Keto Meatballs: Super Cheesy Pizzeria Style (2024)

3 Comments / Baked, Dinner, Keto, Lunch, Main dishes / By Darius Pittman

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These keto meatballs are just like meatballs I love from pizzerias. They are cheesy, mixed with sausage and a flavor packed, robust sauce. They can be made numerous ways with a great, healthy recipe.

Indulge in a slice of pizzeria heaven without derailing your keto diet! This cheesy pizzeria style keto meatballs are here to satisfy your pizza cravings while keeping you on track with your low-carb lifestyle. Bursting with flavor and oozing with melty cheese, these meatballs are a delicious and low-carb alternative to traditional pizza.

Using a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage, I’ve created meatballs that are moist and packed with savory goodness.

This is a super simple recipe that will not take much of your time. Yet, it’s the perfect complement to the flavors of the meatballs and adds that iconic pizzeria taste.

With just a few simple ingredients and a quick 20-minute bake in the oven, you can enjoy all the mouthwatering flavors of a cheesy pizza in a keto-friendly meatball form. These keto meatballs are sure to become a favorite and a go-to recipe for satisfying your pizza cravings without the guilt.

How To Make Keto Meatballs

Ingredients needed

Ground beef
Italian sausage
Grated parmesan cheese
Egg
Pizza sauce
Tomato paste
Shredded Italian cheese blend
Mozzarella cheese (whole milk)
Seasonings (listed below)

Helpful recipe tips before starting the recipe

Size of meatballs, meatballs about the a quarter in circumference are perfect. They won’t cook all the way through when searing and they’ll be done in 20 minutes while baking. When you go thicker you will have to increase oven time.
For crockpot, double recipe for normal sized crockpot and instructions are below in FAQs.
Using pork rinds or almond flour, for more bulking in the meatball adding 1/4 cup of either will work fine. It isn’t needed but personal preference I’d understand why someone would want to add them.

Making the pizza style keto meatballs recipe

First, preheat the oven to 400F.
In a frying pan on high heat add a little oil and sear each meatball. Don’t crowd the pan just cook in batches. You are only searing a side or two, they will finish cooking in the oven.
Remove the meatballs then add in tomato paste and cook it about 10 seconds before you add in the pizza sauce. After you add in the pizza sauce toss in the Italian blend cheese. Allow everything to mix together then add the meatballs back into the dish and remove from the heat.
Cover tops of the meatballs and the sauce with shredded mozzarella cheese. Place in preheated oven uncovered for 20 minutes. Bake until cheese has browned. If meatballs are normal size they will be cooked through at the 20 minute mark. Each serving should give you 4oz of meat.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I make the keto meatballs in the crockpot?

First, searing meatballs are always best. But, if you want to make them fully in the crockpot that is possibly. Skip searing and proceed to next step.
Place the crockpot on high heat. Pour in beef broth, pizza sauce and tomato paste. A quick tip, you’ll need to double this recipe if using a normal size crockpot.
Next, in a mixing bowl add ground beef, ground sausage, cheese and egg. Form your meatballs and place them in the sauce in the crockpot.
Cover and allow to cook about an hour. Times will vary on the power of your slow cooker.
After meatballs are done, add mozzarella cheese across the top and cover until the cheese has melted. Should take 10-20 minutes.

Are meatballs keto friendly?

In this recipe yes they are. But, traditionally to keep the meatballs bulky people use breadcrumbs. Now, depending on what type of keto you do the amount of breadcrumbs typically don’t result in a crazy high carb count. I personally like to eat my meatballs without watching anything so this recipe that doesn’t use breadcrumbs works best for me.

What to serve with keto meatballs?

As in my chicken alfredo recipe there are tons of noodles to choose from on keto these days. Personally, I eat them as is or I go to Blaze and pick up a pizza to pair with it. Picking up some of your favorite veggies works or even a great recipe such as ranch style cauliflower mash.

Can I add noodles?

There are quite a few brands now but I will list some below. In these photos I used Palmini but I have experience with Liviva as well. Note, they all have their own flavors.

Zucchini Noodles
Spaghetti Squash
Palmini
Liviva
Miracle Noodles

Keto recipes to try next

Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
Keto Coconut Shrimp
Chocolate Keto Brownies
Parmesan Turkey Meatballs
Keto Taco Soup
Chicken Pizza Crust

Keto Meatballs

These keto meatballs are just like meatballs I love from pizzerias. They are cheesy, mixed with sausage and a flavor packed, robust sauce. They can be made numerous ways with a great, healthy recipeevery time!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 8 servings

Calories 405.6 kcal

Ingredients

Meatballs

16 ounce 85/15 ground beef
16 ounce ground italian sausage
2 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Sauce

14 ounce pizza sauce
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup Italian cheese blend

Topping

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F
In a frying pan on high heat add a little oil and sear each meatball. Don't crowd the pan just cook in batches. You are only searing a side or two, they will finish cooking in the oven.
Remove the meatballs then add in tomato paste and cook it about 10 seconds before you add in the pizza sauce. After you add in the pizza sauce toss in the Italian blend cheese. Allow everything to mix together then add the meatballs back into the dish and remove from the heat.
Cover tops of the meatballs and the sauce with shredded mozzarella cheese. Place in preheated oven uncovered for 20 minutes. Bake until cheese has browned. If meatballs are normal size they will be cooked through at the 20 minute mark. Each serving should give you 4oz of meat.

Video

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Keto Meatballs

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 405.6Calories from Fat 256

% Daily Value*

Fat 28.4g44%

Saturated Fat 10.2g64%

Trans Fat 0.5g

Cholesterol 151.2mg50%

Sodium 686.2mg30%

Carbohydrates 5.6g2%

Fiber 0.6g3%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 30.3g61%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword Keto Meatballs

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