On busy days this is one of my go-to gluten-free quick and delicious meals. I always try to have gluten-free pasta, pasta sauces and frozen meatballs on hand in my pantry/freezer. I usually have a combination of pre-made store meatballs and my own homemade ones in the freezer. Sometimes I make my own pasta sauce, but I like to have ones that are gluten-free in my pantry for days that I'm just too busy or I don't have all the ingredients needed to make my own sauce. I love this pasta dinner. It's not really a recipe, more like a guide on foods to combine! ^_^

Above is a collage photo of the main ingredients I used. You can make the dish with just these three ingredients. I do like to put in some extra additions, if I have time, and have them on hand. I used onions and red peppers, but you could add zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, or different coloured peppers. Even frozen veggies work well.

I usually pair pasta dishes with a salad and grated cheese. Sometimes I will add a gluten-free garlic bread. I like to use Schar's baugette's with a garlic and butter mix for my garlic bread, but in a pinch I have used regular gluten-free loaf bread toasted and spread with a garlic butter mixture. You can add chopped chives or green onions to your butter mixture too.

I like to have Marc Angelo's gluten-free meatballs in my freezer. They are tasty and versatile. They are quite large, so in pasta dishes I usually cut them in half after they are cooked. They come in packages of 40. They are in packs of 8 and each meatball is separated, so it is easy to use as many or few as you need. I buy them from Save-on-Foods for $14.00 CDN (as of 2024).

I buy Classico sauces often. They are a fantastic short cut when you are having a busy day. Again I buy them from Save-on-Foods. They were $3.50 CDN each (as of 2024). This time I used the roasted garlic flavour, but I have found all of them tasty. They are great for pasta and for sauces in casseroles. The mushroom sauce is great to use over chicken breasts baked in the oven or for chicken pot pie.

This time I used Barilla's gluten-free rotini pasta. Paid $4.59 CDN at Save-on-Foods. I like Barilla's gluten-free pasta, it holds it's shape and has a nice bite to it. I buy a variety of different gluten-free brands of pasta, usually whichever is on sale or available at the time.

I find it is important to rinse gluten-free pasta well after cooking. There is always a lot of starch on gluten-free pasta and I find it improves the flavour if the pasta is well rinsed before adding to sauce. I also use hot water for the last rinse in order to reheat the pasta.

Gluten-Free Easy Creamy and Meatball Pasta

Ingredients

• 170 grams gluten-free pasta
• 8 gluten-free frozen meatballs, fried and cut in half
• 1 410 mL jar of your favorite gluten-free creamy Alfredo sauce
• 2 Tbsps oil, for frying
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1 red pepper, chopped finely (green/yellow/orange fine too)

Directions

1. Wash the pepper and remove seeds and chop into small pieces.
2. Peel and mince onion finely.
3. In a large frying pan and the oil and cook your frozen meatballs as per instructions on the package. If making your own meatballs cook until done. Then, remove to a plate and cut in half. I like mine cut in half, this is optional.
4. If needed add more oil to the frying pan and cook the onions and peppers until soft.
5. Use a paper towel to soak up any excess oil from the frying pan if needed.
6. Add the meatballs back into the frying pan and your favourite pasta sauce. Bring to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer until heated through.
7. Cook your favourite gluten-free pasta as per directions on the box. Drain and rinse. I find it helpful to rinse gluten-free pasta because it always has a lot of starch on the noodles. The last rinse should be with hot water to reheat the noodles.
8. Combine the sauce and noodles and enjoy.
9. You can add grated cheese or herbs such as parsley on top. I like to serve mine with a side salad.

I love quick and easy meals on busy days. You can make your own meatballs and cream sauce if you have time. I often do make this dish from scratch when I have time.

Note: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Always seek out a medical opinion for medical concerns. Not sponsored. If sponsored I will always say so at the top of the post.