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+ servings

Zucchini Spaghetti and Giant Meatballs in Low Carb Marinara

Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs Featured Image
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Servings 4
Calories 600 kcal
A recipe for making giant low carb Italian meatballs served on a be of low carb tomato basil marinara and spiralized zucchini noodles.

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Oven safe pan, preferably with a lid
  • Spatula or Tongs
  • Meat thermometer (optional)

Ingredients
  

Low Carb Italian Meatballs

  • 1 lb (450g) Ground beef
  • 8 oz (230g) Italian sausage meat only, casing removed
  • ½ cup (60g) cheese shredded
  • 1 small (70g) onion finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons (10g) fresh parsley chopped
  • 2 cloves (10g) garlic finely chopped
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) ghee/butter/oil for frying

Low Carb Tomato Basil Marinara

  • 2 tablespoons (30g) olive oil
  • 1 large (130g) Onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves (15g) garlic finely chopped
  • ¼ cup (55g) butter
  • ½ cup (120g) tomato paste
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 3 tablespoons Fresh Basil coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • Salt & pepper

Zucchini Spaghetti Noodles

  • 2 large (700g) zucchini spiralized

Instructions
 

Low Carb Tomato Basil Marinara

  • Heat olive oil in a fry pan or sauce pan over medium heat and saute your garlic an onions until they begin to soften and become translucent
  • Once onion and garlic have softened add butter and tomato paste and simmer and medium low, stirring occasional until combined well
  • Add bay leaf, water, and salt and pepper to taste, simmer on low for minimum 20 minutes or until ready to use
  • Stir in fresh chopped basil and combine before serving

Low Carb Italian Meatballs

  • Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and using your hands combine well. Churning and mashing the mixture with your fingers until all ingredients are well distributed and the ground meat has been well combined and broken down
  • Grab a handful (6 oz) of your meatball mixture and form each portion into a ball..like a meatball. Form it like you would a snowball that you want to stay nice a tight as you hurl it at your sister. Season formed meatballs.
  • Heat oil/ghee in oven safe skillet or fry pan to med-high temperature and fry meatballs rotating every 1-2 minutes until they brown
  • Place meatballs in a 375°F [190°C] oven for anywhere from 10-20 minutes until internal temperature reads 145°F-150°F [60°C-70°C] on your meat thermometer, or they are visually cooked through
  • Remove from the oven and let stand in the hot skillet for 5 or more minutes, letting carry over cooking bring the internal temperature to at least 160°F [71°C] at which point tyour low carb meatballs are ready to serve

Zucchini Noodles

  • Tip and tail your zucchini and depending on the spiralizer you have you may need to cut zucchini into a manageable size. Following the instructions create desired amount of zoodles. I large (350g) zucchini will generally yield 2 servings of pasta noodles
  • Either fry zoodles in a fry pan with olive oil and salt until desired doneness or add raw zucchini noodles straight to your bowl/plate and let your hot marinara sauce soften them to your liking
  • Assemble your low carb spaghetti and meatballs and garnish with red chili flakes, fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh grated cheese, or Parmesan cheese
  • Enjoy!

Notes

As always, check the post above the recipe for more details and tip on how to make this recipe
Meatball Tips:
  • Allow you ground meat to come to near room temperature to avoid painfully numb hands
  • Protein: You can definitely try any ground meats you would like for this recipes
  • Higher fat content ground beef will help keep the meatballs from falling apart during cooking
  • You should not need to use any binder to keep these together, but if you do, use some dried Parmesan cheese as a low carb breadcrumb replacement
  • Fresh is better, but pre-chopped frozen onions and minced garlic are a convenient timesavers
Sauce Tips:
  • Store leftovers in a sealed container of jar in the fridge
  • Letting your sauce simmer longer will soften onions and garlic further and allow the flavours to develop
A low carb Spaghetti & Giant Meatballs with Homemade Basil marinara recipe. Just like Momma used to make! Click To Tweet

Nutrition

Calories: 600kcal
Did you give this a try?Mention @yummyforadam or use #yummyforadam on instagram!
Looking for a different low carb recipe?Something you don't see here or looking for a low carb version of your favourite recipe? Let me know so I can get working on it! Contact me directly or leave a comment!
Keywords: ground beef, keto, low carb, meatballs, quick, sausauge