Mushroom Free Sunday Sauce with Herb-Spiced Meatballs
Few things hit harder than a slow-simmered tomato sauce that fills the whole kitchen with the smell of garlic, fennel, and herbs from the moment it starts bubbling. This is that kind of Sunday project — deeply savory, rich, and the sort of meal that makes everyone wander into the kitchen asking when it'll be ready. The meatballs are a blend of beef and pork, bound with almond flour and seasoned with fennel seeds, turmeric, and fresh parsley, then roasted at high heat before they ever touch the sauce, which gives them a gorgeous browned exterior and locks in the flavor. The sauce itself is built on San Marzano tomatoes, tomato paste cooked down to a brick-red depth, and a long, gentle simmer that ties everything together. For anyone navigating a mushroom-free kitchen, this recipe is completely clean — no umami shortcuts, no hidden fungi, just honest aromatics and good technique doing all the work. It's the kind of dish that proves you don't need anything extra when the fundamentals are this solid. Serve it over pasta, a grain, or straight from the pot with torn basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
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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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