Low Carb Italian Meatballs
This recipe puts a low carb, gluten free spin on an Italian Classic.
Servings 12 servings of 2 meatballs
Calories 192
Ingredients
- 2 pound ground Beef 73% lean will add good moisture
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 small eggs beaten
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced (medium in size to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste.
- ½ cup olive oil plus more if needed
Instructions
- Add the ground beef, parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley and garlic to a large bowl.
- Mix well with your hands, squeezing the mixture through your fingers until combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop some of the mixture into your palm and roll between your palms to form a firm ball. Continue with the entire mixture (24 Meatballs).
- Heat about ½ cup of vegetable oil into a large skillet. You'll want about ½-inch of oil in the pan.
- Add the meatballs to the heated oil about 2 inches apart and brown them until crisp, turning with a pair of tongs so that they are evenly browned. Do this in batches rather than crowding the pan.
- Once browned, transfer to paper towels to blot. Add to low carb tomato sauce of your choice. Cook until heated through.
Video
Notes
RECIPE IS APPROX 3 NET CARB PER SERVING
- I use meat with higher fat content to add moisture (about 73% lean). A good rule of thumb is to not pick the reddest meat on the shelf. Choose one that you can see more fat.
- There are many other ways to add extra moisture, like using cream or shredded zucchini to the mixture. I didn't want to complicate things so I kept my ingredient list to a minimum but feel free to experiment any way you want.
- Freshly grated cheese works best for these meatballs. The dry stuff in a can will make your meatballs dry and grainy.
- Be realistic in your expectations. Without breadcrumbs, it's nearly impossible to replicate a traditional Italian meatball, but this comes really close!
- To bake instead of pan fry, just throw them on a baking pan lined with nonstick foil and bake on 400F for 15-20 minutes (or until they are fully cooked).
- To keep the meatballs uniform in size, try using an ice cream scoop you can also weigh them.
- When browning the meatballs, don't overcrowd the pan. Overcrowding will cause them to steam instead of crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 192 | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 249mg | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1.9mg