Easy (and Tasty) Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs

(picture and recipe from Fashionable Foods)
Spaghetti and meatballs is one of my kids' favorite meals and I have used many recipes for meatballs over the years. During the past year none of my older recipes were really doing it for me when I attempted to adjust them to be gluten free so I went searching for something else and found this winner. The meatballs are moist, but stay together, and they pack in lots of flavor considering they are a pretty healthy version. This has been our go-to meatball recipe for quite some time now so I am finally documenting it to make it easier to find!

Ingredients

1 Egg, beaten

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 Small/Medium Onion, peeled and grated

3 Cloves Garlic, finely minced

¼ Cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Salt & Pepper

¼ Cup Almond Flour

1 ½ Pounds Ground Turkey

Extra-Light Olive Oil

Tomato Sauce, for serving

Fresh Basil, for garnish

Directions

Combine the beaten egg, tomato paste, grated onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and almond flour. Mix well and then mix in the meat.

Preheat the oven to 400º.

Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat and enough of the olive oil to coat the skillet. Using a medium or large ice cream/cookie scoop*, scoop out the meatballs and drop them directly into the pan. Let them cook for about 30 seconds or until brown, then flip them over using a spoon (I found this was the easiest in order to keep them intact). Cook them until brown on the other side, about 30 seconds, and then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Repeat with remaining meat – you’ll end up with about 18-20 meatballs using a large scoop, and about 30-35 with a medium scoop.

Transfer the meatballs to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes for the large size, or 15 minutes if you used a medium-sized scoop. The meatballs will be firm to the touch when finished.

Serve with tomato sauce.

Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs

(picture here)

These guys were a HUGE hit with the entire family! I got my recipe from Fabulously Delicious and we will definitely be making them again! I ate some of the extra meatballs the next day for lunch with a little sauce to dip them in. YUM!

Ingredients
2 lbs. ground turkey
2 eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (I used gluten-free Italian bread crumbs)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. deli (brown) mustard
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3-4 sticks string cheese, each stick cut into 5 pieces

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine turkey and all other ingredients except string cheese. Mix well to combine (use your hands to get the best results!).
2. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray (or each cup of a muffin tin, if using). Take 1/4 cup of meat mixture and roll into a ball. Press your finger into the center to make an indent, and place a piece of string cheese into it. Roll meat mixture again to cover the cheese completely and make a meatball shape. Place meatballs onto baking sheet or into muffin pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through and cheese starts to ooze out. Remember, in this case, ooze is a good thing! Cook them too long and the cheese will start to harden and not be melty. Serve immediately.
(I then simmered mine in a large saucepan with the spaghetti sauce)

Rice Meatballs

Using rice to make meatballs? It sounded gluten free already, so I couldn't pass up this recipe from Melissa's Bargain Blog! Although Ella was confused as to why we were having meatballs with rice instead of noodles the whole family liked them. I think you could even make them and cook them in spaghetti sauce instead and then serve them with noodles as an easy gluten-free meatball alternative!

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked minute rice
1 lb ground beef
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 t. grated onion
1 t. salt
1/8 t marjoram
dash pepper
2 1/2 cups tomato juice (or two 8 oz cans tomato sauce mixed with 1/2 cup water)
1/2 t sugar

Directions:
Combine rice and all other ingredients except tomato juice and sugar. Form balls and arrange in skillet. Pour tomato juice & sugar over meatballs. Bring to boil. Reduce heat & simmer uncovered 15 minutes.

Italian Meatball Subs

When I saw this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe I knew Mike would LOVE it, so I decided to give it a try. The meatballs are sooo good! And of course, in combination with the melted cheese and homemade bread, it makes for one delicious sandwich. She advises using the recipe for french bread rolls and shaping them into more sub-like rolls (which I need some practice on :-). The only problem I had was there were WAY more meatballs than rolls, so double the roll recipe, and you have enough meatballs to make about 10 sandwiches.

Meatball Ingredients:
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs or crushed saltines
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan or mozzarella cheese (I used Parmesan)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional (I put them in and think they added SO much to the flavor!)
2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
To dredge the meatballs:
1 1/2 cups flour in a shallow baking dish
For the Sauce:
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the sandwiches:
1 recipe French Bread Rolls, shaped into sub rolls and baked according to the recipe
Sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese (we used mozzarella)

Directions:
(if you are baking the rolls the same day, start them first)
*In a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT the meat. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes so the breadcrumbs/crackers can soak up the liquid a little bit. Add the meat and mix well with your hands until all the ingredients are combined.
*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. Form golf ball-sized meatballs and dredge them in the flour until lightly coated. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet about one inch apart. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until the meatballs are completely cooked through.
*Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low. Keep warm until the meatballs are finished baking.
*When the meatballs come out of the oven, let them sit for about 15 minutes. Gently scrape off any fat and place the meatballs in a 9X13-inch baking dish, or similar size. Pour the hot tomato sauce over the meatballs. (I just added the meatballs to the large saucepan I cooked the sauce in)
*To assemble the sandwiches, slice the buns in half. (If desired, lay the buns flat open on a baking sheet and top one side with cheese – toast in the oven for 4-5 minutes at 400 degrees until the buns are toasted and cheese is melted.) Place 3-4 meatballs on each bun and top with desired amount of sauce. Serve immediately with lots of napkins.

Comfort Meatballs

This a recipe from The Pioneer Woman's cookbook. They were delicious and different. I just wished I had doubled the recipe so we had more left to freeze for later. She pictured them served with mashed potatoes, which seemed a little strange to me, but we went for it anyway and loved the combo.

Ingredients:
FOR MEATBALLS
1-½ pound Ground Beef
¾ cups Oats
1 cup Milk
3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion
1-½ teaspoon Salt
Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper, to taste
FOR COOKING MEATBALLS
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
Canola Oil
FOR SAUCE
1 cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
4-6 Tablespoons Onion (I used 6)
1 dash Tabasco

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes. (I refrigerated for a few hours)
After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.
Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Maria's Italian Meatballs

I found this recipe on about.com when I did a search for recipes using ground beef. I ended up using ground turkey instead and they were great. Simple ingredients, easy preparation and lots of flavor. The recipe makes lots of meatballs too so I froze half of mine to save for later.

Ingredients:
•1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
•1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
•1/3 cup water (more or less)
•1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•1 medium onion
•garlic
•salt
•pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Don't add all of the water at one time. Mixture should be moist but not so that the meatballs fall apart.
Shape meatballs to desired size and place on a broiler pan (I wet my hands before shaping each meatball and it helps make a nice meatball.) Broil until outside is slightly brown on one side and then turn and broil the other side. When finished, add to spaghetti sauce and simmer at least 20 minutes.