Irresistible Keto Meatballs: Top Side Dishes That Beat Pasta Every Time!

Ground beef blended with simple ingredients creates a canvas for almost any flavor profile. Meatballs are a versatile dish that can be enjoyed in countless ways. While often served with pasta, there are many delicious and satisfying alternatives, especially for those following a keto or low-carb diet. Meatballs are one of our favorite low-carb meals to eat because they can be dressed up in so many different ways, but they are always low in carbs and high in protein - perfect for a keto diet. Although you can make all kinds of different variations of meatballs, that also means you have to come up with different types of side dishes that pair well with those meatballs. This article explores a variety of keto-friendly side dishes that complement meatballs perfectly, offering a range of flavors and textures to create a complete and satisfying meal.

Low-Carb Alternatives to Pasta

For those avoiding pasta, several low-carb options can serve as a base for meatball dishes:

Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles): Zucchini noodles, or zoodles, are a popular pasta substitute. Our family’s favorite ways to serve this is on top of zucchini noodles. They provide a light and refreshing base that pairs well with various sauces and meatball flavors.
Spaghetti Squash: Spaghetti squash is another excellent low-carb alternative. Its stringy texture mimics spaghetti, making it a satisfying and nutritious option.
Cauliflower Rice: Cauliflower rice is a versatile and neutral-flavored base that can be seasoned to complement any meatball dish. Cauliflower Grits are the perfect vehicle for your savory meatball recipes!

Vegetable Side Dishes

Vegetables offer a healthy and flavorful way to round out a meatball meal. These side dishes run the gamat from mashed cauliflower to broccoli to cauliflower skewers. Some have BBQ sauce, some have balsamic glaze, and some are served plain.

Mashed Cauliflower: Mashed cauliflower is a creamy and comforting alternative to mashed potatoes. This loaded cauliflower casserole makes a great side dish or main dish on a low-carb diet. It can be customized with various herbs, spices, and cheeses to enhance its flavor.
Roasted Broccoli or Green Beans: Roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and creates a satisfyingly crisp texture. Alternatively, you can serve with a side of roasted broccoli or green beans or a green salad. Blistered Green Beans with Garlic are the veggie side dish recipe for any meal! Fancy enough for holiday dinners and easy enough to make for busy weeknight dinners! Just 5 ingredients and done in only 15 minutes!
Green Salad: A simple green salad provides a refreshing contrast to the richness of meatballs. Lemon Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts is a quick and easy salad that is peppery, sweet and satisfying.
Pan-Fried Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts: Pan-Fried Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts are the perfect side dish for your protein.
Garlicky Broccolini: This garlicky broccolini recipe is savory, salty, & bright with a punch of citrus.
Smashed Rosemary Garlic Roasted Radishes: A great alternative to smashed potatoes, these smashed rosemary garlic roasted radishes are just as tasty but lower in both carbs and calories.
Roasted Asparagus: Crunchy roasted asparagus and mouth-watering meatballs will kick your dinner up a notch.
Roasted Beets: Maybe not your classic dish, but these roasted beets are deliciously buttery and caramelized and add a fun and bold twist to your dinner plate when served with meatballs.
Sautéed Broccoli Rabe: This leafy green vegetable, with its distinctive notes and bitter undertones, pairs so well with a variety of meats and pasta dishes. It's also so nutritious and a great accompaniment to any type of meatball when sautéed and lightly seasoned.
Lasagna Zucchini: It's another zucchini favorite but one with all the flavors of a good lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, and naturally sweet Italian marinara!
Baked Ratatouille: Tender eggplants, zucchini, sweet peppers, carrots, tomatoes, pine nuts, Greek feta cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and thyme are baked just right and amazingly seasoned. A great pasta replacement yet still a comfort dish in every way.

Keto-Friendly Breads and Rolls

If you're craving bread to soak up the sauce, several keto-friendly options are available:

Keto Rolls: If you are adding sauce to your meatballs, you are going to need something to soak it up. These keto rolls are perfect to pair with your meatballs.
Garlic Bread: For any non-keto eaters, you can serve with garlic bread - layered with tons and tons of garlic butter, then baked to perfection.
Cheesy Breadsticks: You only need just 10 minutes of prep time to make these cheesy yet healthier breadsticks, and they are great for soaking up any leftover savory meatball sauce.

Salads

These amazing salads are super easy to make and deliciously balance out the heavier nature of meatballs. Enjoy them together for lunch or as a lighter main dish.

