These keto meatballs are packed with flavor and boast a legit Italian meatball texture. Smothered in marinara sauce and melty mozzarella cheese, this Keto Meatballs Parmesan (or Parmigiana) recipe is so good that you won’t even miss the pasta and garlic bread.
The Secret to Tender Keto Meatballs
The foundation of this dish is the meatballs themselves: juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Traditionally, bread crumbs make meatballs tender. Without them, you can end up with a dense, chewy mouthful. This keto meatball recipe results in tender, gluten-free meatballs that anyone’s Italian grandmother would be satisfied with. The secret to tender low-carb meatballs is the parmesan cheese, almond flour, and water added to the mix.
Ingredients and Preparation
In this recipe, almond flour bulks up and lightens these keto meatballs. You can also use crushed pork rinds with good results, decreasing the amount of net carbs by a few grams per serving.
Ground Meat Selection
Ground beef is the most common ground meat used in meatballs, but for the best flavor and texture, use a mix of ground beef and ground pork. If you are only using ground beef, use an 80/20 lean to fat ratio for best results. You can also make keto meatballs with ground turkey, but they may be a bit dry. Adding a few tablespoons of grated vegetable like zucchini or mushrooms to the mixture can improve both the flavor and the moisture content when making keto meatballs with ground turkey.
Cooking Options
You can bake these keto meatballs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in the oven with excellent results. They will be a little drier and not as crunchy and brown on the outside, but cleanup is easy. When baking them as a meatball casserole with sauce and cheese, you won’t even notice the difference. These keto meatballs are delicious plain, making them a great finger-friendly lunch on the go. Make a bunch and freeze them in bags of 3 - 5 meatballs. If you know you’re going to be out, grab a bag of meatballs out of the freezer and toss it into your purse or cooler bag.
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Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to eat these keto meatballs parmesan is to bake them in my easy no-cook marinara sauce with a gooey topping of mozzarella cheese on top. If you don’t have time to make your own sauce, there are plenty of decent keto-friendly marinara sauces out there - Rao’s is a popular store-bought option. Since even a sugar-free marinara sauce does have some carbs, spoon about a tablespoon over each low-carb meatball to keep track of your macros, especially carbohydrates. The same goes with the cheese - you can shred it and dump it onto the meatballs, but most of it will melt into a puddle anyway, so just slice it and put a piece on top of each of the keto meatballs, then bake it until bubbly.
If your family isn’t eating keto or gluten-free, then you can serve these low-carb Italian meatballs with pasta for them and spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or even konjac noodles or palmini noodles for yourself. It’s so filling as a casserole that you can even eat these keto meatballs without a side dish. Pro-tip - try frying in bacon grease if you have any - it adds another level of flavor.
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