If you are looking for a new family dinner this Keto Meatball Casserole should be it. Juicy, flavorful meatballs baked until golden and then covered with tomato sauce and cheese. My low carb Meatball Parmesan Casserole was a hit with my family and should be a hit with yours.
When I was in college I was still a vegetarian. One of my favorite meals from the dining hall takeout was a vegetarian Italian meatball parmesan sub. I have no idea what those "meat"balls were made of, and I probably don't want to know, but it was terriffic.
It was smothered in tomato sauce and topped with provolone. I'd look forward to Tuesdays so I could get dining hall take-out and my favorite meatball parmesan sub. Almost fifteen years later that is the only dining hall food I recall and that is my inspiration for my cheesy meatball casserole.
This casserole with meatballs was a perfect substitute. I could eat this Italian meatball casserole recipe once a week for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. And my whole family would agree. We enjoy it with a side salad, vegetables, or any of the main low carb pasta options out there such as palm noodles and zoodles. This easy family dinner is also low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, and a THM S recipe.
Ingredients
To make this meatball casserole you only need a handful of common ingredients:
Ground Meat - I typically use ground turkey but ground beef, ground pork, or ground chicken work as well.
Ground Sausage - I use sweet Italian sausage but hot Italian sausage is fine or a combination of the two. If you are doing low carb or keto just watch for added sugar in the sausage.
Egg - The egg is the binder in this in addition to the grated parmesan cheese.
Shredded Zucchini - You can't taste it and it gives a lot of moisture to the meatballs.
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - You can also use a blend of Italian cheese.
Keto Marinara Sauce - I like to make my own but any pasta sauce or tomato sauce without added sugar is fine.
Spices - I prefer to use dried onion, garlic, and basil in these. You can use Italian seasoning in place of the basil if you prefer the flavor of that.
Salt & Pepper
How to make a Keto Meatball Casserole
Step One: I just dump all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix it by hand. In the photo above you can see all the different layered ingredients for the low carb meatballs in my meatball parmesan. For a bowl of raw meat, it looks pretty nice.
Step Two: Next, scoop the meatballs. You should end up with 24 meatballs. Bake in a baking dish coated with cooking spray until they are almost completely cooked. I shoot for 150-155 on my meat thermometer.
Step Three: Top with sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and finish baking. For the best golden brown cheese on top broil the low carb meatball casserole for 2-3 minutes, watching it carefully.
Expert Tip - you can make the Italian meatballs ahead of time, cook until fully cooked, and then freeze the cooked meatballs in a freezer bag. Just place the frozen meatballs in the casserole dish, bake until thawed, and then top with the sauce and cheese. This easy prep idea is always a perfect meal on busy weeknights. I don't meal prep much but I do do this.
Leftovers: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Variations
Fresh Basil - If you have fresh basil feel free to mix some into the ground meat mixture, add some to the marinara, or sprinkle on top after baking.
Spices - Swap the dried minced onion and garlic for onion powder and garlic powder, or sub in Italian seasoning.
Common Questions
What should I serve with meatball casserole?
Our family favorite ways to serve this is on top of zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. For any non-keto eaters you can serve with garlic bread or a side of al dente pasta.
Alternatively, you can serve with a side of roasted broccoli or green beans or a green salad.
A Cookie Scoop for Meatballs?
Yup! Here the meatballs are after forming them. I use a large cookie scoop to simplify the process. Since there is no need to get up to your elbows in raw meat this is a great task to get the kids involved in. Mine are pros at scooping low carb meatballs by now. Make sure to also check out the video below.
Do I Have to use Zucchini?
That hidden zucchini in my juicy meatballs is my sneaky mom favorite addition. My kids don't even notice it's in there. If you really want to hide it you can peel the green skin off first.
If you would like to substitute another veggie for the zucchini I would recommend chopped spinach. You can also just leave the green stuff out and serve this with some Caesar salad, green beans, or roasted broccoli. The low carb meatball parmesan will still work.
Can I Freeze Keto Meatballs?
Absolutely! This easy meatball recipe also freezes really well! Go ahead and make a double batch and then next time you want an easy Meatball Casserole just thaw, dump into the baking dish, and cover with sauce and cheese. Meatball Parmesan in a jiffy!
I love to always have a bag of low carb homemade meatballs in the freezer for nights that I don't want to cook. Those and frozen taco meat have saved us from spending too much money on take-out more than once.
What Casserole Dish Should I Use?
I need to give a little shout out to the Emile Henry ceramic company for this beautiful casserole dish. I absolutely love it. It is gorgeous, distributed the heat evenly for this casserole, and washed up in a cinch.
This sausage parmigiana is also a great choice if you need more dinner recipes! Or for a vegetarian version sub in cauliflower and try my Cauliflower Parmesan.
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Keto Meatball Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ⅓ cup grated or shredded parmesan
- 1 shredded zucchini about 1 cup
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Casserole Ingredients:
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 8 oz shredded cheese (I used a two cheese pizza blend of mozzarella and provolone)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray
- Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and mix thoroughly. Make about 24 meatballs and put them in the casserole dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Carefully drain the cooking liquid from the casserole dish.
