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Home » Entrees

Grain-free Meatballs + Marinara Sauce Recipe

09/11/2014 Updated: 10/06/2020 By Karrie 2 Comments

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Grain-free Meatballs + Marinara Sauce recipe is a healthy, quick and easy meal idea that's perfect for a family dinner on a busy weeknight.

Meatballs and Marinara Sauce Recipe in a bowl on top of sauteed cabbageI love meatballs.  I think they are one of the most useful foods ever created.  Take any kind of minced or ground meat/vegetables, roll it into a bunch of small balls, fry or bake them, put them all into a luscious sauce to simmer away until they are needed.

A Healthy Grain-free Meatballs + Marinara Sauce Recipe

This recipe is my go-to healthy, easy dinner meal.  After this marinara sauce is cooked through, I use my immersion blender to make it semi-smooth, leaving it a little chunky, before adding the balls.  The sauce tastes even better when it's made the day before and can also be successfully frozen for up to 3 months.

Since I'm still in training for my Montreal carbolicious food marathon next week, I sauteed a bunch of my CSA organic Napa cabbage and served the meatballs in sauce on top.  Basically it was like a plate of deconstructed cabbage rolls.  It was so satisfying, I didn't even miss the spaghetti noddles.

Meatballs for the Marinara Sauce Recipe browning in a pan

One of the best ground beef recipes for homemade meatballs

I prefer to fry the meatballs, instead of baking, so a nice crust forms on the outside of them.  The flavor goodies stuck to the bottom are a huge plus when making the sauce in the same pan too.

Browned Meatballs in a pan for the Marinara Sauce Recipe

Enjoy this Grain-free Meatballs + Marinara Sauce recipe next time you need a quick and easy healthy meal for the family.

Grain-free Meatballs + Marinara Sauce Recipe

Grain-free Meatballs + Marinara Sauce recipe is a healthy, quick and easy meal idea that's perfect for a family dinner on a busy weeknight.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 431kcal
Author: Karrie | Tasty Ever After

Ingredients

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

  • 1 pound fresh ground sirloin
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 large eggs , beaten
  • ½-3/4 cup fresh grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon garlic , minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

FOR THE MARINARA SAUCE:

  • 1 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes , undrained
  • 1 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes , undrained
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • ¼ cup onion , finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

  • Place all ingredients in large bowl, mix well, and shape into desired ball size.
  • Put the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and heat over medium heat. When the pan is heated, put in the meatballs, leaving a little space in-between each, and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.

FOR THE MARINARA SAUCE:

  • Using the same pan, leave about 1 tablespoon of meatball drippings, and saute onion over medium low heat until soft.
  • Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Add both cans of tomatoes, with their liquid, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
  • Mix in the basil and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the meatballs to the sauce and heat through.  Serve over pasta, sauteed cabbage, zucchini noodles, etc.

Recipe Notes & Tips:

  • Can substitute ground turkey or chicken for the ground sirloin or pork
  • Can freeze leftover sauce and meatballs in a tightly covered freezer proof container for up to 3 months
Nutrition Facts
Grain-free Meatballs + Marinara Sauce Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 431 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 11g55%
Cholesterol 166mg55%
Sodium 527mg22%
Potassium 758mg22%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 285IU6%
Vitamin C 14.9mg18%
Calcium 182mg18%
Iron 5.3mg29%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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 ©  Tasty Ever After  All images and content are copyright protected, so please do not copy or claim my work as your own.  Please do not use any images or republish this recipe without prior permission.  If you want to reference this recipe, link directly back to this post.  Thank you.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. heather wells

    September 11, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    5 stars
    This is my favorite meatball recipe to make! Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
    • Karrie@tastyeverafter

      December 10, 2014 at 9:52 pm

      Thank you Heather!

      Reply

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