Low Carb Meatballs In Tomato Sauce (Keto)

THESE EASY TO MAKE LOW CARB MEATBALLS WILL MELT IN YOUR MOUTH

Making big batches of keto-friendly, low carb meatballs and freezing them helps us when we want a comfort food meal.

We’ve been using our crockpot quite a bit over the years because it’s convenient with our busy schedules.

Whether we fry, bake or simmer our keto, low carb meatballs on the stove they taste just as delicious as the slow cooker process.

I like to prepare food that both Mrs. CBB and I can enjoy together so I compromise and honestly I haven’t tasted a bad recipe yet.

When we host a dinner party I might make crockpot appetizer meatballs but replacing our traditional recipe with our low carb version and nobody notices.

Carbs In Keto Low Carb Meatballs

The carbohydrates in meatballs typically come from the breadcrumbs and which we substitute for Buster Rhino’s Pork Rinds.

If you want to replace high carb breadcrumbs opt for finely crushed pork rinds or flax-seed like we chose for these low carb meatballs.

We like to use a mixture of both pork rinds and a bit of flax to help keep the meatballs together.

The best pork rinds available are the Baken-ets at almost all grocery stores plain and BBQ for $2.99 a bag.

As well, Costco Canada carries a big bucket of pork rinds which we buy for only $9.99.

You will also find that spices add carbs to your macro count whenever you cook so don’t forget to count those.

Lowering Carbohydrate Intake

You don’t have to exclusively eat a low carb diet to enjoy some of the benefits of cutting back on carbohydrate consumption.

Unlike someone who eats low carb for ketosis which helps burn fat low carb eating paired with other foods reduces carb consumption for the carb-lover.

When I created these low carb meatballs I wanted to come up with a recipe that both Mrs. CBB and I could enjoy instead of having to make two batches of meatballs.

I like to balance what I put in my body for nutrition and need carbs for my work-outs and long workdays on my feet.

We were going to give cheese-filled meatballs a shot but decided to added bacon instead only because we didn’t freeze any cubes of mozzarella cheese.

I find if the cheese cubes are frozen before you add them to the centre of your meatballs it won’t leak out while frying or cooking in the crock-pot.

These are a bit different as they are full ground beef meatballs compared to the beef and pork meatballs we typically make.

You can make either or for these low carb meatballs in tomato sauce but try not to use extra-lean beef as you’ll need to add fat.

Keto Meatball Sauce (Low Carb)

Whether you like your low carb meatballs with lots of flavour keep in mind even some spices have carbs.

I’m a fan of spicy meatballs BUT not too spicy just to add flavour so I add a bit.

Chopping up bits of well-cooked bacon also adds to the gorgeous flavour of this keto, low carb meatball recipe.

On occasion, I would add Frank’s Red Hot sauce which is vinegar-based and adds a hint of heat to the tomato sauce and meatball mixture.

Read Ingredient Labels For Keto and Low Carb Products

Making a low carb meatball sauce consists of using fresh diced tomatoes or by using bottled tomatoes that have no additives such as sugar.

Keep in mind that there will always be natural sugar in tomatoes so it will show on the nutrition label.

Read the ingredients list to make sure the company is not adding sugar to the recipe.

Opting for garden-fresh organic tomatoes is best along with tomato paste both low in carbs and natural sugars.

We always have tins of tomato paste in the house to add tomato flavour to most of our keto recipes.

To make the sauce we fry the garlic in olive oil, add tomatoes, fresh or dry basil, dry oregano, a cup of water and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.

Bone Broth For Keto Pasta Sauce

If you have organic bone broth add a cup of that into your sauce instead of water or half/half to boost flavour and adds nutrients.

We use homemade bone broth or Organika Powder Bone Broth which is delicious and easy when wanting it instantly.

Let that bubble up for about 15 minutes on medium-high heat stirring often but if it bubbles too much add a lid.

This is a simple low carb pasta sauce that you can also pour into an instant pot or crockpot followed by seared low carb meatballs.

Personally, I would slow cook them for 6 hours on low if I could even 8 is fine in the crockpot and 1 hour in the Instant Pot.

Keto Meatballs And Pasta

If you choose to put your meatballs in a Crockpot or Instant Pot I suggest browning them just to make sure they stay together.

Typically this wouldn’t be a problem when I make my classic Nonna’s meatballs but that recipe has gluten breadcrumbs in the mixture.

Both low carb pasta if you can find it or gluten-free are wonderful alternatives to eating a high carb pasta dinner as above.

You can find any type of pasta at the grocery store or you can make it yourself which we’ve done and I will share in an upcoming blog post.

We love to eat homemade zucchini zoodles that are zucchini spiralized or you can use a peeler to make strips.

Our zoodles are spiralized zucchini sauteed in a bit of olive oil, garlic, and salt until tender.

Another option is to make low carb Oopsie bread and stuff it with low carb meatballs like you would a meatball sub.

Top your low carb meatball Oopsie sub with mozzarella and bake until melted. So Good!

How To Make Low Carb Meatballs (Keto) In Sauce

One pound of beef makes about 24 low carb meatballs so I would freeze a batch to use later in meals that include frozen meatballs.

Sometimes we like to fry them up, grab a fork and chow down as they are or dipped in homemade keto guacamole.

Typically I would add Frank’s Red Hot sauce which is more vinegar-based but with a hint of heat to the tomato sauce and meatball mixture.

You will notice I use cinnamon, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, pepper and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in this recipe.

The cheese also helps glue the meatball together along with the ground flax-seed and eggs.

Using a good quality Parmesan such as Parmigiano Reggiano will change the flavour of these meatballs.

Whatever your budget allows works fine either way.

I told you these low carb meatballs were going to be easy and I wasn’t lying.

Please let us know what you think about this keto, low carb meatball recipe and any changes you might have made.

For even more crunch add your low carb meatballs to a side of Keto fried Parmesan-crusted hard-boiled eggs and you’ll be in heaven.

Discussion Question: Would you give low carb meatballs a try?

Nutritional Info: Per 1/24 Recipe: Calories 100 per meatball, Carbs 3 g (entire recipe)  *Using Atkins Carb Counter

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