Say hi to your new favourite gluten-free meatball recipe with delicious tomato sauce. These Spanish meatballs are a family recipe (gluten-free adapted), that has gone through generations, and is always a favourite within the family and guests. Ideal to make a big batch and freeze portions. Dairy-free.
There’s nothing like mummy meals. And if I had to choose one recipe from my mum (oh gosh that’s hard), these meatballs in tomato sauce would definitely be in the top 5.
If you love hearty homemade recipes, you might also want to try this Guinness beef stew, this Spanish lentil stew or this chicken curry with coconut milk. They’re both amazingly delicious family recipes.
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Ingredients
Meatballs
- Garlic cloves cut in medium chunks
- Fresh parsley
- Loaf GF bread (crust removed)
- Plant-based milk (I use sugar-free almond)
- Grass-fed minced beef
- Organic eggs
- Brown onion grated (excess liquid removed)
- Salt
- Ground pepper
- Chickpea flour
Tomato sauce
- Tomato passata or tomato puree
- Brown onion diced
- White wine
- Chicken stock
- Bay leaves (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make this gluten-free meatball recipe
This gluten-free meatball recipe takes a while to prepare, but it’s really easy to follow and no crazy cooking skills are required 😊
Start by making the meatball mix
Cut the bread in chunks with the hands, and soak it in the milk. Smash using a fork or pestle. Crush the garlic with the parsley in a mortar and pestle, until they’re well crushed. Add the soaked bread, a tiny bit of wine (approx. 1 tbsp) to the mortar, and combine all the ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, add the meat with the rest of the ingredients. Combine well with your hands, until all the ingredients have blended.
Roll the meatballs
Add a generous amount of chickpea flour to a plate. Grab a bit of the meat with a tablespoon, and form the meatballs with your fingers (I like the meatballs quite small, but this is a personal preference). Roll over the chickpea flour, and transfer to a tray or plate. You might want to put baking paper or spread a bit of extra flour to avoid the meatballs sticking to the plate/tray.
Repeat this process until you’ve used all the meat. You should end up with approximately 60 small meatballs.
Fry the meatballs
Pour olive oil to a large pot and bring it to boil. The olive oil should be approx. 1-2 fingers high, to cover half the height of the meatballs. Fry the meatballs in small batches, so there is enough space around. Cook for approx. 1 minute on each side, until they’re nicely golden brown.
Prepare the onion-tomato sauce, and cook the meatballs in it
Clean the oil where you fried the meatballs with a thin strainer. Add the onion to the oil with a pinch of salt, and cook on medium high for approx. 15 minutes until it becomes soft. Pour the tomato, wine and bay leaves, stir to combine, and cook for another 5 minutes. Pour the stock little by little, and stir to combine. Bring it to boil and cook for another 5 minutes.
Using a skimmer, grab all the onion from the sauce, and transfer it to a food mill. Place the food mill over the pot, and mash the onion. The sauce will look quite liquid at the beginning, but it will thicken later.
Add the meatballs to the sauce, and once it starts boiling cook for another 5 minutes.
Tip! If you don't have a food mill, you can use a hand blender instead. Don't over blend the sauce though.
Why you will love these gluten-free Spanish meatballs in tomato sauce!
- They are SO DELICIOUS!
- Easy to make, following some simple steps.
- Ideal for batch cooking or for a large family feed. These meatballs get tastier as they sit in the fridge, making amazing leftovers 😋
- Super hearty dish, that you can combine with potatoes, pasta or rice!
Substitutions & variations
- Cappers - finely diced, added to the meatball mix.
- Cognac - instead of white wine.
- Add carrot to the sauce - diced in small cubes, and later added to the food mill along with the onion.
- Use the soft part of a baguette - instead of loaf bread.
- Bake the meatballs - instead of frying them.
Equipment
- Knife & chopping board
- Large bowl
- Mortar & pestle
- Large pot
- Skimmer
- Food mill or hand blender
Storage
Store the leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can freeze portions in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
Top tips to make the best gluten-free meatballs!
And the family secrets to make these Spanish meatballs in tomato sauce extra-delicious are...
The soft bread addition soaked in milk! The soft bread will help make the meatballs soft, don't skip it!
Frying the meatballs in the same oil where you cook the sauce. This way the sauce will grab a delicious meaty taste.
FAQ
The eggs and the soft bread, will help bind the meatball mix together. The soft bread will also help make the meatballs soft.
Loaf bread without the borders! The meatballs will also have a softer and nicer texture.
Good quality grass-fed beef, and once again, the soft bread soaked in milk! It will help make the meatballs light and soft.
GLUTEN-FREE MEATBALL RECIPE
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Main course
- Cuisine: Spanish
Description
Say hi to your new favourite gluten-free meatball recipe with delicious tomato sauce. This is a family recipe (gluten-free adapted), that has gone through generations, and is always a favourite within the family and guests. Ideal to make a big batch and freeze portions. Dairy-free.
Ingredients
Meatballs
2-3 garlic cloves cut in medium chunks
Handful of fresh parsley
2 slices of soft GF bread (crust removed)
¼ cup of plant-based milk (I use sugar-free almond)
1 kg of grass-fed minced beef
2 organic eggs
¼ brown onion grated (excess liquid removed)
1 tsp of salt
¼ tsp of ground pepper
Chickpea flour
Tomato sauce
6 tbsp of tomato passata or tomato puree
2 big / 3 medium brown onion diced
⅓ cup of white wine
400ml of chicken stock
2 bay leaves (optional)
Instructions
-
Start by making the meatballs. Cut the bread in chunks with the hands, and soak it in the milk. Smash using a fork or pestle. Crush the garlic with the parsley in a mortar and pestle, until they’re well crushed. Add the soaked bread, a tiny bit of wine (approx. 1 tbsp) to the mortar, and combine all the ingredients.
-
In a large mixing bowl, add the meat with the rest of the ingredients. Combine well with your hands, until all the ingredients have blended.
-
Add a generous amount of chickpea flour to a plate. Grab a bit of the meat with a tablespoon, and form the meatballs with your fingers (I like the meatballs quite small, but this is a personal preference). Roll over the chickpea flour, and transfer to a tray or plate. You might want to put baking paper or spread a bit of extra flour to avoid the meatballs sticking to the plate/tray.
-
Repeat this process until you’ve used all the meat. You should end up with approximately 60 small meatballs.
-
Pour olive oil to a large pot and bring it to boil. The olive oil should be approx. 1-2 fingers high, to cover half the height of the meatballs. Fry the meatballs in small batches, so there is enough space around. Cook for approx. 1 minute on each side, until they’re nicely golden brown.
-
Make the sauce. Clean the oil with a thin strainer. Add the onion to the oil with a pinch of salt, and cook on medium-high for approx. 15 minutes until it becomes soft. Pour the tomato, wine and bay leaves, stir to combine, and cook for another 5 minutes. Pour the stock little by little, stirring to combine. Bring it to boil and cook for another 5 minutes.
-
Using a skimmer, grab all the onion from the sauce, and transfer it to a food mill. Place the food mill over the pot, and mash the onion. The sauce will look quite liquid at the beginning, but it will thicken later. Add the meatballs to the sauce, and once it starts boiling cook for another 5 minutes.
Notes
If you don't have a food mill, you can use a hand blender instead. Don't over blend the sauce though.
Keywords: gluten-free meatball recipe, meatballs in tomato sauce, meatball recipe with tomato sauce, easy gluten free meatballs
Marta Tomé
This meatballs are the BEST.
★★★★★
Rebecca
These meatballs are so tasty!! And I love the sauce 🙂
★★★★★