These gluten-free ricotta meatballs are tender, juicy, and completely egg-free! They’re made with shredded zucchini, creamy ricotta, and your choice of ground meat. They are perfect for sneaking in some veggies and making a satisfying dinner the whole family will love. You can bake them or simmer them in sauce, and they freeze beautifully, cooked or uncooked, for meal prep.
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I am always on the lookout for easy gluten-free dinner ideas. When school is in session, our family barely gets 30 minutes to sit together to enjoy a family meal. Thank goodness I have a few recipes that are so easy to make.
These meatballs are perfect for meal prep because you can make a big batch and freeze some, so you have them on hand for busy days. This is a huge time saver! You can make this recipe as I did with ground beef, or use lower-fat ground turkey or chicken.
This recipe is perfect for meatball lovers. You can even make these meatballs into an amazing Gluten-Free Meatball Sub sandwich! I have so many gluten-free dinner recipes on the blog for you to try.
Sandi’s Recipe Testing Notes:
I tested these meatballs with ground beef and ground turkey, and both versions held together nicely without eggs. The zucchini helps keep them moist, and the ricotta adds richness without making them heavy. The ground turkey version was surprisingly tender and tasted really good.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Ground Beef – I use 90% lean ground beef in this recipe. You can also use ground turkey, chicken, pork, or bison.
- Pasta Sauce – Most pasta sauce brands should be gluten-free, but always read the labels if you are using store-bought sauce. You can also make a homemade Gluten-Free Pasta sauce with meat or a Gluten-Free Marinara pasta sauce.
- Ricotta Cheese – This ingredient helps hold the meatballs together, as it is an egg-free recipe.
- Zucchini – Use dark green, light green, yellow, or any heirloom type. Shred it, and be sure to use a paper towel to get the extra moisture out.
- Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs – There are several brands of gluten free bread crumbs, like Ians, but it is cheaper to make your own Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs. My kids hate the ends of bread loaves, so I save them in the freezer. I just make bread crumbs when I have a few slices saved up.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is best, but garlic powder can be used as a substitute in a pinch. Use 1/2 teaspoon.
- Gluten-Free Pasta – Use any gluten free pasta brand you enjoy, including legume pasta. Don’t forget to check out my tips to avoid mushy pasta!
A Note From My Kitchen
I love these meatballs because they’re so forgiving. You can use whatever meat you have, and they always turn out great. The ricotta acts as a binder to replace the eggs, and the zucchini adds more moisture and sneaks in some veggies. These are perfect for freezing too, so I like to make a double batch and save half for later.
How to Make Ricotta Meatballs with Zucchini (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: First, use a gluten-free jarred sauce or make a delicious homemade sauce recipe I linked in the Ingredient Notes section above. I am sure many others are gluten-free; just make sure to read the labels.
Step 2: Add all of your meatball ingredients to a large
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Step 3: Form the ricotta meatballs into the desired size and put them onto a greased baking pan. To make clean-up easy, line the baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 4: Bake the meatballs at 350ºF in your oven until they are cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to check that the meatballs have an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Serve hot over a plate of pasta and your favorite pasta sauce, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
You can cook the meatballs in the sauce if you want the tomato flavor to slow-cook into the meatballs! Use the instructions in this Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Meatballs Recipe.
Serve these ricotta meatballs with:
- Roasted Italian Green Beans
- Kale and Apple Salad
- These meatballs are delicious with this homemade Gluten-Free Gnocchi.
Dip these Gluten-Free Breadsticks or Gluten-Free Garlic Knots in the sauce!
Storage and Freezing Tips:
- To store: Place the cooled meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep fresh for up to 4 days.
- To freeze uncooked or cooked meatballs: Place them on a sheet pan and flash-freeze them. Move them to a freezer-safe container or a zipper bag. (You can freeze the uncooked meatballs or cooked meatballs.)
- To thaw: Move the container to the refrigerator or put it into a microwave-safe dish to microwave it. If the meatballs are cooked, you can cook them in pasta sauce on the stove.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can easily use different vegetables. Try shredded carrots or chopped mushrooms.
Yes, you can! Make a full batch and freeze half before or after baking for a quick dinner later.
No, you do not need to grate the zucchini before using it in this recipe.
Reader Review:
Here is a photo of the cooked meatballs. They were great!”
Tony D
More Gluten-Free Pasta Recipes:
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free meatballs recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out—and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gluten Free Meatballs with Zucchini and Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef * see note
- ¼ cup gluten free bread crumbs * see note
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder * see note
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded zucchini * see note
- 1 box gluten free pasta * see note
- 4 cups pasta sauce
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º F.
- Combine the 1 pound ground beef, 1/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup shredded zucchini into a large bowl and mix well.
- Shape meatballs and place onto a greased baking dish.
- Bake meatballs for 20 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, set a pot of water on the stove with high heat to boil.
- Add your favorite 1 box gluten free pasta when the water is boiling. Cook the pasta to the box directions.
- Heat 4 cups pasta sauce sauce on low heat.
- When pasta is cooked, toss in the pasta sauce.
- Remove meatballs from the oven and place one to two on top of your pasta. Serve with more sauce if you like 🙂
Notes
- I used 90% lean ground beef. You can use any ground meat, including ground chicken, turkey, pork, or bison, to make these meatballs.
- Use either gluten free bread crumbs or gluten free panko. It is also very easy to make your own homemade gluten free bread crumbs.
- Use garlic powder or two cloves of fresh minced garlic.
- Tip: when using shredded zucchini, make sure to squeeze out the extra liquid with a paper towel.
- These meatballs will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Got too try this,can I freeze them after cooking,many thanks.
Hi Eddie, I have not personally frozen these meatballs, but I am sure you can. Would you please come back and comment back if you try it? I know other readers will benefit from your feedback. Thank you so much.
Do these lovelies absolutely ‘need’ the gluten-free breadcrumbs for proper binding?…Or could one use psyllium husk flakes or crushed buckwheat crackers if trying to avoid grains? Thanks so much for any insight! (I also use 100% buckwheat (or sarrasin) pasta as well. This offering looks spectacular AND spectacularly fast after a harried day!
Hi Donna, I imagine they wouldn’t need any breadcrumbs because of the ricotta cheese being a bit “sticky.” If you try with psyllium husk, or without the breadcrumbs, can you please write back so other readers know? It would be so helpful to everyone. Thank you so much for your note 🙂 Sandi P.S. I haven’t seen buckwheat pasta. What brand are you using?