Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles
Skip the carb bloat with this delicious Keto Spaghetti, made with zucchini noodles, marinara, juicy meatballs, fresh parmesan and basil!
Ingredients
- 1 batch Keto Marinara or 1 jar sugar free pasta sauce *see note 1
- fresh basil *see note 2
- parmigiano reggiano or grana padano freshly grated *see note 3
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef or turkey
- 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ½ small onion white or yellow
- 2 cloves garlic
- 12 basil leaves *see note 2
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or grana padano *see note 3
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning *see note 4
- 1 egg whisked
- ¼ cup of the Keto Marinara
Zucchini Noodles
- 2 zucchinis
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- Optional - 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
Instructions
Equipment Needed
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Cheese grater
- Large skillet
Directions
Sauce
- Make the Keto Marinara and then remove ¼ cup to cool, then continue to heat the remaining sauce on a low simmer while making the meatballs. If using store bought sauce, set ¼ cup aside and then simmer the rest on low heat until thick.
Meatballs
- Dump almond flour into a mixing bowl and then shred the onion over top using a cheese grater. Mix the onion into the almond flour until fully combined.
- Peel the garlic and mince it finely or press it through a garlic press, mince the parsley, chop the basil and whisk the egg. Add each to the bowl along with the grated parmesan, salt, pepper, spicy spaghetti seasoning and then the cooled marinara. Mix well and then knead in the ground beef.
- Using a kitchen scale for accuracy, divide the mixture into 16 portions, shaping each into a ball *see note 5.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Place the meatballs evenly around the skillet, being sure to not overcrowd the skillet. Fry until the internal temperature of the meatballs have reached 165°, carefully turning them over and around the skillet until fully cooked *see note 6.
- Place the meatballs inside the slightly simmering sauce and stir to coat.
Zucchini Noodles
- Run the zucchinis through a vegetable spiralizer to create picture perfect Keto pasta noodles *see note 7. Toss them with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.
- I find the zucchini noodles soften perfectly when the hot sauce is poured over top. Soft, with a teeny bit of a crunch. If you like them super soft, with zero crunch, they can be fried:
How to cook Zucchini Noodles
- Heat a skillet on medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Once hot, add the zucchini noodles and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until the zucchini is vibrant in colour. You want them nice and soft, but be careful not to over cook. They turn from perfectly cooked to mushy in no time. Cooking zucchini noodles will also shrink them down quite a bit!
Serve
- Divide the zucchini noodles between 4 bowls, top each dish with 4 meatballs and then divide the sauce evenly between them. Garnish each dish with freshly grated parmesan and chopped basil. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Pasta sauce right off the shelf generally has added sugar. This is why it’s important to read the labels before choosing which one to buy, or play it safe and make your own Keto Marinara in just 10 minutes!
- Make sure you buy your basil fresh. I would recommend using it within a couple of days from purchase because it tends to go brown fairly quickly.
- Grate your parmesan fresh! Use either grana padano or parmigiano reggiano; trust me, you will notice a huge difference in flavour in your Keto Spaghetti!
- One of my favourite homemade seasonings (right up there with Keto Taco Seasoning) is this Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning. It's full of flavour and not just made for spaghetti! This awesome seasoning adds flavour to all sorts of Keto dishes such as Calzones, Biscuits and Pizza Crust!
- I like to use a kitchen scale to divide the meatballs. I find it way easier to divide them into 16 portions, and then they cook more evenly. They are a great tool to have in the kitchen anyways, and don’t cost very much. Of course, you can absolutely just eyeball your meatballs!
- Be careful when moving the meatballs around the skillet, at least until most of the sides have browned. These meatballs are super juicy, so are delicate until the crust has been formed.
- If you don’t have a vegetable spiralizer, check out this video to learn how to make them without.
- If you decide to cook the zucchini noodles, don't over cook them. They cook pretty quickly and will turn mushy if you aren’t careful.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 524kcalProtein: 22gFat: 47g
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