It’s been a few weeks since I posted a new low carb Meatball Monday recipe, and we’re long overdue! I had a fantastic grilled and skewered meatball lined up for today, but it’s been raining nonstop for days here and I’m not in a grilling mood.
There’s nothing like cool, rainy, weather to put you in the mood for comfort food – and this lasagna inspired meatball recipe definitely fits the bill!
Growing up, my mom made lasagna pretty often – it was fairly economical and could feed a crowd easily. Every family has their own lasagna recipe, and my mom’s was never without some Italian sausage mixed into the meat sauce.
To get that authentic (to me) flavor in these meatballs, I did a half and half mix of Italian sausage and ground chuck for the meat mix.
Since my childhood lasagna memories wouldn’t be complete without lots of ricotta cheese, I also added generous dollops to the casserole before baking it.
There is obviously no pasta in this casserole, but it would be perfect served over either spaghetti squash or some spiralized zucchini “zoodles” to make a complete meal.
Easy to throw together and super satisfying to eat, this lasagna inspired meatball recipe is sure to become a new family favorite!
Low Carb Lasagna Meatballs Recipe
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
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An easy lasagna inspired meatball recipe that is low carb, lchf, keto and Atkins diet friendly!
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage
- 1 lb ground chuck (or turkey if you prefer)
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For the casserole:
- 2 cups keto marinara
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into approximately thirty two 1.5″ meatballs. Place the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees (F) for 15 minutes.
For the casserole:
- Place the meatballs in a casserole dish (13×9 should do) in a single layer. Pour half of the keto marinara sauce over the meatballs. Drop the ricotta cheese by generous teaspoonfuls evenly over the casserole. Pour the second half of the marinara sauce over the top. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the entire thing. Bake for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees (F). Remove from the oven and let it cool for about five minutes before serving.
Notes
Approx. nutrition info per serving: 494 calories, 39g fat, 4g net carbs, 31g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs with sauce and cheese
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Laurie O’Shaughnessy says
February 28, 2019 at 6:54 amWe love this recipe….Big hit at parties!
★★★★★
Judy Cowan says
January 22, 2019 at 12:58 pmThese were very tasty.. my son loved them. The only issue I had was that there was a lot of liquid in the pan. The ricotta just melted into all that loose liquid. :/ I did cheat and used jarred sauce because I forgot to buy the stuff for the keto marinara.. so maybe that’s why? All in all, very good flavor!
★★★★
Jaine P Vaughn says
December 3, 2018 at 5:40 pmThese are THE BEST meatballs! I made them for dinner one night but since there are only two of us in the house, I froze a bunch before cooking. I used some of them for dinner the other night. They were just as good as the first time! I think I could eat them a couple of times a week! Maybe I’ll do a Meatball Fast!!!
★★★★★
Jessica Vaughan says
November 5, 2018 at 4:51 pmThanks for sharing this recipe! One of my all time favorite foods is lasagna, and I miss it eating low carb…we’re trying it tonight!
I Eat Too says
October 7, 2018 at 3:57 pmI love this dish! It’s my go-to nearly everytime I need to make a keto or low carb dinner for the family. It’s simple and can even change the sauces or spices to make it different.
★★★★★
Calvin says
October 4, 2018 at 2:03 pmWonderful recipe, not that hard to make too! I like simple meatballs, would eat so many plates
Suzanne says
August 6, 2018 at 3:16 pmThese were easy to make and a hit with my family! I added some spaghetti squash to it and it was amazing!
★★★★★
Sarah says
June 4, 2018 at 8:39 pmSoooo good! Just made this for the first time and my husband & I loved it. He told me to add it to the weekly rotation.
★★★★★
Tara says
May 29, 2018 at 2:25 pmDelicious even my muggle kids (AKA non-veto) love these!
Kjersti says
March 2, 2018 at 7:48 pmI loved these. !!! I did not use almond flour but crushed up pork rinds. That is what I had. Family just liked them. Thanks for the great recipe
★★★★★
Heidi says
November 15, 2017 at 11:04 pmIs there another low carb alternative to almond flour? I plan to make these for a crowd and I want to be sensitive to those with nut allergies.
Mellissa Sevigny says
November 16, 2017 at 8:15 amYou could try crushed pork rinds Heidi, I haven’t done it but some have reported that they used it with good success in the meatball recipes!
Lori Bradley says
August 9, 2017 at 11:53 amOMG! This recipe is “bomb.com!” Super flavorful and full of cheesy goodness! I have to admit, I dream about these meatballs and have been eating them for breakfast! They are super filling and I find not wanting to eat until dinner time!
★★★★★
AnnMarie says
March 9, 2016 at 10:53 pmThis dish was outstanding. I’m Italian and it passed the test with flying colors. I follow paleo (I can tolerate cheese thank goodness) I used a “good” Paleo approved bottled pasta sauce from Trader Joes. Made a few adjustments like adding Parmesan cheese and 1 egg to the ricotta cheese. I will definitely be making this again. It’s also a good “companies coming” recipe. Perfect for leftover. Thank you.
