Italian Meatballs (Dairy Free)
These meatballs are easy to make. You can eat them on their own, mix with your favorite sauce and serve with spaghetti, or on my meatball subs.
The key to making meatballs that are not dense is to mix a liquid with the breadcrumbs before adding the meat. The breadcrumbs will hydrate and will create a lighter meatball.
Most Italian meatballs have parmesan cheese or milk in them. These are dairy free, but you will not miss the milk or cheese. They are full of flavor.
I like to bake my meatballs in the oven. They get browned and a little crispy on the bottom without having a messy stove. The cooking time is hands-off and I can get other parts of the meal ready while they bake.
Italian Meatballs (Dairy Free)
Most Italian meatballs have parmesan cheese or milk in them. These are dairy free, but you will not miss the milk or cheese. They are full of flavor.
I like to bake my meatballs in the oven. They get browned and a little crispy on the bottom without having a messy stove. The cooking time is hands-off and I can get other parts of the meal ready while they bake.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 6 Tablespoons Water
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
- Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Pound Ground Beef (See Notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix breadcrumbs, water, and egg. Let it sit for a minute or two so the breadcrumbs can absorb the liquid.
- Add the Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and hot pepper flakes. Mix well.
- Gently mix in the ground beef. I like to use a potato masher or my hands.
- Form the mixture into 20 balls and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. I like to use a #40 scoop which is about 1 2/3 Tablespoons. You can scoop them or form them with your hands.
- Bake at 400 for 20 minutes until slightly browned.
- Serve.
Notes
I have made these with 85% lean and 93% lean ground beef. Both work well.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 77Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 150mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and may not be completely accurate.
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Marie Fiebach is a married mother of four active kids. She helps busy families plan and execute weeknight dinner so they can recapture a little calm in the crazy. You can see her every week on KAKE TV’s Good Morning Kakeland or listen to the Feed Your Family Tonight Podcast.
