Lupin Free Sunday Sauce with Herb-Spiced Meatballs
Rich, slow-simmered tomato sauce and tender herb-spiced meatballs are the kind of Sunday cooking that makes the whole house smell incredible. The meatball mixture leans on almond flour as a binder instead of breadcrumbs, which keeps things completely free of lupin — a legume-derived flour that sneaks into more packaged and restaurant foods than most people realize. Ground beef and pork are seasoned with fennel seeds, turmeric, parsley, and garlic before being roasted at high heat until deeply browned, giving them a satisfying crust before they ever hit the sauce. The sauce itself is built low and slow from San Marzano tomatoes, tomato paste, and aromatics, developing that deep brick-red, slightly sweet complexity that only comes from patience. Nesting the meatballs into the pot for a long simmer lets everything meld together into something genuinely special. Finished with torn fresh basil and a drizzle of good olive oil, this is the kind of meal that earns a permanent spot in your weekend rotation.
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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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