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    Home » Main Dish Recipes » Casseroles » Keto Meatball Casserole

    Keto Meatball Casserole

    Gluten & Grain Free RecipesLow Carb & Keto RecipesTrim Healthy Mama Recipes

    Published: Jan 5, 2021 by Taryn

    This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
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    pinterest image for keto meatball parmesan casserole
    pinterest image for keto meatball parmesan casserole

    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. This easy family dinner is also low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, and a THM S recipe.

    meatball casserole in baking dish

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    Free Guide! Feed a Family on a Low Carb Diet

    In this free 5-day email series learn all my tips for incorporating a low-carb lifestyle into the life of your family.

    Why a Meatball Parmesan?

    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 subtitute. I could eat this Italian meatball casserole recipe twice a week for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. 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.

    Spoon of cheesy Meatball from Meatball casserole dish below

    Ingredients in the Meatballs

    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 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

    Expert Tip - you can make the meatballs ahead of time, cook until just fully cooked, and then freeze them. Just place the frozen meatballs in the casserole dish, bake until thawed, and then top with the sauce and cheese.

    ingredients in a large glass measuring bowl

    How to make a Keto Meatball Casserole

    Step 1: 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.

    raw meat formed into balls lined on a the bottom of a white baking dish close up

    Step 2: Next, scoop the meatballs. You should end up with 24 meatballs. Bake until they are almost completely cooked. I shoot for 155 on my meat thermometer.

    small sized meatballs baked in the bottom of a white casserole dish

    Step 3: Top with sauce and cheese and finish baking. For the best golden brown cheese on top broil the low carb meatball casserole for 2-3 minutes, watching it carefully.

    shredded cheese covering meatballs and sauce layered in a white casserole dish

    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 in the Keto Meatball Casserole?

    That hidden zucchini in my low carb 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.

    close up of the keto meatball casserole in a baking dish

    Like what you see? Follow me on Facebook! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!

    Spoon of cheesy Meatball from Meatball casserole dish below

    Keto Meatball Casserole

    If you need family dinner this Meatball Casserole should be it. Flavorful low carb meatballs covered in sauce & cheese for the best meatball parmesan ever.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Course: dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 382
    Author: Taryn

    Equipment

    Large 9x13 Casserole Dish

    Ingredients

    Meatball Ingredients:

    • 1 lb ground turkey
    • 1 lb Italian sausage
    • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
    • â…“ 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)
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    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.

    Notes

    Nutrition: the nutrition facts are for one serving. This recipe has 8 servings. Each serving is 3 meatballs with sauce and cheese and has 4 NET carbs.
    Substitutions: you can use any type of ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, chicken) and any type of Italian sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey) in these meatballs.
    You may also omit the zucchini or sub in chopped spinach if you prefer.
    Make sure you choose a no sugar added marinara or make your own!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 3meatballs | Calories: 382 | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 734mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 477IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @joyfilledeats or tag #joyfilledeats!

    Originally Published September 23, 2016. Revised and Republished January 5, 2021.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jodi Huggins says

      January 20, 2022 at 6:31 pm

      This looks delicious! Can't wait to make it for my family.5 stars

      Reply
    2. Tina says

      January 20, 2022 at 2:36 pm

      I forgot to give this a 5 star rating on my earlier comment. It was really delicious, plus easy to make. Tina5 stars

      Reply
    3. Tina says

      January 20, 2022 at 2:31 pm

      I just made this the other night and it was really good! I didn't have any ground turkey, so I substituted ground beef, and it still came out delicious. The only thing I will change for next time is to not use quite as much salt. That could be because I used the beef instead, I don't know. Anyway, I will be making this again soon. Thanks for the great recipe! Tina

      Reply
    4. Christine says

      January 20, 2022 at 2:11 pm

      Delicious will definitely make again5 stars

      Reply
    5. Kimmi says

      January 10, 2022 at 6:28 pm

      Absolutely delish! Loved it.5 stars

      Reply
      • Julie Smith says

        January 20, 2022 at 2:43 pm

        They look delicious I’m going to try them.