Refreshing Green Salad: Here's another refreshing green salad, seasoned with a simple dressing and nutritiously balanced. It's creamy, crunchy, with a tad of sweetness of the pickles, and so satisfying.
Potato Salad with Herbs and Green Beans: This amazing potato salad comes together in 15 minutes and is full of flavor. It's loaded with lots of fresh herbs and green beans and coated with a lovely olive oil dressing. Oh, yes, imagine this salad with some delicious meatballs on the side.
Cauliflower "Potato" Salad: This is a great side dish for those seeking a healthier, low-carb "potato" salad option. Instead of mayo, an egg-free and creamy cashew sauce pulls this lovely dish together with ingredients such as lemon, mustard, and garlic.
Cauliflower Rice Salad: Simple yet so flavorful, this salad goes well with leftover meatballs for a quick lunch. A lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper dressing are drizzled over cauliflower rice, tomatoes, red onions, black olives, and cucumbers.
Mediterranean Salad: Another salad with Mediterranean flavors that you can meal prep as well and enjoy with leftover meatballs.
Fennel Salad: Fennel salad is light, refreshing, and the perfect side for heavier meatballs. Crispy and juicy, it is topped with a lemon vinaigrette and toasted sesame seeds.
Sweet Potato Salad: Sweet potato salad seasoned with an olive oil-based dressing can add a sweet and savory balance to your meatball dish. And this salad is so easy to customize, too.

Other Creative Side Dishes

Keto Eggplant Bites: Healthy low-carb keto eggplant bites that you can make in the air fryer in less than 15 minutes.
Gluten-Free & Keto Loaded Broccoli Cauliflower Salad: This Gluten Free & Keto Loaded Broccoli Cauliflower Salad makes a perfect low carb side dish for family dinners or gatherings.
5-Minute Keto Gravy: This easy 5-minute keto gravy instantly improves every dish - it's irresistible!
Polenta Fries: Fries and meatballs? Absolutely. These polenta fries are baked until heavenly crispy, amazingly seasoned and topped with cheese.
Flavored Rice: So much more flavorful than simple white rice, this side brightens up the dinner table with its lovely seasonings, herbs, and a touch of spice.
Homemade Bread Rolls: It's like meatball subs but then with homemade bread rolls with an amazing crusty exterior and a soft, pillowy crumb. And it all comes together with rather simple ingredients. It's another crowd-pleaser and one that's incredibly easy to make.
Vegetable Medley: Creamy and hearty, this easy side dish includes mushrooms, spinach, roasted red peppers, peas, asparagus, a variety of herbs and spices, heavy cream, a little bit of dry white wine, and parmesan cheese. This is an amazing side. It's healthy, hearty, easy to prepare.

Making Keto Meatballs

Meatballs are surprisingly easy to make keto-friendly. Here's a basic recipe and some tips:

Ingredients: Ground beef (or turkey), eggs, almond flour or pork rinds (as a binder), grated Parmesan cheese, and spices (such as dried onion, garlic, and basil).
Preparation: Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and mix thoroughly. A Cookie Scoop for Meatballs?Yup! Here the meatballs are after forming them. I use a large cookie scoop to simplify the process. Since there is no need to get up to your elbows in raw meat, this is a great task to get the kids involved in.
Baking: Preheat oven to 400. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Make about 24 meatballs and put them in the casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Carefully drain the cooking liquid from the casserole dish.
Adding Sauce and Cheese: Top with the sauce and cheese. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Optional: I broiled for 3-4 minutes at the end to toast the cheese. Watch it carefully if you put it under the broiler.
Freezing: This easy meatball recipe also freezes really well! Go ahead and make a double batch and then next time you want an easy Meatball Casserole just thaw, dump into the baking dish, and cover with sauce and cheese. Meatball Parmesan in a jiffy!I love to always have a bag of low carb homemade meatballs in the freezer for nights that I don’t want to cook.

Tips and Tricks for Keto Meatballs

Hiding Vegetables: That hidden zucchini in my juicy meatballs is my sneaky mom favorite addition. My kids don’t even notice it’s in there. If you really want to hide it you can peel the green skin off first. If you would like to substitute another veggie for the zucchini I would recommend chopped spinach.
Spice Preferences: Spices - I prefer to use dried onion, garlic, and basil in these.

Meatball Casserole

If you are looking for a new family dinner this homemade Meatball Casserole should be it. Juicy, flavorful meatballs baked until golden and then covered with tomato sauce and cheese.

Making Ahead: You can make the Italian meatballs ahead of time, cook until fully cooked, and then freeze the cooked meatballs in a freezer bag. Just place the frozen meatballs in the casserole dish, bake until thawed, and then top with the sauce and cheese. This easy prep idea is always a perfect meal on busy weeknights.

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