Frozen and store bought meatballs are tough and lack taste. Add to the fact that you are also tracking down a gluten free brand and it just doesn’t seem worth it. Do you know what is worth it? Gluten Free Oven Baked Meatballs!
Who doesn’t like meatballs? These are baked in sauce and come out perfectly tender and they are totally worth it!
Oven Baked Meatballs vs Fried
Oven Baked or Fried? Which is better? Both have their advantages. Let’s take a quick look.
Oven Baked
- Less Mess – Frying causes fat and grease to splatter everywhere and is a mess to clean up.
- Active Cooking Time – The meatballs bake on their own and don’t need constant turning and flipping. That means you’re able to move on with other meal tasks.
- Less Oil – Baking them require little to no oil on the baking sheet or casserole dish which is great for watching your calories.
- Cook in Bulk – Baking lots of them at once is less time consuming than pan frying them in batches.
- Browning – Baked meatballs do not brown as much as fried ones do.
Fried
- Messy – The top of the stove gets covered with splattering grease when they are fried.
- Constant Supervision – Fried meatballs require constant supervision because they need to be flipped and you don’t want to burn them.
- Cooked in Batches – Unless you have a huge frying pan, they must get cooked in batches taking more time to prepare.
- Browning – Fried take on more color and a flavorful crust better than baked ones do.
Even with fried meatballs browning better, I prefer the oven baked meatball method.
What Temperature Do Meatballs Need To Be Cooked To
Meatballs made using ground beef, pork or veal should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF per USDA Food Safety Guidelines.
An inexpensive Instant Read Thermometer is a kitchen gadget that you must have. I have to confess; I don’t use one all of the time but there are some things that I question and a thermometer takes out the guess work.
How Long to Oven Bake Meatballs
I oven bake these at 375ºF.
Oven Baked Meatballs on a Sheet Pan –On a sheet pan they take about 25 minutes.
Oven Baked Meatballs in Sauce – Baking them in sauce takes about 30 minutes. The sauce has to heat up as well and that causes them to cook a little slower.
How Do You Cook Meatballs in Sauce
Cover them in sauce at least halfway up the side of each meatball.
Cooking raw meatballs that are not frozen in sauce takes about 30 minutes.
Gluten Free Oven Baked Meatball Making Tips
The process of making tender gluten free meatballs is the same as making ones with gluten in them. Here are some tips for your success.
Sautéing the Peppers, Onions and Garlic – This brings out the moisture and flavor of the vegetables and helps flavor the meat. It also means you won’t bite into uncooked peppers and onions.
Use Gluten Free Bread Instead of Gluten Free Breadcrumbs – I like to tear the bread into small pieces and use them instead of store bought gluten free breadcrumbs. I like the texture them better when using gluten free bread.
Use a Cookie Scoop for Making Meatballs – Keeping all of them the same size means they all cook at the same rate. A cookie scoop makes great work of this task. I like to scoop them all out first and then go back and gently roll them into a better shaped meatball.
Use Gloves – My wife hates touching raw meat. If you’re the same way buy some inexpensive disposable gloves. They work great!
Don’t Overwork the Meat – You want the ingredients mixed well but overworking the meat will make them tough. Mix just until the ingredients are fully combined.
The Parmesan Cheese – I know the chefs always say use fresh Parmigiano Reggiano. Guess what? The stuff with the green top works just fine in this recipe for me. Use what you want!
The Dried Herbs – If you don’t want to use the herbs separately as directed in the recipe, substitute with 2 tsp of dried Italian Seasoning.
Gluten Free Oven Baked Meatballs are so much tastier than any store bought ones you’re going to find. They may take a few more minutes than opening a bag up but I’ll take that trade off any day of the week.
Other Gluten Free Main Courses to Check Out
Are you looking for other gluten free dishes? Check out these.
- Gluten Free Mississippi Pot Roast – Make it in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker!
- Asian Style Marinated Flank Steak – We LOVE this recipe!
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers – A Mexican spin on a classic dish.
- Ropa Vieja – A flavorful meal made in the Instant Pot.
- Gluten Free Oven Baked Pork Chops – Parmesan Cheese Gives them a great crust.
Gluten Free Oven Baked Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. Ground Chuck
- 24-32 oz. Jar of Prepared Pasta Sauce
- 1 TBS Olive Oil
- ¼ of a Small Onion, finely chopped
- ¼ of a Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced or grated
- 1 ½ – 2 Slices of Gluten Free Bread, torn into bite size pieces
- 3 TBS Milk
- ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp. Dried Parsley
- ½ tsp Dried Basil
- ¼ tsp. Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
- ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º
- Place the bread pieces in a small bowl and pour over the milk so the bread can absorb it.
- Heat Olive Oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add Onions and Bell pepper to the hot pan and sauté until the onions begin to get translucent.
- Add garlic to pan and turn off the heat.
- Cool veggies slightly.
- Combine Beef, Veggies and the rest of the ingredients, except for the sauce, in a large bowl and mix well.
- Make meatballs out of the prepared meat.
- Place meatballs in a lightly greased casserole dish.
- Add sauce to meatballs making sure they are at least half covered.
- Cook meatballs uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Add shredded Mozzarella cheese to the meatballs during the last 5 minutes of cooking time, if desired.
- Serve meatballs and sauce with a tossed salad or over gluten free pasta.
Notes
- Sautéing the Peppers, Onions and Garlic – This brings out the moisture and flavor of the vegetables and helps flavor the meat. It also means you won’t bite into uncooked peppers and onions.
- Use Gluten Free Bread Instead of Gluten Free Breadcrumbs – I like to tear the bread into small pieces and use them instead of store bought gluten free breadcrumbs. I like the texture them better when using gluten free bread.
- Use a Cookie Scoop for Making Meatballs – Keeping all of them the same size means they all cook at the same rate. A cookie scoop makes great work of this task. I like to scoop them all out first and then go back and gently roll them into a better shaped meatball.
- Use Gloves – My wife hates touching raw meat. If you’re the same way buy some inexpensive disposable gloves. They work great!
- Don’t Overwork the Meat – You want the ingredients mixed well but overworking the meat will make them tough. Mix just until the ingredients are fully combined.
- The Parmesan Cheese – I know the chefs always say use fresh Parmigiano Reggiano. Guess what? The stuff with the green top works just fine in this recipe for me. Use what you want!
- The Dried Herbs – If you don’t want to use the herbs separately as directed in the recipe, substitute with 2 tsp of dried Italian Seasoning.
