Italian Meatballs probably have more to do with New York than Italy. To start Spaghetti and Meatballs doesn’t come from Italy, it was made here in America from Italian immigrants. Born out of better access to meat in NYC than in Italy. This is the Keto version of our popular Italian meatball recipe, based on the classic American meatball, they are soft, supple, and melt in your mouth good.
The incorporation of moist ingredients, especially those with fat, like milk and ricotta cheese is what will leave us with the perfect melt in your mouth Italian meatballs. In our traditional recipe we start by first soaking some bread in milk, but since this is the Keto version we will skip the bread and milk. We make up for this by adding double the amount of Ricotta cheese from our original recipe, not only does this the incorporation of moist ingredients, especially those with fat, like ricotta cheese make them taste good, it is what will leave us with the perfect melt in your mouth Italian meatballs. Other than that, they are flavored with little more than garlic, parsley and Pecorino Romano cheese. Yes, they are soft and will be harder to shape into a perfect ball, some of them may even fall apart a little while cooking. But you will not care once you taste them. Leftovers will find their way into meatball subs and your midnight snacks. You will undoubtedly eat 2-3 of them while you are making them, so it is wise to double or triple the batch and cook extra (I usually make this recipe x6 and freeze the extras in vacuum sealed pouches for later use).
Checkout my other Italian Recipes here.
EQUIPMENT
Here are some of the tools I used in this recipe.
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Kitchen Scale: GreaterGoods Digital Food Kitchen Scale, Multifunction Scale Measures in Grams and Ounces (Ash Grey)
Microplane: Microplane Classic Zester/Grater, Black
Measuring Cups: Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup Set (3-Piece, Microwave and Oven Safe),Clear
Easy Keto Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3 Cloves Fresh Garlic Finely Minced
- 1/2 Cup Flat Leaf Parsley Chopped Fine
- 1/2 Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese Finely Grated
- 6 Tbsp Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese (Cut in half for less Carbs, meatballs will be less moist)
- 1 Pound 80/20 Ground Beef
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl except for the beef.
- Mix thoroughly into a smooth paste.
- Add Beef and mix with hands until homogenous.
- Preheat Oven to 425°F.
- Using a kitchen scale, weigh out 2oz meatballs and arrange on a large sheet pan.
- Once oven is pre heated, place sheet pan into oven and bake meatballs for about 15 minutes on middle rack.
- Rotate tray 180° in oven and check to ensure meatballs are not burning on the bottom. If they are browning too fast on the bottom, flip them over using a spatula or kitchen tongs.
- Cook for another 10 mins or until internal temp of 165°f.
- Allow to cool slightly and over in your favorite sauce.
