, photo by Emma Shevtzoff
, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
in Recipes, Dinner, Meal Italian keto meatballs with mozzarella cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb 450 g ground beef or ground turkey
- 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
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.
How to make tender keto meatballs
The key to tender keto meatballs is to mix the ingredients only until they are evenly combined. Overmixing can compact the ground meat and produce firmer, denser meatballs.
Keeping the meatballs close to the suggested 1-ounce (30-gram) size also helps them cook evenly. Wet your hands before shaping them to prevent the mixture from sticking and to create smooth, evenly sized meatballs.
Parmesan and egg help bind the mixture without breadcrumbs. Because eggs vary in size, scaling this recipe down can sometimes make the mixture too wet. For the most reliable texture, prepare the full four-serving recipe when using one whole egg.
Which ground meat works best?
Ground beef gives these Italian keto meatballs a rich, traditional flavor, while ground turkey creates a slightly lighter result. An 85/15 or 90/10 ground beef blend works well, depending on how rich you prefer the finished dish.
You can also combine beef with ground pork for softer, more flavorful meatballs. If the meat releases a large amount of fat while browning, remove some of the excess before adding the tomatoes so the sauce does not become greasy.
How to keep keto meatballs from falling apart
If your meatballs break apart during cooking, the mixture may contain too much egg or may not have been combined thoroughly enough.
After mixing, allow the meatball mixture to rest for a few minutes before shaping. This gives the Parmesan time to absorb some of the moisture. Once the meatballs are in the pan, let the first side brown properly before turning them. Moving them too early can cause them to stick or break.
A wide skillet also helps. Crowding the pan lowers the temperature and makes it more difficult to develop a golden surface.
Whole, crushed, or diced tomatoes?
Whole canned tomatoes break down as they simmer and create a rustic Italian tomato sauce. Crush them with a spoon, kitchen scissors, or clean hands before adding them if you prefer a smoother texture.
Crushed tomatoes are an easy alternative for a more even sauce. Diced tomatoes can also be used, although they tend to retain their shape and may produce a chunkier result.
Choose canned tomatoes without added sugar to keep the carbohydrate content as low as possible.
143 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!