These Keto Meatballs with Bacon Tomato Sauce are so flavorful and perfectly saucy. I like to eat them with a side of lemony kale or you could serve them over zucchini noodles.
SOME OTHER EASY KETO RECIPES
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
- Steak Shish Kabobs
- Keto Chicken Parmesan
- Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
HOW TO MAKE KETO MEATBALLS
So what makes these meatballs keto? Most meatballs recipes include breadcrumbs to hold everything together. I went with parmesan cheese for this recipe instead of the breadcrumbs to give them more flavor and make them keto!
I love making meatballs because they can be so versatile in their flavors. I went more Italian with the flavors of these, though. I wanted to give you a delicious keto meatball that you will want to make over and over again.
For these meatballs I used ground beef, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper. Be sure you do not over mix your meatballs or they will become tough.
After I got everything mixed together, I baked them on a baking sheet. You could also fry them in the remaining bacon fat leftover from cooking the bacon. That would be really good too!
The marinara sauce I use and recommend for these keto meatballs is so amazing and flavorful, you will never make homemade sauce again. That sauce would be Rao’s Marinara. I love Rao’s Marinara because it only has 3 net carbs per 1/2 cup serving! I also like that it isn’t greasy. I have found other lower carb marinara sauces to be greasy, and I am just not a fan of that.
Let me get to this lemony kale. It is so basic, i’m not even sure it counts as a recipe. All I did is throw a bag of chopped frozen kale in a skillet with a lid and some avocado oil, salt, and lemon juice. I cooked it until it was tender. That’s it! I love to have frozen chopped kale on hand at all times. I put it in my daily low carb smoothies, and I eat it as a side dish all. the. time.
KETO MEATBALLS VIDEO:
- 8 slices thick cut bacon , cut into lardons
- 2 lbs ground chuck or sirloin
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 eggs , beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 jar Rao's Marinara
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Fry bacon in a heavy bottomed skillet (such as cast iron) over medium heat until crispy
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Remove bacon from pan and let drain on paper towels, leave bacon fat in pan
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Combine ground beef, parmesan, parsley, olive oil, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl being careful not to overwork the meat.
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Roll mixture into 18 meatballs. You can bake the meatballs or you can fry the meatballs. I will give instructions for both.
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To bake the meatballs: pre-heat the oven to 400F and bake meatballs on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet for 15 minutes.
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To fry the meatballs: using reserved bacon grease and heavy skillet, fry each meatball over medium heat until brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
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Remove any remaining bacon grease and add meatballs to the pan. Add the jar of marinara sauce and roll the meatballs around to coat. Let meatballs simmer for 30 minutes.
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Serve meatballs garnished with crispy bacon and fresh parsley.
Nutrition for 3 meatballs and 1/6th of the sauce: 651 calories / 53g fat / 5g carbs / 37g protein
⭐ Did you make this Keto Meatballs Recipe? Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @lowcarbwithjennifer
