The Best Gluten-Free Meatballs

gluten free meatballs in a bowl sprinkled with fresh parsley

The best gluten-free meatballs I've ever eaten are made with a mixture of lean beef, ground pork, and mild Italian sausage. Makes 64 meatballs with 4 meatballs per serving.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 326kcal

Author Amee

Ingredients

3 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 lb mild Italian sausage
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried Italian parsley
7 oz gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for frying meatballs if using the oven-baked method.
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup warm water

Instructions

Oven-Baked Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a couple of baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Heat a frying pan on medium to medium-high heat and spray with olive oil.
Fry meatballs until they are nice and golden on each side, then transfer back to the parchment lined cookie sheet.
Finish baking in the oven for 15 minutes, until cooked through.
Air Fryer Method:
Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees and spray the bottom of the basket generously with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients and mix with your hands or a heavy wooden spoon. Roll the mixture into 1-½" balls and place them on a clean plate.
Carefully place the meatballs in the hot basket in an even single layer, leaving space in between each. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until the surfaces are browned and centers are cooked through (mine were perfect at 8 minutes, but adjust according to your air fryer model recommendations). Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches.

Notes

Taste test - After mixing the ingredients, cook a spoonful in a hot pan (or in the microwave) and taste it to make sure it's seasoned properly. Add more garlic, herbs, and seasonings if needed.
Don't overmix the meat - Making meatballs from scratch is fool-proof unless you fuss with the meatball mixture too much. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly combined, and then roll the mixture into balls.
Chill the meat before rolling - Popping the mixing bowl into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes will make for easier rolling.
Lighten up - you can reduce the fat and calories of this recipe and give it a slight protein boost by using all lean ground beef instead of the blend. This changes the macros to 230 calories, 11 grams carbs, 22 grams protein, and 10 grams fat per serving.

Nutrition