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Meatballs in a white bowl
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5 from 1 vote

Whole30 Meatballs

These Gluten Free Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash are a perfect low carb option if you are watching your carb intake. Substitute your spaghetti with Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs for a healthy gluten free meatball recipe.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Additional Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Whole30
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: gluten free meatballs, paleo, spaghetti and meatballs, whole30
Servings: 4
Calories: 699kcal
Author: AmyG

Ingredients

Squash

  • 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup water

Meatballs

  • ½ cup parmesan cheese or for Whole30 ½ cup cashews soaked in ½ cup water for an hour (Optional)
  • 454 g ground veal or meat of your choice
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ almond milk
  • ½ cup of potato flakes instant mashed potatoes or breadcrumbs
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Pinch ground pepper
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 stalk parsley optional

Sauce

Instructions

  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Prepare a baking pan or cookie tray by lining it with aluminum foil.
  • Cut the squash down the middle lengthwise.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Season the meat of the squash with a little bit of salt.
  • Lay the squash with the meat face down on the baking dish.
  • Depending on how large your baking dish is, pour ½ cup to 1 cup of water on to the baking dish making sure that the bottom of the tray is covered with water.
  • You want just enough water to create steam underneath the squash.
  • Place in 350°F oven for about 45 minutes.
  • You know it is done when you can easily poke a fork through the skin easily.
  • Let cool for about 20 minutes. To serve the spaghetti squash, use a fork to scrape the squash out of the shell and place into plates or a larger serving dish.
  • If you wish you can freeze the squash in an airtight container for later. Thaw out in refrigerator overnight when you are ready to use it.
  • Sauce
  • In a large saucepan, heat olive oil. Fry garlic until fragrant.
  • Add tomato puree and salt and pepper.
  • Add water if the tomato puree is thick or use water to wash out any tomato puree stuck in the bottle and pour into saucepan. Bring to boil.
  • Turn down heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
  • Meatballs
  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and using your hand mix together. Do not over mix as overmixing will cause the mixture to get tough when cooked.
  • Using your hands grab some meat about the size of a walnut or a little bigger and squeeze together to make a ball. Roll gently in your hands to tuck in loose ground bits.
  • As the sauce is boiling, place the meatballs, gently, in the sauce one by one as you make them. Avoid laying meatballs on top of one another.
  • Repeat until you have used up all the ground mixture.
  • Bring sauce and meatballs to a gentle boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes before you stir. Use a wooden spoon taking care not to break them. You want them evenly coated with sauce.
  • Turn down heat to a gentle simmer.
  • Let simmer for 45 minutes, checking on them occasionally.
  • If you want to add basil, add it to the sauce once you have taken it off the heat.
  • Putting It All Together
  • Squeeze and drain as much of the liquid from the spaghetti squash. You can place all of the spaghetti squash in a large bowl and then pour some tomato sauce over it and arrange the meatballs around the squash.
  • You can place the meatballs in a serving dish and serve. For the squash, you can place some spaghetti sauce in a pan, heat it up and place the spaghetti squash in the pan mixing the squash with the sauce to combine. Then serve in individual dishes.

Nutrition

Serving: 3Meatballs | Calories: 699kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1693mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 18g