Annie says
September 21, 2015 at 9:17 pmThis looks so good!!! I love anything Italian! I am a little obsessed with your site, by the way!!! I shared this in a Recipe Roundup on my blog, Plus Size to Downsized!!! Thanks so much for the great ideas!
Anna says
September 5, 2015 at 10:03 pmJust made this! Delicious! Thanks for the idea!
Christa says
April 18, 2015 at 9:45 pmThat was the best dish EVER! No changes at all. WOW.
Mellissa Sevigny says
April 21, 2015 at 9:01 amThanks so much Christa, glad you enjoyed it!!!
Julia says
January 2, 2015 at 11:40 amThese look amazing! If I wanted to freeze them, would it be best to freeze some meatballs before cooking, after cooking but before saucing, or after saucing and cooking? I’m thinking it’d be best to freeze them cooked but unsauced, but wanted the meatball expert’s opinion – thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
January 2, 2015 at 2:57 pmI’d freeze them in the sauce and then thaw and pour it into a casserole dish and top with cheese before baking. Freezing them in the sauce will help keep them from getting freezer burned, but you could also freeze them unsauced if you prefer it! Hope you like them!
Julia says
January 2, 2015 at 2:59 pmSounds great – thanks for the quick reply! I know what I’ll be making this weekend!
Kellee says
October 7, 2014 at 3:40 pmCabbage makes a great substitute for lasagna noodles! :) I can imagine throwing a few of those in this yummy looking dish.
Alicia S says
August 20, 2014 at 1:24 pmThis is definitely what I will be making my co-worker for her birthday on the 29th of August. We both follow the low carb lifestyle and we always make a special treat for each other for our birthdays. She adores anything Italian and I think she will love these. Plan on making some zucchini spaghetti to serve these on. She’s going to be one happy little co-worker!
Mellissa Sevigny says
August 21, 2014 at 9:34 amSounds fantastic, you’re a good friend! Let me know how she liked them! :)
Mihir says
August 11, 2014 at 11:03 amjust made these on sunday and it was delicious! i’ll need to mess around with the seasonings as i prefer a more savory sauce. but, the sauce recipe as is was still quite tasty. leftover meatball lasanga for lunch today. and, since it’s the day after, the mozzarella will have that awesome chewiness!
thanks!
Liz says
August 10, 2014 at 3:57 pmThese are a huge hit in our house. They are great for lunches as well. Fabulous recipe – thanks! Liz
Tanya says
August 7, 2014 at 10:52 amThis makes life so much more exciting. I have just gotten into cooking after years of what I like to call “Survival Chefin'” because I could only make the basics. Now that I am bodybuilding and using KETO lifestyle to keep in shape, easy recipes like this make me want to expand my cooking skills. SO, I WILL be trying this.
*Fingers crossed* hope it all goes well. ;)
Jon-Paul LeClair says
August 6, 2014 at 10:52 amLooks YUMMY! How about adding Shirataki noodles?!
Jan says
August 6, 2014 at 10:18 amCould you substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? My hubby is allergic to nuts.
Carolyn says
January 24, 2017 at 7:34 pmI think you could but you might want to add a little less because coconut flour absorbs more liquid. Maybe add. Little beef broth if it seems dry.
SallyBR says
August 5, 2014 at 6:37 amLuscious! I’ve been spirlalizing zucchini quite often, and enjoying it raw as a salad, with a little lemon juice and olive oil – but I bet a bed of zucchini noodles underneath these amazing meatbals would be Nirvana!
(btw, I am curious to find out how the egg diet turned out once you resumed normal low carbing..)
Mellissa Sevigny says
August 5, 2014 at 2:59 pmI kept most of it off until I had a big cheat weekend – now I’m back to egg fasting this week to undo the damage lol!
SallyBR says
August 5, 2014 at 3:25 pmSometimes it’s good for the mind to have a big cheat weekend, and then go back to working towards a goal… keep us busy, healthy, and happy! …. ;-)
Pat says
August 4, 2014 at 12:37 pmYour photos make my mouth water. I’ll be making these in a couple weeks once I’m back to a normal kitchen. I often crave Italian food. With all this packing, I’ve pretty much been eating 2 egg fast meals and a pizza burger for dinner every day for about 5 days now and I’m not tired of it yet. I purchased pre-cooked frozen burgers, no filler, and add low carb sauce, pepperoni and whole milk mozzarella + seasonings. I have to keep it simple and this is working well for me. In fact, I’m about to go have some Snickerdoodles right now oozing w/ buttah! YUM! At least I know what I’m eating every day and not having to think about it. My mood is not the greatest doing this job.
Carolyn says
January 24, 2017 at 7:30 pmThis is one of the best Italian, low carb recipes i have ever had. I am fussy. I had a bed and breakfast in Maine that people came to because of the reviews about my breakfasts. Love, love ,love this incredible dish.