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.
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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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📖 Recipe
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.
Kel says
My family doesn’t follow the Keto lifestyle but we absolutely love this recipe! It’s also great for meal prep, as you can double (or triple as I did today) the recipe and freeze some for later. Both kids and adults love it!
Tara says
Delicious! I did make some adjustments: fresh basil in meatballs: almost 1/4 c cut in thin strips; fresh garlic; hamburger (93/7) instead of turkey; hot italian sausage (pkg was 18 oz). For the sauce, I used an entire jar (Blue Parrot brand has minimal sugar compared to many other brands) plus sauteed sliced mushrooms (8 oz) with fresh garlic then added spices: crushed red pepper; red pepper flakes; salt; pepper; fresh oregano (2 sprigs from garden). Simmered it for a while so it cooked down a bit. I did broil it after adding sauce/cheese - the top crust was divine! Served it with some palmini noodles but could sub pasta for those not on keto. OR, nothing at all (alone would make a lovely pot-luck dish). Note: I found that 1 c sauce wouldn't even touch each meatball.
Nita says
Delish!
Pam says
I always use diced mushrooms in my meatballs to bind them, so I did that instead of the egg and zucchini this time, also. The rest is pretty much the same as my Keto lasagna minus the sliced zucchini. I cook the meatballs in the air fryer. Quick, simple, and delicious.
Faith Rivera says
This is the best keto recipe I have tried so far! Amazing flavor. I do like my sauce so I add a whole jar of sauce instead of a cup. Thank you for this recipe. Now one of my favorites.
ashlie gossett says
this is good!
Deanna says
My family loved these!
Janice says
I give this recipe 5 stars for simplicity and flavour, I love the adaptation of other styles of same recipe
Melanie says
This recipe was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! The entire family Loved it even my 6yr old son who is super picky. Followed recipe, even with the zucchini and it was so flavorful and filling. Will definitely make this again!
Steph says
My husband and I loved this recipe. I ordered groceries so my Italian sausage was over 1#, but it still worked and I had to mix on the counter because my bowl was not large enough. I also was able to freeze about 20 meatballs for another meal.
I made with a homemade low carb marinara, mixed your recipe with another I had found. I also used provolone slices on the top instead of shredded cheese.
MJ says
So yummy. Will definitely be making again, but reduce salt to 1/2 tsp.
Tommie Hargus says
I made this recipe tonight. We loved it. This will be in a weekly or every 2 week rotation for us. I shredded my own cheese. I just think it melts better.
The recipe was easy to follow.
Debbie says
So delicious and my husband even approved! Served with a side of broccoli and one serving of meatballs(3 meatballs). Ver satisfying!
Lana Reedy says
I made these Meatballs last night. They were fantastic!! I left out the zucchini ( I didn't have one ), and used ground beef instead of Turkey. From the very first bite they were a hit. Thank you so much for this recipe. We loved them!! I will most definitely be making these again.
Asha says
I made this for my family using your sauce recipe, they loved it so much I have to make it again! It’s a keeper recipe that I know I will go back to over and over.
Mary J says
I made this last night and it was so good! I added more pasta sauce but other than that I followed the recipe and they turned out great. Next time I will reduce salt to 1/2 tsp. I will definitely be making again! Thanks
Holly says
Delicious! Even my picky daughter liked it, which was a win!
Jaimie W. says
This is so good! I make this and eat it and the rest of my family eats it over noodles.
Janet Kilgore says
Kids favorite! Quick, easy and flavorful.
Crystin Gulledge says
This looks amazing!