Low Carb Meatballs with Marinara

Moist and tender Low Carb Meatballs simmered in a delicious marinara.  Serve over pasta or enjoy topped with melted mozzarella and freshly chopped basil. 

Low Carb Meatballs with Marinara from www.motherthyme.com

I have a little secret to tell you.

I have been on a low carb, low sugar diet for over a month. 

I absolutely love it.  I feel great and I have enjoyed this more than I thought I would.  It has been easy to manage, eating a lot of protein, cutting out sugars and carbs.  While this post is not about my diet, I do want to share with you some of the recipes I have been creating, including these delicious Low Carb Meatballs with Marinara.  These have become a favorite.  You would never know they are low carb.

Low Carb Meatballs with Marinara from www.motherthyme.com

When making meatballs, sure you could just eliminate the bread crumbs from the recipe to make them low carb, but what you are going to end up with is a ball of seasoned cooked beef.  The addition of bread crumbs in meatballs keep the meatballs moist and tender.  I did a little research of what I could use in place of bread crumbs and found that almond flour works best.  It is much lower in carbs and sugar then using bread crumbs.

The result are tender meatballs that almost melt in your mouth.  I honestly prefer these over other meatballs made with bread crumbs.  I make these once a week along with this Low Carb Marinara.  I love to top it with lots of mozzarella and place it under the broiler.  Sprinkled with some freshly chopped basil this is a complete meal.  You can serve this over pasta if you prefer, but I have enjoyed this with just a side salad or some veggies.

Low Carb Meatballs with Marinara from www.motherthyme.com

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Low Carb Meatballs with Marinara

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 24 meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Marinara

  • 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

Meatballs

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl and mix well.
  3. Roll into 2 tablespoon size balls and place in a large baking dish.
  4. Bake meatballs for 25 minutes until cooked thoroughly.

Marinara

  1. Place all ingredients for marinara except bay leaf in a blender and pulse a few times until blended.
  2. Pour sauce in a large, deep skillet, add bay leaf and heat over medium-low heat.
  3. Add meatballs and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Notes

Optional – Top meatballs with mozzarella and place until broiler until melted. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

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11 Comments

  1. Please share more of your low carb recipes. I have lost a bunch of wieght doing low carb, I think there are a lot more closeted low-carbers out here.

  2. I just found your website and this recipe looks Delish !! Think I’ll make it for diner tonite ! Thank so much for posting your recipe out there for the world (and me) to enjoy ! Happy Easter 🙂

  3. Can you share your carb count on this recipe for the meatballs and the marinara? I am new to li carb. Thanks..

  4. I put the recipe into My Fitness Pal app and it says 7 carbs per serving (I assumed 8 servings – 1/4 pound of meat per serving). Other nutrition: 333 calories, 23.4 fat, 24.3 protein. I used Costco 88/12 beef for the ground beef, so could be more or less calories or fat depending on the beef you use.

    I plan to make this weekend with zucchini noodles!

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