These epic meatballs combine 3 different kinds of ground meat with a ton of fresh garlic, fresh Italian parsley, and sharp Parmesan cheese to make the most decadent meatballs I’ve ever tasted. The best part is that they are gluten free!! I tried several different ways to make these, and they were good but not EPIC. Then I found the secret ingredient!
Print Recipe
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| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time |
| A LOTlike enough for several meals or enough to feed ALL THE CREW | 30minutes | 25-30minutes |
| Servings | Prep Time |
| A LOTlike enough for several meals or enough to feed ALL THE CREW | 30minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 25-30minutes |
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 6 oz wedge Parmesan cheese
- 1 6 oz bag gluten free pretzels I really like the Snyder’s brand
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 bulb garlic I used 3
- 4 fresh eggs
- 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons Italian herbs
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
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Ingredients
Servings: like enough for several meals or enough to feed ALL THE CREW
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- Put ground meat in a large bowl and mix well with your hands.
- In Vitamix or food processor make breadcrumbs out of the pretzels- add to the meat mixture
- Grate Parmesan cheese into meat mixture
- In Vitamix or food processor add the eggs, ricotta, fresh parsley, garlic, salt, and italian seasonings.
- Mix everything together really well with your hands
- Roll into 2 inch balls
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20- 25 minutes- rotating pans at halfway
Here is how to make these Forking EPIC meatballs…
Gather up all your ingredients… You can use any gluten free pretzel or cracker that you choose. You need about a cup of breadcrumbs. I’ve tried several and I like these best because they hold up nicely (but not too much to make the meatball tough) and their price is much easier to swallow than other gluten free options I’ve found. I picked these up on sale for $3!
3) Chop off the lower part of the italian parsley, peel the garlic, and grate the cheese
4) Tip- The meat mixes best if it isn’t ice cold from the fridge. I like to get it out and into my bowl to warm up while I am prepping the rest of the ingredients
5) Here is what makes these meatballs epic! The Parmesan & eggs help hold the meatballs together while the garlic and parsley give it a depth of flavor that will please even the pickiest of eater. All of these ingredients are common in meatballs, however. The secret ingredient in these epic little balls of awesome is the ricotta cheese. They keep the meatballs soft and juicy in the center with a nice crisp crust
6) I use the Vitamix to process these ingredients and the dry stuff needs to go first. Let’s make these pretzels into breadcrumbs, shall we?
7) Just a couple of pulses and we have what we are looking for!
8) Add the eggs, italian parsley, garlic, & ricotta and process until smooth and creamy.
9) Add some Italian seasons & Parmesan cheese and the sauce is ready for the party. I used a handful fresh basil & oregano. If you are using dry herbs you’d want at least a tablespoon. Two wouldn’t hurt it a bit! Add the grated Parmesan & herbs and give it a couple of pulses before you dump it in with the rest of the ingredient
10) Things are coming together nicely! Mix it all with your hands until everything is equally mixed together.
11) Roll the meatballs into apx 2 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. They can touch just enough to keep them from rolling around, but don’t put them in too tight. We want them to be able to get nice and slightly crispy on the edges
12) Bake at 400 degrees (I used the convection roast option) for 20 minutes. If you want them a little more crispy on the edges you could even cook them for 25 minutes. I’d check them at 20 and decide.
13) I made meatball sliders that were totally over the top with a little melted fresh mozzarella with Gluten Free Popovers.
Really want to knock this dinner out of the park? Make Not Your Momma’s Marinara and you’ve got a guaranteed EPIC dinner!!
[…] make the perfect meatball sliders! Check out my gluten free meatball recipe here: https://www.forkingepic.com/gluten-free-epic-meatballs/ and my Not Your Momma’s Marinara here: […]