My mom and I have been on the keto diet for over a year and we are always looking for new keto-friendly recipes to fit our keto-lifestyle. About a month or two ago my mom found this old ‘baked Italian meatball’ recipe on the internet and we decided to give it try, with a couple of our own keto-friendly twists of course. That evening when we sat down to dinner we could not believe how juicy and delicious the meatballs were, and the sauce - a little spicy but so flavorful. For the next three weeks straight we started a Meatball Monday tradition because we honestly couldn’t get enough! My mom and I love this recipe so much we figured It wasn’t fair for us to keep it all to ourselves, so here it is my keto loving friends! I’ve written it out so you can enjoy it too!
Buon Appetito!
INGREDIENTS:
-Meatballs-
1 lbs of medium (15-20% fat) ground beef
2 Italian pork sausages - casing removed and chopped
1 cup of Parmesan - grated
1.5 cloves of garlic - minced
1 cup crushed pork rinds
1 Egg
2 tbsp of fresh, chopped Italian parsley
Salt and Pepper
-Sauce-
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 small sweet onion - chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1/2 tsp of oregano
2 tbsp of fresh basil, chopped roughly
1-2 dashes of hot chili flakes (if desired)
1 - 800g (28oz) can of peeled tomatoes (Roma / San Marzano)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
-Toppings-
Fresh Parsley
Parmesan Cheese
-Extras-
Baguette
DIRECTIONS:
Mix all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and form 7-8 large meatballs. Place meatballs on a tray covered in parchment paper and store in a cool place.
In a deep skillet or dutch oven, add olive oil and let it heat up on low/medium heat.
Once hot add onion to skillet and let sweat 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to let simmer stirring occasionally.
Once onion and garlic is translucent add in your spices and continue to cook 1-2 minutes.
Add in the canned tomatoes and chop up any large tomato bits. Mix thoroughly before covering and allowing to simmer at a low temperature for 30 minutes, stirring periodically.
After 30 minutes of simmering pre-heat oven to 350F.
Place meatballs in the skillet or dutch oven on top of the simmering sauce. Sprinkle with a little more Parmesan cheese and add in fresh thyme.
Bake (no lid if you are using a dutch oven) for approximately 20-25 minutes turning meatballs over half way.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
If you like this recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!
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