Gluten Free Ham and Cheese Sandwich Balls Recipe
Updated Dec 03, 2018, Published Jul 23, 2014
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I love sandwiches. All kinds of sandwiches; fancy schmancy ingredients on artisanal gluten free bread, peanut butter and jelly, egg salad wrapped in lettuce leaves – it doesn’t really matter how plain or fancy, I just really love sandwiches.
I also happen to be a big fan of reinventing things I love into other forms. The combination of these two loves is what brought this recipe to life. I thought to myself “What if I took the ingredients of a ham and cheese sandwich and made it into a little appetizer?” Then I told myself that was a really good idea.
This Gluten Free Ham and Cheese Sandwich Balls recipe is actually a play on the Brazilian pao de queijo or “cheese bread.” Pao de queijo is a popular snack food in Brazil often sold by street vendors made of tapioca starch, cheese and eggs. The dough is shaped into little balls, baked, and consumed.
I Americanized these by adding some ham and mustard – just like a good old ham sandwich. I also took a shortcut by using Chebe bread mix as the dough – all I had to do was add some ingredients, roll into balls, bake and enjoy!
These ham and cheese sandwich balls make for a great snack or appetizer, especially when served with a nice cold glass of gluten free beer!
Gluten Free Ham and Cheese Sandwich Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (7.5 ounce) box Chebe bread mix
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, divided use
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup diced ham
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon dried onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, combine the bread mix, oil, 2 eggs, cheese, ham, mustard, and ¼ cup water. Dump the mixture onto a clean work surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Divide the mixture into 20 equal sized balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet.
- Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the balls with the egg mixture. Combine the salt and dried onion and sprinkle on top of the balls. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What could I use in place of the Chebe bread mix? These are a great idea for my son’s lunch!
Just use about 1 1/2 cups tapioca starch and add a teaspoon of baking powder to it. Good luck!
This was is a list of gluten-free, dairy-free recipes, but is clearly not dairy-free as it contains cheese!
Hi Sarah, Oops!, you’re right! I took it off that list because it was definitely in the wrong spot. :)
xo,
Carol
Same recipe in the John Wayne Family Cookbook, except for 7.5 oz box bread mix instead of chebe.
I make a variation with beef summer sausage. So good. We use tapioca flour but no baking powder, maybe that is what is missing to make it rise more. It rises but then flattens like a souffle.