Jump to Recipe ⤸
Hands down, I love Italian meatballs and sausage. I didn’t grow up eating variations of cooked mixed meat and I’m not particularly reminded of home or fond memories, so my love exists without rhyme or reason. But do I really need one? All I can confirm is this: as far back as I can remember, dishes involving a combination of ground meat and savory ingredients have always easily won me over.
As I began the low FODMAP diet 3 years ago, I eventually realized with horror that most restaurant and store-bought sausages and meatballs have the largest no-no ingredients of garlic and onion. I knew I’d have to try and craft FODMAP-friendly versions of my favorites myself. Thankfully, meatballs can be pretty damn good with minimal effort.
Cooking meatballs brings me back to the sweet age of 19, when I left freshmen dorm life at UT Austin and moved into my first apartment. It was one of the first dishes I attempted to cook in my first-ever full kitchen. Although I may have believed it at the time, my initial oven baked concoction wasn’t the best-tasting morsel of food. But it was incredibly easy to make with the least amount of steps – much appreciated by an inexperienced cook. I refined the simple recipe throughout my youth and completely forgot about it when I began my low FODMAP journey.
Here I am, years later. I’ve adapted the original recipe to agree with a FODMAP-sensitive tummy. Serve this in your choice of tomato-based pasta sauce, with low FODMAP pasta or on a thick slice of toasted low FODMAP, gluten free bread.
Looking for a lighter meatball? Try my Italian Chicken Meatballs. If you’re grain free or dairy free, try my grain free version of this recipe!
If you make these Italian Meatballs, be sure to leave a comment, give the recipe a rating or tag me on Instagram! I love it when you guys try my recipes. And I’d love to know if you enjoy them as much as I do!
Oven-Baked Meatballs – Low FODMAP, Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. ground pork
- 4 stalks green onion, minced (green tips only)
- 1/3 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I use Glutino’s plain bread crumbs)
- 1/3 cup parmesan, grated
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic-infused olive oil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (I use Casa de Sante’s Italian Tuscan herb mix)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large baking tray with foil; lightly grease with olive oil or cooking spray.
- In large bowl, add all ingredients. Mix thoroughly by hand, kneading and squeezing until ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Shape mixture into 18-22 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place on baking tray 1 inch apart.
- Bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes, until meatballs are no longer pink in the center.
Notes
- A leaner ground beef (93/7) and a fattier ground pork (80/10) works well for my preferences as the fat from the pork gives the meatball some softness. Feel free to adjust here according to your taste.
- If using store-bought garlic-infused oil that is not certified FODMAP-friendly, make sure to use a brand that doesn’t list “garlic oil,” “garlic essential oil,” “garlic essence,” “garlic flavoring,” “natural roasted garlic flavor,” or anything similar in the ingredients list. There’s no way to know whether these ingredients are low FODMAP. More on that in this article on FODMAP Everyday.
- Be sure to read ingredient lists for tomato paste and Italian seasoning to avoid any added high FODMAP items.