Italian Meatballs Keto Recipe
The Italian meatballs recipe we are sharing with you today is a little more special than just plain meat. These are low-carb diets.
Equipment
- rimmed baking sheet
- large cookie scoop
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (84 g) almond flour
- ½ cup (120 g) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1 pound (453.6 g) ground beef, 85% lean
- 1 pound (453.6 g) ground pork, 80% lean
- ½ cup (30 g) packed finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herb seasoning
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (for easy clean up), and set in the wire rack.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour and chicken stock. Stir and set aside while it absorbs the liquid.
- Heat a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, garlic and a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and turning golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
- In the same large mixing bowl that has the almond flour and chicken stock, add the cooked onions & garlic, ground beef, ground pork, 2 eggs, parsley, salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Use a spatula or hands to mix until completely combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop (or measure out 3 tablespoons) to scoop out meatballs. Place meatballs on wire baking sheet. Will make 23-24 meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve immediately while warm. We love serving over hearts of palm pasta or zucchini noodles with marinara sauce.
- Leftovers will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 days, or frozen for 6 months.
Notes
Notes:
Meat Choice: My favorite is both beef and pork. Has the best flavor. I get both of mine via ButcherBox, which I highly recommend! You could use all beef if that's what you have. Or substitute ground turkey or chicken for the pork. You'll need 2 pounds of ground meat total.
Nut Free: If you have a nut allergy, you can use pork rind panko in place of almond flour. If you don't need this to be whole30 + keto, you can use gluten-free or regular bread crumbs. Or gluten-free or regular panko. Same quantities for all substitution options.
Egg Free: I've never tried it, but you *should* be able to use a flax egg or chia egg in place of the egg to keep this egg-free. You'll need 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal or chia seeds soaked in 5 tablespoons water for 5 minutes until thickened.
Parsley: If you don't have fresh parsley on hand, dried parsley can work too! You'll need 1/4 cup dried parsley.
Noodles: My favorite whole30 + keto swap out is hearts of palm pasta (code TASTESLOVELY for 15% off) Tastes the closest to regular noodles that I've found. You can also use zucchini noodles. Or even serve over mashed cauliflower.
Slow Cooker: If it's going to be a busier night, I'll make the meatballs earlier in the day as instructed above. After they're done baking, I transfer them all to my slow cooker with a jar of marinara sauce over LOW. They'll stay warm in there for hours!
Make-Ahead: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. HEATING: Either microwave until warm, about 3-5 minutes (I like to sprinkle in a little water to help it steam and prevent it from drying out). Or reheat in a 350ºF oven until warm, 10-15 minutes. When meal prepping, I prefer serving these hearts of palm spaghetti because they reheat better.
Freezing: Freeze the raw meatballs on a baking sheet for 1 day until fully frozen. Transfer to a freezer ziptop bag for up to 6 months. When ready to reheat, bake the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet in a 350ºF oven for 35-45 minutes until heated through. You can also throw all frozen meatballs in your slow cooker with a jar of marinara sauce and cook over LOW for 4 hours until heated through.