The Best Appetizer Meatballs ~ Gluten-Free option
This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclaimer policy for details.
These tasty appetizer meatballs are crowd-pleasers, and the leftovers make wonderful sandwiches.
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 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. It adds a little variety to the meal.
Enjoy the meatballs…my family sure does!
And if you have extras freeze in good quality freezer containers like the ones shown here to prevent freezer burn. This is the type of glass freezer container I use, and I have been very pleased with them.
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
