to the sauce. Maple syrup can be used as well.
  • Salt and pepper– keep these on hand to flavor the sauce to taste.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Step by step instructions

Paleo Italian meatballs before cooking.
Step 1

Step 1: Mix all the meatball ingredients together. This includes the ground beef, eggs, almond milk, almond flour, salt, dried parsely, garlic powder, and ground pepper. Set the mixture aside.

Onions and garlic in a pan.
Step 2

Step 2: Then, simmer the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes together until fragrant.

Marinara sauce before cooking.
Step 3

Step 3: Next, add the crushed tomatoes, strained tomatoes, cloves, dried basil, salt, paprika, oregano, ground black pepper, and honey to the pot.

Gluten free meatballs recipe before cooking.
Step 4

Step 4: Then, roll the meatballs into golf sized balls and put them into the tomato sauce pot.

Gluten free meatballs recipe after cooking.
Step 5

Step 5: Lastly, let everything simmer for 3 hours. The smell in your house will be fabulous, making it difficult to actually wait to get your hands on these delicious tender meatballs.

Expert tips

  • How to store: Store the meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  • How to serve: Serve on top of spaghetti, zoodles, gluten-free, pasta, or on top of mashed potatoes.
  • How to season: Add Parmesan, basil, oregano, salt and pepper on top.
Almond flour meatballs and sauce in a bowl with Parmesan on top.

Other meatball recipes you’ll love:

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

5 from 1 vote

Almond Flour Meatballs and Sauce

Servings: 5 people
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 hours
Total: 3 hours 10 minutes
Almond flour meatballs in a large pot.

Ingredients 

Meatball Ingredients:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk, regular milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

  • a scant 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons diced garlic, (this was 5 of cloves for me)
  • 3/4 cup diced yellow onion, (this was 1 smalll onion for me)
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper/red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups strained tomatoes, (I always use Pomi)
  • 3 cups chopped tomatoes, (again, I always use Pomi)
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons honey

Instructions 

  • Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl ( 1lb lean ground beef lean, 2 eggs, 1⁄4 cup milk, ¾ cup almond flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbs dried parsley, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper). Mix either by hand or with a fork. Set the mixture aside.
  • Then, put a scant 1/4 cup of olive oil into a large pot, and sauté 2 Tbs diced garlic, 3/4 cup of diced onion, and 1/8 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes together for 2-3 min over medium-high heat.
  • Reduce the heat to medium, and add the 4 cups of strained tomatoes and and 3 cups of crushed tomatoes to the pot and mix. Add the 6 cloves, 1 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp paprika, ½ tsp dried oregano, 1/4-1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper, and 2 Tbs honey to the pot and mix. Lower the heat to a simmer.
  • Then, roll golf ball sized meatballs out of the meatball mixture and put them into the sauce in the large pan. Let the sauce simmer for 3 hours.
  • This makes approximately 20 meatballs total.

Notes

  • How to store: Store the meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  • How to serve: Serve on top of spaghetti, zoodles, gluten-free, pasta, or on top of mashed potatoes.
  • How to season: Add Parmesan, basil, oregano, salt and pepper on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 31gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 1249mgPotassium: 1273mgFiber: 8gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 771IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 208mgIron: 8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
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