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These Italian lamb meatballs are a flavorful and comforting dish to serve with a pasta of your choice. This recipe is gluten-free, paleo, and can easily be made AIP.

A pot cooking Italian lamb meatballs.

There’s nothing like a warm plate of spaghetti and meatballs! It’s comforting, yet simple, and so nourishing and savory. Growing up in an Italian American family, nothing comforts me quite as pasta does.

It’s always great to mix it up from the norm, and using ground lamb to make meatballs instead of beef is a great way to vary the flavors. These lamb meatballs are super savory and perfect to serve with pasta. They’re baked in the oven and crisped under the broiler for the perfect crisp! They’re gluten-free, paleo, and easy to make AIP.

Why you’ll love these Italian Lamb Meatballs

  • They’re savory and delicious! Perfect for a comfort food dinner with pasta.
  • They’re easy to make. These are only made in the oven, and not an oven and the stovetop, so it saves on dishes and time.
  • It’s perfect to mix it up from regular beef meatballs. It’s just different enough from beef meatballs.

The Ingredients for Lamb Meatballs

  • Ground Lamb. I love using ground lamb for these meatballs for a little variety from beef!
  • Egg Yolks. Omit for AIP.
  • Almond Flour. You can use coconut flour instead, but see below for notes on amount.
  • Olive Oil. 
  • Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Dried Thyme, Dried Parsley, Dried Basil, Salt, and Black Pepper. I love all the flavor these seasonings give the meatballs!
  • Tomato Sauce. Use nightshade free sauce for AIP and it is just as delicious!
  • Fresh Parsley. For topping!

The ingredients for Italian lamb meatballs.

How to make Italian Lamb Meatballs

  • Form the meatballs: Using a large bowl, combine the lamb, olive oil, egg yolk, almond flour, and seasonings. Mix well to thoroughly combine. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out the mixture into 12 large meatballs.
  • Bake: Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 20-23 minutes. Turn on the broiler to crisp the meatballs for 2-4 minutes.

The steps of making the Italian lamb meatballs

  • Toss in the sauce: Simmer some pasta sauce and toss the meatballs to coat. Serve with pasta.

Italian lamb meatballs in sauce in a pan.

How do you make these meatballs AIP?

  • Leave the egg out. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to account for the loss of moisture from the lack of egg.
  • Swap coconut flour for almond flour. You’ll only need 2 tbsp of coconut flour.
  • Serve with nightshade free marinara sauce and cassava spaghetti. I always eat these meatballs with nomato sauce instead and trust me, it’s just as good!

WHAT DO YOU SERVE THESE MEATBALLS WITH?

  • A good quality pasta sauce
  • Gluten-free pasta or spaghetti
  • Veggie noodles like spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles

DO YOU HAVE TO SERVE THESE WITH SPAGHETTI AND TOMATO SAUCE?

I think these meatballs are great with a sauce, but you can also serve without if you prefer.

Italian lamb meatballs over spaghetti squash.

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Italian Lamb Meatballs

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  • Author: Michelle
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dishes
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Italian Inspired
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 2 egg yolks (omit for AIP)
  • 3 tbsp almond flour (sub 2 tbsp of coconut flour for AIP, see notes)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp dried parsley
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/3 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
  • 16 oz tomato sauce (sub nightshade free sauce for AIP)
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Using a large bowl, combine the lamb, egg yolk, almond flour, olive oil, and seasonings. Mix well to thoroughly combine.
  3. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out the meatball mixture and form it into round, uniformly sized meatballs. You should have about 12 large meatballs. Place on the baking sheet and evenly space. 
  4. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 20-23 minutes. The meatballs should be cooked through but not yet crispy.
  5. Turn on the broiler setting on the oven and cook for 2-4 more minutes or until the meatballs are crispy. The meatballs should be cooked through and lightly crisp on the outside. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  6. Using a large, deep pan, heat a pasta sauce of your choice until lightly bubbling. Add the meatballs and toss in the sauce to coat in the sauce, but not overcook the meatballs.
  7. Turn off the heat and top with parsley. Serve over a gluten-free pasta of your choice or veggie noodles like spaghetti squash.

Notes

If making the meatballs AIP, also add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to add extra moisture to account for being egg-free.

All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 444
  • Fat: 33.7g
  • Carbohydrates: 9.2g
  • Fiber: 2.3g
  • Protein: 22.7g