- Top with the sauce and cheese. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Optional: I broiled for 3-4 minutes at the end to toast the cheese. Watch it carefully if you put it under the broiler. The cheese can burn easily.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published September 23, 2016. Revised and Republished April 24, 2023.
CToth says
These were very good. My man loved them, hearty and delish. I followed your recipe exactly, except I made a half recipe since 12 meatballs were plenty for two people - served two days in a row. Thank you
Tracie says
Any thought on what the carb count is?
Taryn says
Oops! I'm updating to a new recipe box and I must've missed this one. The nutrition facts are there now 🙂
Sara says
What is the serving size?
Sara says
Nevermind. I see it now. 8 servings total. Got it!
Kelley says
So, 3 meatballs is a serving? Seems little, lol
Taryn says
They are pretty big meatballs. Feel free to increase the serving size as needed. 😉
Kathleen says
Delish! Made meatballs just like recipe and then added mozzarella and some provolone on top. Served with a salad.
Melody says
These are so good. My granddaughter said "I don't like them, I love them"! I added some Italian seasoning to the tomato sauce to give it more taste. And yesterday I found tomato sauce with basil, garlic, and oregano already added.
Taryn says
I normally use Classico pasta sauce 🙂 The roasted garlic one is good and doesn't have added sugar.
Susan says
What brand and type of sauce is it?
Caitlin Evans says
How many meatballs per person can you have? Nutritional facts seems a lil high for 3 meatballs
Taryn says
These are pretty big meatballs. The nutrition facts are calculated for three. In three meatballs there is four ounces of meat plus the cheese, sauce, etc. And they are filling. Three with a side salad or a green vegetable is good for me 🙂
jacqui says
Loved this recipe, thank you! I subbed the italian sausage for pork mince however it still tasted great. Even the liquid/ juices that i strained off the meatballs after the initial 30 mins was delicious!
Traci says
I don't have zucchini. Could I not use it or sub something else I might have?
Taryn says
You can leave it out or sub in spinach.
Carol says
Absolutely delicious. I have several great meatball recipes but this definitely goes to the top of the list. It was a big hit with both young and old.
Shelli Clark says
Wow!!! Made this tonight with a dinner salad and we ate it gone! My kids that despise zucchini devoured it! My husband loved it and ate two helpings. I saved four meatballs for lunch tomorrow. This is an amazing recipe. Use the bit Italian turkey sausage for a little kick. I was worried bad the meatballs were loose and hard to shape, but when they cook they turn into amazing balls! Thank you for a new family favorite! Perfect for a healthy lifestyle and low carb, high protein menus.
Ari says
I love this recipe! I make it just as it is, but it is also my go-to meatball recipe for any recipe/appetizer that calls for them. I'll never use ground beef for meatballs again! Thanks for the great recipe!
Rachalle Liedy says
This sounds so good. I am wondering what else you serve with these delicious meatballs?
Taryn says
I serve it with broccoli, green beans, and/or caesar salad.
Joni says
What could this be served with to make it into an entree?
Taryn says
I serve it with broccoli, green beans, and/or caesar salad.
Cassie says
I'm allergic to zucchini is there a substitute?
Taryn says
Spinach would sub in well.
Lynnette says
I really want to make this but my son just really hates zucchini. What's a good substitute in this recipie?
Taryn says
You can't taste it at all. If you peeled the zucchini and chopped it a bit after shredding it he probably wouldn't notice. Or you can use finely chopped spinach. Or just leave it altogether.
Lynnette Schultz says
Thanks! I'll try to sneak a little in and add some spinach because he will eat that!
Elizabeth says
Looks delicious! Can this be frozen or made a day or 2 ahead?
Thank you!
Taryn says
This can be baked as directed and reheated a day or two later. It reheats really well. Or you can either freeze the meatballs raw and proceed with the recipe (increasing the cooking time as needed), or cook the meatballs and freeze them cooked and then proceed with the recipe.
Carol says
Sounds very tasty!must try soon!
Jamie Price says
What's the best way to shred zucchini? Asking for my knuckles. LOL.
Taryn says
I normally just run through the food processor with the shredding blade. You do need to be careful if you grate by hand with a box grater. I think we've all injured ourselves with those before.
Gina says
How large a zucchini/how much total shredded do you recommend? There's a lot of variation inside of one zuhinni. 😉
Thank you!
Taryn says
I used one medium zucchini which yields about 1 cup shredded.
Keisha says
I just want to say-- those recipe has become a staple in our LC house! And I nearly always have enough to take for lunch the next day. I don't know how but they taste even better the next day. Don't microwave them, though, if you can avoid it. Reheat in the oven. Makes the cheese melty not chewy!
Staci says
This is amazingly yummy. I used Italian seasoning for the spice. Next time I will add a bit more tomato sauce as it was a bit shy on sauce, but other than that, thank you for such a great recipe.
Darlene says
I have made this and a couple of your other recipes and they have all become instant family favorites. Than you!