        Reply
    6. Toni says

      January 01, 2022 at 6:31 pm

      My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. I will be on a permanent rotating dinner choice from now on. Thank you so much for sharing all your yummy recipes.5 stars

      Reply
    7. Amanda Carroll says

      December 21, 2021 at 9:52 pm

      This recipe is SO SO GOOD! It was one of the first low carb recipes I made when I started Keto and we use it SO often. I have used both home made sugar free sauce and regular spaghetti sauce. I've made it as a recovery meal and it went over so so well. We have 4 young kids in my house and I always joke that this recipe is "6 Carrolls Approved" because it is so rare when that happens. My kids will usually eat some bread on the side or this or even some pasta noodles, but it's not really needed. It heats up so well for days too! This is the TOP recipe I recommend to people that start keto/low carb and have no idea what to make. It feels like it would be hard but it's so easy when you actually do it. My trick for my kids is I peel off the green from the outside of the zucchini....they know it's in there now but at first they just thought it was cheese. I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!5 stars

      Reply
    8. Teresa Dimmitt says

      December 20, 2021 at 7:17 pm

      Easy to prepare and yummy! Will definitely make this again. Another winner from Taryn's kitchen. Served with Penne Pasta made from Chickpeas. Banza brand.5 stars

      Reply
    9. Sydney says

      December 16, 2021 at 8:03 pm

      I don't comment on recipes often unless they are amazing...and after numerous successes and happy filled tummies, I must say....THANK YOU! Used homemade marinara, seasoned regular sausage with an Italian herb blend and fennel, etc, our own eggs from our free range chickens and mwahhh, that's me kissing you, 💋5 stars

      Reply
    10. Rebecca Buck says

      November 26, 2021 at 9:26 am

      Do I have to use the Italian sausage? Will it work ok with say ground turkey and ground pork?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        November 26, 2021 at 9:53 am

        It will work but you may want to add a little extra seasoning. Ground sausage is flavored already.

        Reply
    11. Danielle says

      November 22, 2021 at 8:30 am

      Can i reheat these in an air fryer?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        November 22, 2021 at 12:25 pm

        I haven't tried that but you should be able to reheat in the air fryer.

        Reply
    12. Sandra says

      October 26, 2021 at 10:20 pm

      This recipe was a winner with the family! We are just starting Keto and this recipe is definitely a repeat for us! Thank you so much!!!!5 stars

      Reply
    13. Honey says

      August 20, 2021 at 3:58 am

      Oh YES YES YES! This is my families fav keto meal. I am the only keto in the Fam but they eat my food. They scream for joy when I tell them I’m making these meatballs. I use heaps of fresh basil throughout instead of dried. I also use a passatta but pimp it up with onions, garlic salt and of course more fresh basil. I reduce till the passatta is super super tasty.

      Thank you for this awesome recipe

      Reply
    14. Leighanna says

      July 14, 2021 at 4:15 pm

      These are delicious and a family pleaser! Easy to make and have been a go to at our home!5 stars

      Reply
    15. Angela says

      July 08, 2021 at 2:22 pm

      I made this for my family and they loved it.5 stars

      Reply
    16. Rose says

      June 12, 2021 at 6:01 pm

      I love this! I’ve made it several times and it’s attractive and even better - delish! Tonight I sprinkled shredded fresh basil and oregano from my garden, which was a nice addition.
      Thanks for posting this - definitely a keeper.5 stars

      Reply
    17. Patricia Foust says

      May 16, 2021 at 11:29 pm

      Super easy and delicious!!5 stars

      Reply
    18. Becky says

      April 24, 2021 at 6:54 pm

      Delicious! Will make many more times.

      Reply
    19. Brittany says

      April 09, 2021 at 8:30 pm

      Love the flavor of these!!! Definitely will make them again and again!5 stars

      Reply
    20. Romeo A. Macainag says

      April 08, 2021 at 9:33 pm

      Tried furst time turned out ok.like burger patty.my wife (diabetic) liked it.tx.4 stars

      Reply
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