Free Meatballs

I had never had meatballs before because they have bread crumbs and then eggs to help them stick.  But when I was going to host my book club, I decided to look into a recipe because Mike's aunt so often has meatballs when we go to her house for her kids' birthday parties.  It wasn't that hard to find a recipe and adapt it.  

These meatballs are WHEAT, EGG, SOY, and DAIRY free.  (Also nut free, but who puts nuts in meatballs?)

2 lb hamburger
1 1/2 cups wheat and egg free bread crumbs
2 "eggs" of Enr G egg replacer
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Don't let the 1970's look of the Egg Replacer box fool you.  This stuff is current and works great.  I've used it for meatloaf and pie crust, too.  There are directions on the box, of course, but what you do is separately mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of mix with 2 tablespoons of warm water per egg required in the recipe. 

 I measured out the breadcrumbs, then tossed all my other dry ingredients on top.  I poured about half of them in the bowl with the hamburger and started mixing with my hands. I then poured in the other half, and then the egg replacer. 

Once its thoroughly mixed.  I formed the balls with my hands.  I didn't care too much if some were a little bigger or smaller.  I made sure I got 36 meatballs (four meals for us = three for me, three for Mike, two for Natalie, one for William).

I baked them at 350 for 20 minutes on cookie sheets with parchment paper.

We froze three quarters of them and put the ones for that night in the fridge.  When I made this for my book club, we put them all in the fridge overnight and then I warmed them in the crock pot with three cans of sauce.  When its just us eating them, we heat them in a sauce pan on the stove with about half a can of pasta sauce for about half an hour.

To keep it dairy, soy, wheat, and egg free, remember that whatever you serve the meatballs with also has to be free of these ingredients.  For us, Hunt's pasta sauce is wheat, egg, soy, and dairy free depending on which variety you get.  Tinkyada brown rice pastas are fabulous.  They are easy to cook, come in lots of varieties, and don't come out mushy.  Finding bread or rolls that are allergen free is more difficult, but there are options out there if you wanted to make meatball subs or sandwiches.