The best homemade meatball recipe

Why do I consider this to be the best homemade meatball recipe? Well it is tasty, great if you need to cook quick meals on a budget and of course, it is safe for celiac's if you use gluten free breadcrumbs.

My son, who is a chef, cooks this for paying guests, but shared his recipe with me and we eat it regularly at home. Now it is my turn to introduce you to Ben's meatballs in tomato sauce.

This meatball recipe may look like it takes a lot of work, but it really doesn't. I will explain how to make meatballs step-by-step so that anyone can make them.

Making the sauce

Start by chopping really finely, 1 onion and 1 green or red pepper (capsicum). Then sauté them in olive oil and butter until they are soft.

While they are in the pan, tip two tins of plum tomatoes into a blender or liquidiser along with 1 tsp garlic puree and 2 tsp tomato puree and whizz them around, with the juice from the tins, until they are smooth.

When the onions and peppers are soft, add the tomatoes to the pan along with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs and 2 teaspoons of paprika (I use the medium one not the hot). Simmer for 15 minutes, not forgetting to taste and maybe adjust the seasoning. If the sauce tastes a little bitter add 1 tsp brown sugar. You may need to add a little water part way through to thin the sauce down a bit.

How to make the meatballs

Place the metal blade in your food processor and whizz two slices of gluten free bread into breadcrumbs. For this homemade meatball recipe we are going to use minced (or ground) beef. To serve four you will need about 1 pound or 500 grams. Place the meat into your food processor on top of the breadcrumbs, break in an egg and a little seasoning. Run the food processor until the ingredients are combined and smooth.

Take a small handful of mixture and shape into balls in the palm of your hand. Try to get all the balls around the same size so that they cook in the same amount of time.

Tip some gluten free flour onto a plate, then roll the meatballs in the flour to coat them.

Heat a little oil in a pan and seal the meatballs. You can tell if the oil is hot enough by holding the back of your hand over the pan. If it is too hot to keep it there for very long then it is ready.

Cooking the oven baked meatballs

Place the sealed meatballs in an oven proof dish, big enough to fit them all in on one layer. Pour over the sauce and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender on a medium heat, 180 degrees.

Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, millet or quinoa.

I hope you will agree that this is the best homemade meatball recipe you have tasted.

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