The Best Appetizer Meatballs ~ Gluten-Free option
These tasty appetizer meatballs are crowd-pleasers, and the leftovers make wonderful sandwiches.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Read our full affiliate disclosure here.
This recipe makes a huge batch, which I like because I love having ready-made meatballs in the freezer. I don’t freeze the meatballs in the sauce; that way, they can be used for soup, spaghetti, or whatever I might be making at that time.
Each meatball is just 1 weight watcher point, each without sauce…not bad.
Two meatballs in the sauce count as 2.5 pts.
Of course, you can cut the recipe in half and/or make larger meatballs. Larger meatballs are nice when served with spaghetti, for example, or just for dipping in ketchup or mustard.
*Use 2 lbs of ground beef if you decide to make half of the recipe.
To Make The Best Appetizer Meatballs, You Will Need These Ingredients:
- Lean ground beef
- Old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if needed)
- Garlic salt
- Pepper
- Onion
- Eggs, any type. I used duck eggs.
- Milk or a non-dairy product ~ I used soy milk.
- Cream of tomato soup, not condensed ~ or a non-dairy type. I used Amy’s Organic Cream of Tomato Soup.
- Tomato paste
- Apple cider vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Worcestershire sauce ~ homemade corn-free if needed
For Low FODMAP Diets:
- Substitute garlic salt with a Low FODMAP garlic replacer.
- Use tops of green onions in place of regular onions.
The process is so easy; check out these simple steps…
Roll the meat mixture into small-sized balls. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on size.
Add meatballs to the special sauce.
And serve…
We had these with our Christmas dinner, alongside the ham, rolls, salads, and vegetables. They added a little variety to the meal.
Enjoy the meatballs…my family sure does!
If you have extras, freeze them in good quality freezer containers.
Enjoy!
The Best Appetizer Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 & 3/4 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 & 1/2 cups old fashioned oats ~ gluten-free if needed
- 1 & 1/4 tsp garlic salt ~ garlic replacement for Low FODMAP
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3/4 cup onion ~ finely chopped. Tops of green onions for Low FODMAP
- 2 eggs ~ any type. I used duck eggs
- 1/4 cup milk ~ or a non-dairy product ~ I used soy milk
- 2 14.5 oz cans cream of tomato soup ~ not condensed. I used Amy's Organic Cream of Tomato Soup. Use non-dairy if needed.
- 1 6 oz tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a large baking sheet with a non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, oats, garlic salt, pepper, onions, eggs, and milk or non-dairy substitute. Mix well. I find using my hands works best.
- Shape mixture into 80 balls about the size of a walnut or a ping-pong ball.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes for small meatballs, 30 minutes for large-sized meatballs.
- In a crockpot or large kettle, add the tomato soup, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.
- If using a kettle, let meatballs simmer in the sauce for about 20 minutes.
- If you are using a crockpot, leave the temperature setting on low as long as needed until ready to serve. If I'm home, I will start the crockpot on high, then switch to low after the sauce has heated up. Then I leave the crockpot on low until ready to serve
- This works great if you plan on serving them within a couple of hours.
Notes
Nutrition
