Few things hit harder than a slow-simmered tomato sauce that fills the whole kitchen with the smell of garlic, fennel, and herbs on a Sunday afternoon. These herb-spiced meatballs bring together ground beef and pork with almond flour standing in as the binder — a smart swap that keeps the texture tender and satisfying without any grain-based fillers. Fennel seeds and a touch of turmeric give the meat mixture a warmth and depth that sets these apart from your standard weeknight meatballs. The sauce itself is built low and slow with San Marzano tomatoes, a generous hit of tomato paste cooked down to brick-red, and layers of dried herbs that meld beautifully over the long simmer. Roasting the meatballs first at high heat locks in the crust before they finish nestled into the sauce, so they stay juicy rather than falling apart. Torn fresh basil and a drizzle of good olive oil at the end keep everything bright and vibrant. Serve it over pasta, polenta, or whatever base you love — this pot is the kind of thing people ask you to make again the following weekend.
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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.
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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