It’s time again to turn to my grandmother’s 1940 cookbook for inspiration. April almost got away from me but I made it just under the wire. I’ve mentioned before that my husband has wheat sensitivities so we use some gluten free products. I’ve tried to make a good meatball for years but with little success. I’m glad I gave it one more try by using one of the cookbook’s recipes as a guide. We use Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Noodles. You can find the other posts in this series by clicking Jan, Feb and March
- 1 pound ground beef (preferable grass fed)
- 1/2 pound organic ground turkey or chicken
- 1-2 Tbsp ground oregano
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp of tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups of Gluten free bread crumbs (I used Glutino)
- 1/4 cup milk (I used Silk almond milk)
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the meat, gluten free bread crumbs, tomato sauce and seasonings together in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl mix the egg and milk together.
- Add the wet ingredients into the meat and using hands - mix well.
- Form meatballs into the size desired - I made ping pong size balls by using a small scoop and then rolling into balls.
- Preheat 350 degrees
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- Place meatballs on lined cookie sheet
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cut one in half to test for doneness.
- Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in freezer for several hours.
- Remove from freezer and place in Freezer containers - mark your bag or container with title and date made.
- When ready to use - let sit in refrigerator for a day to thaw a bit and then follow the Cook Now directions.
- These meatballs can be made in a non gluten free version by using cracker or bread crumbs. Look for a whole wheat bread crumb.

This is the product I used in place of the cracker crumbs Grandma’s recipe used – they worked great.
I used a scoop to portion out the meat. You can find scooper OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop
Then I use the best tools there are – my hands to roll into balls. You can find precut parchment paper liners Parchment Paper Pan Liner – 12″ x 16″, 100 Pack
Place browned meatballs in sauce to finish cooking.
This is my favorite prepared sauce – I can usually find it at Safeway.
Here is my favorite homemade spaghetti sauce recipe.
