These gluten-free, low-carb Italian Meatballs are the perfect choice for meal prep or freezer-friendly meals! Each serving has less than 4 net carbs each!

Keto meatballs are smothered in low carb marinara and parmesan for an easy low carb appetizer or meal.

 

I haven’t really talked much about menu planning on the blog. Which is kind of crazy because I am all about it. I have shared my love of lists with you before, so you can only imagine how detailed I get with the menu planning.

I am curious, do you do it? Do you plan everything out to a T? Do you prep meals before or do you just wing it?

We prep most things, and some meals are cooked entirely ahead of time and reheated when we’re ready. If you need help meal planning and prepping a keto diet, check out my weekly Easy Keto Meal Plans! These Italian Meatballs make an appearance every now and then because they are PERFECT for meal prep!

These are fairly inexpensive, quick to make, and they freeze well. I use them in a ton of different ways for dinners and lunches–I explain those right before the recipe card down below!

Keto meatballs are smothered in low carb marinara and parmesan for an easy low carb appetizer or meal.

Ingredients for Keto Italian Meatballs:

  • Ground Italian sausage
  • Egg
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Pork Rind Panko (or gluten free breadcrumbs if not low carb)
  • Almond milk if keto or milk if not

How do you make Keto Meatballs?

These really are the easiest dish to make! Simply mix the ingredients until completely incorporate, scoop and bake! See, I told you it was easy!

Can you freeze meatballs?

Yes! That’s one reason why this is the perfect freezer meal. These Italian Meatballs are just as amazing when reheated as they are when they’re fresh!

If you plan on eating these up within 3-4 days, you can keep these refrigerated in an air-tight container. If you’re trying to stock up on freezer meals, these will last up to 4 months frozen! P.S. You can even store them in any freezable sauce if you want to use these in a freezer dump dish!

How should I reheat meatballs?

You can reheat these meatballs in several ways, depending on your preference. All of these methods can be used for plain meatballs or meatballs with sauce. They can also be used with raw or frozen, cooked meatballs (frozen will likely just take longer).

  • Microwave – Place meatballs in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals. If in sauce, make sure to cover!
  • Toaster Oven / Oven – Place meatballs in an oven-safe dish and cover with aluminum foil or a lid. Warm on 350 degrees F for 5 minutes or until heated throughout.
  • Slow Cooker – Pour meatballs into a slow cooker and warm on low for at least 30 minutes (timing depends on amount of meatballs and size of the slow cooker).

Keto meatballs are smothered in low carb marinara and parmesan for an easy low carb appetizer or meal.

How can I use Italian Meatballs?

With this recipe, you could make a week’s worth of meals for one single person! 

  • As a Sub — A sub sandwich stuffed with these delicious meatballs and smothered in cheese (maybe melty mozzarella, fontina, or provolone?) would be delicious and easy to pack for lunch!If you’re trying out keto, try little meatball sliders using these Keto Three-Cheese Basil Biscuits. You could have 3 biscuits with 2 meatballs and cheese each for around 8 net carbs!
  • On a Pizza — We love meatballs on pizza! If you like a thin crust, consider grilling it, too!
    If you’re keto, here’s an amazing fathead pizza crust! Or you could try out these pizza bagels!
  • In Pasta — Who doesn’t love a good spaghetti and meatballs? If you’re not a huge fan of tomato sauce, I recommend this creamy alternative. I also highly recommend tossing some meatballs with a tender pasta and this fresh Basil Pesto. 
    If you’re keto, these are still fantastic with zoodles!
  • With Vegetables — You could turn this into a sheet pan dinner with the vegetables of your choice! You could have meatballs instead of salmon in this recipe without changing the cooking time. If you’d like to try a different mix of vegetables, just cut them smaller so that they’re finished in 20 minutes (most vegetables roast about 30 minutes at 400 degrees). If you want to cook the veggies longer without removing the meatballs, you could also cook them from frozen.
  • Solo — Meatballs are the perfect appetizer or snack! You could serve them smothered in sauce and cheese or maybe on cute little toast as appetizers!

Keto meatballs are smothered in low carb marinara and parmesan for an easy low carb appetizer or meal.

Get the Recipe: Keto Italian Meatballs

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Yield: 24 Meatballs (4 servings)
Author: Annie Holmes
Keto meatballs are smothered in low carb marinara and parmesan for an easy low carb appetizer or meal.
4.72 from 7 ratings
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup pork rind panko, if keto or breadcrumbs (regular or gluten free)
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Mix all of the ingredients well. This is easiest with a stand mixer, but will also work well if you use your hands.
  • Roll mixture into golf ball size balls
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes until cooked through.
  • You can serve the meatballs on their own, as part of a sandwich or salad. If you wish to prepare them as shown toss the cooked meatballs in low carb marinara and top with parmesan. Heat until warmed through.

Notes

This is the pork rind panko I use.
Serving: 6 Meatballs, Calories: 388kcal, Carbohydrates: 3.9g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 22g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 1351mg, Sugar: 0.5g
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!