Hey, it’s Meatball Day (March 9) so I thought it was time to share these Easy Gluten-Free Italian Meatballs with you all! I last made them for myself quite some time ago—over three years ago in fact—and hastily snapped these photos thinking I’d share them with you all someday. Well, today’s the day!
Note that it has not been that long since I have made meatballs in general but it has been that long since I have made these outstanding Italian Meatballs.
For so very long, we would just enjoy spaghetti with meat sauce. Learning how to make meatballs was a total game changer! Spaghetti with meatballs is a much more delicious and satisfying experience so learning how to make good meatballs is really important.
What inspired me to make the meatballs that day was making my own breadcrumbs earlier. I almost never use gluten-free breadcrumbs. Not because I don’t make recipes that call for breadcrumbs but because I’m a big fan of using toasted almond flour instead of gluten-free breadcrumbs. Toasted to remove the moisture that comes naturally with almond flour, with appropriate seasonings added of course.
After all, I keep almond flour right there in my fridge all the time. I actually find that toasted almond flour works perfectly as a sub for gluten-free breadcrumbs in most recipes. However, at that particular time, I had a loaf of gluten-free bread that had been in the freezer a good while and I didn’t want to waste it. It’s so easy to make your own breadcrumbs, folks!
Simply toast your bread in a 400F oven (both sides) on a baking sheet until toasted and hard, process in a food processor until you have the style of breadcrumbs that you want (coarse, medium, fine), and then you can season your breadcrumbs at that time or simply season when making your recipe. (I’ve also repeated these instructions for making breadcrumbs in the Notes section of today’s recipe so yon can print them out and keep them on hand.)
I used my breadcrumbs to make these Italian meatballs and enjoyed them with marinara sauce over gluten-free pasta (spirals in this case as you can see) with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan over all. Yum!
Can You Save Money Making Your Own Breadcrumbs?
When I last made these breadcrumbs, the price of the gluten-free bread I purchased was $5.69 a loaf. A loaf made 3 ½ cups, i.e., 28 ounces, of breadcrumbs, which made the cost a little over 20 cents an ounce. That same bread is now $8.49 at my local store, which means the breadcrumbs are now at $.31 an ounce.
The current price of Aleia’s gluten-free breadcrumbs on Amazon is $7.37 for a 12-ounce container so that’s $.61 an ounce. So, all that to say that there is definitely a cost savings when you make your own breadcrumbs—if you actually want to use breadcrumbs.
I buy Wellbee’s finely ground blanched almond flour 5 lbs at a time and it lasts for months (in my fridge; you can also store it in the freezer), Its price on Amazon is currently $.62 an ounce so in that scenario, the cost of using toasted almond flour and ready-made breadcrumbs are pretty equivalent and no work is involved—other than toasting the almond flour—before adding it to your recipe.
If you make your own homemade gluten-free bread and use that to make breadcrumbs, your savings may be more. I’m envisioning some of you who make gluten-free bread each week simply pulling aside enough slices to make a cup of homemade breadcrumbs whenever you need them for a recipe.
Back to These Gluten-Free Italian Meatballs
One thing I don’t see mentioned a lot about meatballs is that the less you handle them when forming them, the more tender and delicious they will be. Son became the designated meatball maker in our house when we quickly realized that of the three of us he made the best meatballs!
At a young age, he wanted to form the meatballs. We quickly realized that while the meatballs I (or Mr. GFE) made were often harder and tougher (for lack of a better word), his meatballs came out softer with the perfect yield to the fork.
I think it’s because he didn’t overthink the meatballs and making them as perfect spheres as I did. He just formed them into balls and went from there. And that’s what you should do for the best meatballs in this recipe! I will admit that I’ve tried to follow Son’s lead ever sense so I don’t worry about my meatballs looking perfect. (Note: I will admit that I don’t mind my meatballs being more tightly packed and “sturdier” when they’re going to be in a slow cooker all day, such as is the case with my Party Meatballs.)
More Gluten-Free Italian Recipes and Meatball Recipes +
~ Amazing Gluten-Free Focaccia
~ The Best Gluten-Free Focaccia Recipes (Over 20 Recipes)
~ GFE Selects: Seasonello Bologna Aromatic Herbal Salt
~ Gluten-Free Italian Casserole (Five Ingredients!)
~ Gluten-Free Italian Wedding Soup
~ Gluten-Free Spiced Meatballs (Party Meatballs)
~ Gluten-Free Zesty Italian Barbecued Chicken
~ Porcupine Meatballs (Naturally Gluten Free)
~ Raspberry Italian Cream Soda
Gluten-Free Italian Meatballs Recipe (Three Ingredients!)
Easy Gluten-Free Italian Meatballs (Three Ingredients!)
It doesn't seem possible that these three-ingredient Easy Gluten-Free Italian Meatballs could be so delicious but they are. Especially when served with your favorite sauce, gluten-free pasta, and perhaps a sprinkle of Parmesan on top!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or 1 cup breadcrumbs with seasonings of choice (see some suggestions in notes) or toasted almond flour (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add ingredients and mix well. I use a large wooden spoon to start but often use my clean hands to mix the ingredients a little better when needed.
- Spray or spread a light layer of oil in baking dish (I use a 9 x 13 pan) and apply some to your hands before forming the meatballs so the mixture won’t stick to your hands. (You can also use parchment in your baking dish if you prefer but you will still want to spray or oil your hands.)
- Using the palms of your hands, roll mixture into one- to two-inch balls. The size is totally up to you.
- Bake for up to 20 minutes until done. Check earlier if you made your meatballs smaller.
- Serve immediately with cooked gluten-free pasta and sauce or freeze for later. Ideally, I like to add the meatballs to the sauce for about 5 minutes or so as I'm warming it up to be sure the meatballs are both coated with sauce and are the same temperature as the sauce when serving.
- For freezing, I either use the same baking dish or I place the meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze them for several hours or overnight. Once frozen, I use a spatula to remove the meatballs to a Ziploc bag so I can pull out exactly the number of meatballs I need at any given time. If you're trying to save more money, you can portion out meatballs per serving.
Notes
Instead of using Italian breadcrumbs, you can use unseasoned breadcrumbs and add 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley), ¼ cup grated cheese, and 1 chopped garlic clove (or some garlic powder). As I noted in my post, I often simply add Italian seasoning (or Penzeys pizza seasoning) to my breadcrumbs to taste, usually about a teaspoon.
How To Toast Almond Flour To Use Instead of Breadcrumbs If You Like
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Spread almond flour on baking sheet. Place in oven. Cook for about two to three minutes, stirring about every minute. (This step can also be done in a small skillet over medium to medium-high heat for about the same amount of time. Stir frequently.)
How to Make Your Own Breadcrumbs
Toast bread in a 400F oven (both sides) on a baking sheet until toasted and hard, process in a food processor until you have the style of breadcrumbs that you want (coarse, medium, fine) and then season them at that time or simply season when making your recipe. If I’m adding seasoning directly to the breadcrumbs, I usually keep it simple and add a teaspoon or two of Italian seasoning per cup. But there are lots of herbs and seasonings that can be used.
Originally published March 9, 2026.
Leave a Reply