Spaghetti and (Gluten-free) Meatballs

  in Gluten-Free, Main Dishes, Recipes

This dish comes together in 30-40 minutes. Making meatballs is an extra step vs. simply cooking the meat for a meat sauce, but there is something very satisfying about biting into a delicious, moist meatball. The extra effort is pretty minimal and everyone will love meatballs for supper! This should make enough for 4 people.

Meatballs:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 egg
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper
big handful chopped parsley (1/3 cup)
olive oil
Sauce:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
Optional: fresh chopped basil
Pasta:
1 lb gluten-free spaghetti, wheat spaghetti, or capellini

  1. Have a pie plate or small pan ready to place the meatballs on. Combine the meatball ingredients (except the olive oil) in a bowl and mix with your hands. Form the meatball mix into medium-size balls, about 1 inch or less in diameter and place on the pie plate.
  2. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Swirl the oil to coat the pan and place meatballs in pan. Brown the meatballs undisturbed for a couple minutes. Turn the meatballs and brown the other side. Don’t worry about browning all the sides. Remove meatballs from pan back to the pie plate.
  3. Add the onions to pan, sprinkle with salt, and saute a few minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the Italian seasoning and crushed tomatoes. Dribble 1/3 cup water in the interior of the tomato can and swish to rinse the remaining tomatoes. Pour into the pan. Stir in maple syrup. Taste and see if it needs any salt. Bring to a boil. Add the meatballs back into the pan, reduce heat to a steady simmer, and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Cook the spaghetti while the meatballs and sauce are cooking.
  5. Serve hot spaghetti with meatballs, sauce, chopped basil, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.