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Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce are perfect for cozy fall evenings when you’re craving something hearty and delicious.

You want to know something else that I love? Easy & delicious weeknight meals! I loved that I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen while making this meal and was able to spend more time with my family at the table.

Growing up, I enjoyed helping my mother and grandmother in the kitchen. It was always fun to watch them cook, help as much as a little kid can help in the kitchen (like licking cake batter off a spoon :)). They taught me how to cook, told me stories and we just had a good time. I learned a lot about cooking just by watching and helping with small chores. My grandmother taught me by example that cooking for your family is an expression of your love for them. She always told me that everything tastes better if it’s cooked with love. And I hope to pass down her love for cooking to my children one day.

I grew up in Bulgaria, a small Mediterranean country close to the Black Sea, bordering south with Greece and Turkey. Since I’ve moved to the States, I have been wanting to learn to cook as many traditional family recipes as possible. One of my favorite meals at home involved meatballs and with the help of my Mom, I was able to recreate those delicious meatballs and I am sharing the recipe with you today. I put my own spin on it by making it Paleo.

Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

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How to Make Paleo Meatballs

What you need

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork sausage (or ground pork)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Sauce

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced
  • 16 oz marinara sauce
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Italian seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp freshly chopped basil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix all the meatballs ingredients together in a large bowl. Shape the mixture into meatballs. (I ended up with about 30 meatballs.) Place all meatballs onto the baking sheet.

Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

Bake for about 30 minutes or until meatballs are done and browned.

Sauce

Saute chopped onion in a large skillet until translucent. Add to the skillet the chopped carrots and season carrots & onion with salt to taste. Cover with a lid and saute for couple minutes, until tender. Pour Ragu marinara sauce, honey and red wine over the vegetables in the skillet, and stir everything. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

Add minced garlic and freshly chopped basil, and stir everything.

Add meatballs to the marinara sauce and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with freshly chopped basil if you want.

Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

You can serve the Italian meatballs with marinara sauce over gluten free spaghetti, pasta or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

If you enjoyed this Meatballs with Marinara Sauce recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

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Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce - Juicy meatballs in a tomato & basil sauce. Only 30 minutes! Perfect weekday comfort food. #paleo #glutenfree #dinner #meatballs
5 from 8 votes

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Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

Paleo Meatballs with Marinara Sauce – Juicy meatballs in a tomato & basil sauce. Only 30 minutes! Perfect weekday comfort food.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 10

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Ingredients 
 

Sauce

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Mix all the meatballs ingredients together in a large bowl. Shape the mixture into meatballs. (I ended up with about 30 meatballs.) Place all the meatballs onto the baking sheet.
  • Bake for about 30 minutes or until meatballs are done and browned.

Sauce

  • Saute chopped onion in a large skillet until translucent. Add to the skillet the chopped carrots and season carrots & onion with salt to taste. Cover with a lid and saute for couple minutes, until tender. Pour marinara sauce, honey and red wine over the vegetables in the skillet, and stir everything. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.
  • Add minced garlic and freshly chopped basil, and stir everything.
  • Add meatballs to the marinara sauce and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with freshly chopped basil if you want.
  • You can serve the Italian meatballs with marinara sauce over gluten free spaghetti, pasta or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 205g | Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.9g | Protein: 25.2g | Fat: 17.8g | Saturated Fat: 5.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12.1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 966mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 8.1g

Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this recipe is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. I am not a doctor or a dietitian. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance regarding your diet or health. For more details, please read my full disclosure page.

About Neli Howard

Meet Neli Howard, the food blogger and recipe developer behind the food blog Delicious Meets Healthy. With over 12 years of cooking experience, Neli specializes in easy, wholesome recipes made with real ingredients and a lot of flavor. Her work has been featured in Forbes, MSN, Yahoo!, CNN, Healthline and more.

5 from 8 votes

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49 Comments

  1. latanya says:

    in spaghetti

  2. Angelica says:

    My favorite way to use marinara sauce is in stuffed eggplants. Yum!

  3. Linda says:

    I look to use marinara sauce to make homemade thin crust pizza.

    1. Delicious Meets Healthy says:

      Sounds great! Love thin crust pizza! 🙂

  4. Rosie says:

    5 stars
    I like to use Marinara sauce for my green beans – fresh green beans covered with Marinara and bake them in the oven so good!

    1. Delicious Meets Healthy says:

      Rosie, that sounds absolutely amazing! 🙂 I will have to give it a try!

  5. tara pittman says:

    I love using sauce on pasta

  6. Betsy Rubendall Barnes says:

    5 stars
    I would love to try the Ragu Creamy Tomato Sauce. I had no idea they made this, would be great in a lot of my recipes 🙂

  7. Cathy French says:

    We don’t use marinara sauce very often but we love fried cheese sticks and marinara as a dip.

  8. Faye Gates says:

    That looks so good. Now I’m hungry for Italian, and it’s like 10:30 in the morning. I will have it for dinner. You two make a very attractive couple.

    1. Delicious Meets Healthy says:

      Thanks, Faye! 🙂 I know, I am getting hungry myself. Hope you enjoy it for dinner!

  9. Kristen says:

    Yum! This dish is gorgeous! So pretty and delicious looking too!
    kris

    1. Delicious Meets Healthy says:

      Thanks, Kristen! Yes, these meatballs were so delicious! And that sauce.. yummy!

  10. Wendi says:

    5 stars
    Fabulous recipe! Your photos are beautiful too! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    1. Delicious Meets Healthy says:

      Thank you, Wendi! Glad you like it!