Legume Free Sunday Sauce with Herb-Spiced Meatballs

Total time2 hr

Prep time30 min

Cook time1 hr 30 min

Legume Free Sunday Sauce with Herb-Spiced Meatballs

This is the kind of slow-simmered Sunday sauce that fills the whole house with an aroma that makes everyone wander into the kitchen asking when dinner is ready. The meatballs are a blend of ground beef and pork, seasoned with fennel seeds, turmeric, parsley, and garlic before being roasted at high heat until deeply browned — that step alone builds a layer of flavor that the long simmer only deepens. Almond flour stands in as the binder here, keeping the texture tender and cohesive without any breadcrumbs or grain-based fillers, which makes this a genuinely satisfying option for anyone avoiding legumes and the sneaky additives that often tag along in store-bought versions. The sauce itself is built the old-fashioned way: onion and garlic coaxed down in olive oil, tomato paste darkened to brick-red, then crushed San Marzano tomatoes and a warm hit of turmeric simmered low and slow until everything melds together. Nesting the roasted meatballs directly into the sauce for that final 45-to-60-minute simmer means they absorb every bit of that rich, herby tomato depth. Finish with torn fresh basil and a drizzle of good olive oil, and you have a bowl that feels genuinely celebratory — no shortcuts, no compromises.

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the meatballs

1 lb ground beef (85% lean)
½ lb ground pork
½ cup almond flour
Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour Bob's Red Mill Super Fine Natural Almond Flour - 16 Oz Bob's Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour - 32 Oz Blue Diamond Almond Flour Finely Sifted - 1 Lb King Arthur Gluten Free Almond Flour - 16 Oz
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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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