Italian keto meatballs with mozzarella cheese
Tomato sauce, rich and comforting. Mozzarella, fresh and creamy. Meatballs, with just the right touch of onion and basil. It's like spaghetti night, without the carbs. Enjoy every ketolicious bite!
USMetric
servingservings
Ingredients
- 1 lb 450 g ground beef
- ¾ cup (2 oz.) 180 ml (60 g) shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 1 eggeggs
- 1 tsp 1 tsp salt
- ½ tbsp ½ tbsp dried basil
- ½ tsp ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1¾ cups (1 lb) 425 ml (425 g) canned whole tomatoes
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 7 oz. (6½ cups) 200 g (1.6 liters) fresh spinach
- 2 oz. 55 g butter
- 5 oz. (1¼ cups) 140 g (300 ml) fresh mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper
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Making low carb simple
Instructions
- Place ground beef, parmesan cheese, egg, salt and spices in a bowl and blend thoroughly. Form the mixture into meatballs, about 1 oz (30 grams) each. It helps to keep your hands wet while forming the balls.
- Heat up the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the meatballs until they're golden brown on all sides.
- Lower the heat and add the canned tomatoes. Let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add parsley and stir. You can prepare the dish up to this point for freezing.
- Melt the butter in a separate frying pan and fry the spinach for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach to the meatballs, and stir to combine.
- Serve with mozzarella cheese on top, torn into bite-sized pieces.
Tip!
Like it hot-hot-hot? Swap out half the ground beef with spicy Italian sausage. Add red pepper flakes, as needed.
Meals
Breakfasts
Desserts
Snacks
Dairy free
Vegetarian
Bread
Only keto
107 comments
If you are cooking from the 2 week challenge, make sure to make 2 servings, or 1+1 so you will have enough for lunch the next day.
Yes, that's totally fine! Also, if you notice that you aren't hungry at a specific meal time, it's OK to skip that meal.
Pork tends to be leaner which means they may be drier.
You can eat larger portions and also double check to make sure you're eating enough fat at each meal. If you are new to keto, you will notice soon that your hunger levels start naturally decreasing.
The eggs bind it together. Also remember you aren’t adding the tomato sauce until they are mostly cooked. If they’re falling apart, check the accuracy of your ingredients. Add more parmesan if needed.
I got really hungry last evening for something to snack on. I ate 1/2 a large bag of pork rinds. Hope that didn’t hurt my progress, they have 0 carbs/sugar.
I get confused with the actual serving size as well. I wish that was clear on each recipe as I don't want to over indulge.
Serving SIZE may vary based on several factors, which is why all of our recipes list the number of servings they make.
That is up to personal preference! Some people don't care for the extra grease and do choose to drain it off.
You can drain them first. If you are in the two week challenge, it may be best to follow the meal plans as written without adding in extra food.
I passed it onto our daughter. Well done Anne and Emma.
Keto can alleviate inflammation and the pain that results from it. I hope that is the case for you and the joint pain stays away!
No, we would not recommend adding carbohydrates. If you're feeling fatigued, you may be experiencing a bit of the "keto flu." Here's more info and tips on how to feel to better! https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/flu-side-effects
I thought the recipe was delicious - i had never made meatballs before.
The basic recommendation is to use what you prefer and what is on sale. 85/15 is a good bet for most recipes, but 90/10 will work as well.
Thanks for sharing!!
Nice variation! I am glad you enjoyed it.