Dairy Free Sunday Sauce with Herb-Spiced Meatballs
Rich, slow-simmered tomato sauce with herb-spiced meatballs is the kind of Sunday cooking that makes the whole house smell incredible — and this version skips dairy entirely without sacrificing a single bit of depth or comfort. Instead of breadcrumbs bound with parmesan, almond flour holds the beef and pork mixture together beautifully, keeping the meatballs tender and juicy from the inside out. Fennel seeds, turmeric, and fresh parsley bring a warmth and complexity to the meat that goes way beyond a basic Italian-American recipe. The sauce itself is built low and slow — San Marzano tomatoes, caramelized onion, garlic, and tomato paste cooked down until deeply brick-red before the meatballs ever hit the pot. That long simmer, anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, is where everything comes together and the flavors meld into something genuinely special. Finished with torn fresh basil and a drizzle of good olive oil, this is the kind of meal you'll want to ladle over pasta, polenta, or whatever you have on hand — and then make again the following weekend.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef (85% lean)
- ½ lb ground pork
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cans (28 oz each) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
For serving
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, almond flour, eggs, parsley, minced garlic, fennel seeds, turmeric, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Mix with your hands until just combined — stop as soon as no streaks remain.
- 2
Roll the meat mixture into balls about 1½ inches in diameter (roughly 24 meatballs) and arrange them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and roll to coat.
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