Served in a tomato sauce of basil, garlic, and chili peppers, these gluten-free Spicy Meatballs are packed with flavor, and punch, and guaranteed to make cheese strings.
Served in a simple and fresh tomato sauce with basil, chili peppers, and garlic, these spicy meatballs are the perfect size to serve as a shared appetizer or the main course with a few pieces of grilled crostini. Smear a spoonful of tomato sauce on your bread, place one spicy meatball on your crostini, and cut it open to enjoy.
Because the meatballs are the star of this dish, we opted for grass-fed beef, forming it into balls and then delicately rolling them in salt and pepper (no egg or bread crumbs) allowing the flavor to shine from our homemade tomato sauce.
Ingredients you'll need for our spicy meatball recipe
Good quality ground beef, canned San Marzano tomatoes, Parmesan, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
How to Make the Tomato Sauce for Our Spicy Meatballs
Heat a saucepan to medium-high with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil. While the oil is heating, open the tomatoes. Once oil just begins to smoke, add garlic and chilis, and sauté for 20 seconds. As soon as the garlic starts to brown, pour in the tomatoes, then stir in ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper and half the basil leafs roughly torn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.
How to Prepare Gluten-free Meatballs for Frying
There are a couple of things to consider when making gluten-free meatballs. A combination of bread and eggs help bind meat for frying but with the absence of these ingredients, allowing the meatballs to set in the fridge will help them hold there shape.
Start by dividing the meat into 16 even-sized pieces, then roll them into balls. Wet your hands to prevent the meat from sticking to your skin. Place the meatballs on a cooling rack set above a baking sheet and place in the fridge for 30-40 minutes. This step is optional but yields the best results.
Since the meatballs will be topped with cheese and finished in the oven, choose an oven-safge skillet to fry off the meatballs. We prefer a cast-iron skillet for even cooking. Oh, and this is a good time to preheat the oven - 450° F.
Heat the skillet with a tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil. Liberally season with meatballs with salt and pepper. Once the oil in the skillet begins to smoke, gently place each meatball in the pan, being careful not to crowd the pan. Sear the meatballs for 2 minutes, then carefully turn the meatballs a quarter turn. Repeat until the meatballs are seared all around, about 8 minutes total. Drain any excess fat from the pan once the meatballs are cooked.
Make them Cheesy
Cover the meatballs with the tomato sauce. Tear the mozzarella into chunks and scatter throughout the meatballs. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese then broil for 5 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 lbs good quality ground beef
- 1 can San Marzano tomatoes D.O.P. designation preferred
- ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, plus additional
- 5 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 10 leaves basil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450° F.
- No. 2 | Heat a saucepan to medium-high with 1 tablespoon olive oil. While the oil is heating, open the tomatoes. Once oil just begins to smoke, add garlic and chilis, and sauté for 20 seconds. As soon as the garlic starts to brown, pour in the tomatoes, then stir in ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper and half the basil leafs roughly torn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Meanwhile, heat heavy bottom, oven safe skillet on medium high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Divide the meat into 16 even pieces and roll into balls. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper and roll them around until they are well coated. When oil begins to smoke, gently place each meatball in the pan, being careful not to crowd the pan. Sear the meatballs for 2 minutes, then gently shake the pan to roll the meatballs a quarter turn. Repeat until the meatballs are seared all around, about 8 minutes total. Drain any excessive fat from the pan once the meatballs are cooked.
- Cover the meatballs with the tomato sauce. Tear the mozzarella into chunks scatter throughout the meatballs. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese then broil for 5 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Before serving, top with remaining basil. Enjoy with a loaf of bread, a sandwich, pasta or just by themselves.
Nutrition
Kyle L. says
Such a great story! I love this recipe!
Albert Bevia says
This dish looks stunning! all those wondrful flavors into one pan, this is right up my alley, I gotta try this!