No Gluten, Dairy Free, Soy Free Option, Paleo Option, Whole30 Option, Keto Option
These tender, juicy meatballs are comfort food at its finest as they boast the nostalgic taste of meatloaf in meatball form. It's elevated by the addition of fresh sautéed garlic along with the sweet, savory cooked green peppers and onions. Finally, the meatballs are coated with an upgraded balsamic and ketchup glaze that caramelizes into a sticky sweet topping!
Why I Love This Recipe
The start of school brings the beginning of fall weather and with it all my favorite fall recipes!! Meatloaf is a classic recipe that many of us Southerners grew up eating regularly especially throughout the fall and winter months. I love how these meatballs build on the foundation of this traditional dish.
The sautéing diced bell peppers, onions, and garlic enhances the flavor and texture of Meatloaf Meatballs. I skip the bread crumbs in this recipe and add an additional egg to keep it gluten free but able to hold it's shape.
The moisture and tenderness of these meatballs comes from a combination of eggs and Worcestershire sauce (or coconut aminos) plus, correct mixing and balling technique and accurate cook time. Make sure to check out the cooking tips below to ensure your meatballs turn out perfectly every time.
Since meatloaf evokes thoughts of mashed potatoes for me personally, I typically serve them as a side dish with this recipe. Meatloaf Meatballs also go well with roasted or steamed vegetables, a side salad, or cauliflower mash.
I'm still in the mad dash of little kid school days and busy schedules. So, on nights when I'm especially short on time and energy, I'll warm up canned green beans, peas, or corn with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of dairy free butter to serve as a side. It's nothing fancy, but tastes good and they are veggies my kids will typically eat (or at least not throw a fit for having them on their plate).
Cooking Tips
Also, I know it's tempting, but don't skip sautéing the onions, green bell peppers, and garlic. Much of the depth of flavor in this recipe comes from this simple step. It not only contributes to the overall taste but helps with a more tender texture. Skip this step and you'll be getting bites of raw onion and peppers, which is not particularly delicious in a meatball.
Ensure the onion, pepper, and garlic mixture is cool to the touch before adding to the meatball mixture. Otherwise, it will start to cook the ground beef and scramble the eggs. Not a fun time!
For paleo and whole30 version
To make these meatballs soy free, Paleo and Whole30 compliant use coconut aminos instead of Worcestershire sauce and select a good quality ketchup.
For keto friendly
For low carb meatballs, choose ketchup with no added sugars. Heinz has a no sugar added version that is carried in most grocery stores. That cuts the carbs from 2g per meatball to 1g per meatball.
Tips for tender meatballs
Here are a few tips to prevent tough meatballs from over working the meat:
- Spread the raw meat out as much as possible in the mixing bowl. This increases the amount of surface area the seasoning comes in contact with and decreases the amount of time you have to work to get the mixture fully combined.
- Use your hands to gently combine the ingredients. Do this only until all the spices/seasonings look and feel evenly distributed.
- Gently form into meatballs. No squeezing them tightly into compressed balls! There is enough binder in this recipe that they will hold together well. So, use the smallest amount of pressure to get the balls to hold their shape and set them down.
- Finally, don't over cook Meatloaf Meatballs! Start checking juices and/or temperature after 18 minutes. Overcooking will cause dry, tough meatballs.
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📖 Recipe
Meatloaf Meatballs {Paleo Option, Whole30 Option}
Equipment
- 1 large rimmed baking sheet
- 1 large oven safe wire rack optional
- tin foil optional
- 1 large mixing bowl
- measuring cups and spoons
- 1 baster brush
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- ½ onion very small diced
- ½ green bell pepper very small diced
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lbs ground beef 85/15 or 80/20
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce use coconut aminos for soy free/paleo/Whole30
Glaze
- ⅓ cup ketchup*
- 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Cover baking sheet with tin foil and top with a wire rack if desired.
- Heat oil in a small skillet on MED heat. When warm add diced onions and bell peppers. Sauté stirring often until tender about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté stirring constantly until fragrant about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl add ground beef, eggs, parsley, Worcestershire or coconut aminos, salt, black pepper and cooled peppers, onions, and garlic. Use your hand to mix gently to combine all ingredients. Don't over mix.
- Measure heaping 1 tablespoon of meat mixture and gently shape into balls. Place on wire rack or directly on baking sheet. Keep some space between each meatball so they'll brown instead of steam.
- Mix balsamic vinegar and ketchup. Use a baster brush to coat all the visible area of each meatball.
- Bake 18-20 minutes until juices run clear and/or internal temperature reads 160℉. Serve with your favorite side dishes.
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