Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is such a simple recipe once you get into it, and yet it tastes SO GOOD. Keto meatballs are an easy, delicious, filling dish that can be used in several ways. Enjoy them on their own or with tomato sauce, serve them over a keto pasta, or make them into a keto meatball sub with your favorite keto bread.Traditional meatballs unfortunately aren’t keto (womp womp) because they’re typically made with breadcrumbs as binding. There’s no breadcrumbs (or flour) in this meatball recipe at all, so it’s totally keto AND it’s gluten free! Pan-frying keto meatballs gives them this light, really amazing crust, and the insides of the meatballs come out super tender. You could also bake them if you’d like a slightly lighter option. They’ll be a little softer but still delicious. I’d recommend baking them at 400° Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or so.These are a great option for freezer meals! Cook the meatballs as written, let them cool fully, then freeze them in a sealable freezer bag. You can reheat them from frozen or let them thaw first. They’re also perfect for meal prep, since the freshly cooked meatballs will keep up to 5 days.
Key Ingredients
Ground Beef & Ground Pork – I love the flavor you get by using these two together. If you don’t eat pork, you can try swapping it out for ground turkey, or just doubling the ground beef. The flavors won’t be quite the same, but they’ll still taste great!Parmesan & Mozzarella – For binding! Since there’s no breadcrumbs or flour in the meatball recipe, the cheese works with the eggs to hold everything together. Plus it adds a great cheesy flavor and a nice, tender texture to the keto meatballs!San Marzano Tomatoes – Most tomato products actually aren’t keto-friendly, and if you’re strict keto you might avoid canned tomato products altogether. Totally fine! You can make these meatballs and enjoy them with another type of sauce. If you do use canned tomatoes, I recommend the whole San Marzano tomatoes, not only for their flavor but also for their ingredients. Whatever brand you use, be sure to choose one that has no added sugars at all. Any sugars in the tomatoes should come from the tomatoes themselves.
Chef’s Tips
Chilling the formed meatballs before pan-frying them will help them hold their shape better! Don’t over-handle them, either, or you can make them tough.As always, you’ll want to grate and shred your own cheese rather than using the pre-packaged options. If you don’t want to bother with it, the pre-packaged shredded cheeses will work. They just include added fillers to prevent clumping, which adds unnecessary carbs to the cheese.If you bake the keto meatballs instead of pan-frying them, try putting them under the broiler right at the end of the bake time to give them a little of that pan-fried crust. Be careful not to overcook them, though!
You’ll Love These Keto Recipes, Too!
Keto Chicken Salad (Classic Shredded Chicken Salad)Keto Banana BreadEverything Bagel Chicken with Scallion Cream Cheese Sauce (Keto)Keto CarbonaraAddictive Hot Crab Dip (Low Carb, Keto, Gluten Free)Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)Baked Keto EmpanadasCauliflower Potato SaladMarry Me ChickenKeto Broccoli Cheese Soup
