This Cheesy Keto Meatball Casserole is delicious and super filling! Made with juicy homemade meatballs topped with creamy ricotta cheese, mozzarella and parmesan. The perfect low carb meal your whole family will enjoy!
Do any of you have that go-to family favorite meal you literally never get sick of even though you make it every single week? Yup this CHEESY keto meatball casserole is always a big hit at our dinner table and the perfect meal to serve a crowd. Not only is it incredibly delicious, but this makes great leftovers which is always super helpful during busy weeknights. I mean how can you go wrong with homemade meatballs topped with your favorite marinara, creamy ricotta cheese, mozzarella and, of course, fresh basil!
What You’ll Love this Recipe
- Comfort food, but make it healthier!
- No pasta is used as the fresh homemade meatballs are the star of this dish.
- There are no breadcrumbs used in this simple recipe making this dish gluten-free, high protein and low in carbohydrates.
- The great thing is you can enjoy 3 large meatballs plus sauce and cheese for only 6 net carbs.
- Our family’s favorite recipe for an easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need are a few simple ingredients to make this easy meatball casserole the entire family will love!
- ground beef – I used ground beef, but you could also use ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or even a mixture with Italian sausage for extra flavor.
- egg – used to bind the meatballs together and adds additional protein.
- cheese – I used a mixture of shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan cheese (or pecorino romano cheese) and creamy ricotta cheese. These act as a binder for the meatballs in place of bread crumbs as well as a delicious cheesy topping. You could also use almond flour or crushed pork rinds as a low carb binder.
- marinara sauce – you can either use my homemade marinara sauce or this loaded veggie marinara sauce for an extra boost of vegetables. If you want to use store-bought sauce, I recommend using Rao’s as it is low in sugar and tastes delicious! However any jarred marinara sauce or tomato sauce will do.
- fresh herbs – I love adding fresh parsley in my meatball mixture and topping the whole dish off with some freshly chopped basil.
- seasonings – I use a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper for this flavorful dish.
Can I Use Frozen Meatballs?
I recommend thawing the meatballs out first so that everything bakes quick and evenly. I like to batch cook these tender meatballs ahead of time and keep them in the freezer anytime I want a quick meal like this. You could also make and freeze my healthy turkey meatballs for this recipe or buy frozen Italian meatballs from the grocery store.
How to Make a Meatball Casserole
- Make the meatballs. This you can easily do ahead of time! In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, cheeses, egg, onion, garlic, parsley and seasonings, mixing well. Use a large cookie scoop to form the meatballs so they are all the same size and roll them around in your hands.
- Bake the meatballs. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking dish. You should get about 15 to 16 meatballs. Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes, until fully cooked. You could also cook the meatballs in a large skillet or pan over medium heat until brown and cooked through.
- Assemble the casserole. Remove keto meatballs, draining any excess grease, and arrange in a casserole dish or large baking dish coated in cooking spray. Top the cooked meatballs with marinara or your favorite pasta sauce. Add scoops of ricotta cheese all throughout, and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of the casserole.
- Bake! Bake meatball casserole uncovered in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is deliciously gooey and bubbly!
- Serve. Top with fresh basil and serve with a salad or over zucchini noodles!
You could also cook these low carb meatballs right in your Instant Pot too, which I have been loving lately! It saves so much time with easy clean-up and everything just tastes so dang good. Let me know in the comments section if you’d like to see more Instant Pot recipes on my site!
Large vs. Small Meatballs
This recipe makes about 15 to 16 large meatballs and I use a large cookie scoop so that they are all even in size. You can also make smaller meatballs if you preferred and would get about 24 meatballs from this recipe, just make sure to use a small cookie scoop for the smaller sized meatballs. This is up to you and will still taste great either way! I just recommend decreasing your cooking time by about 5 minutes or so if you choose to make smaller meatballs.
How to Serve
- Main dish – serve as a main dish with a side Caesar salad and some crusty garlic bread or roasted veggies like broccoli, cauliflower or green beans.
- Over pasta – serve these juicy meatballs over your favorite kind of pasta such as spaghetti noodles, egg noodles or penne pasta. Spaghetti squash and zucchini noodles make a great low carb option. Check out all my pasta dinner recipes for more inspiration.
- Sub sandwich – serve the meatballs in a sub roll with all your favorite toppings.
- Appetizer – double or triple this recipe and serve with toothpicks for a delicious party appetizer.
Prepping and Storage
To Store: This keto meatball recipe can easily be prepped the night before so you can just pop it in the oven whenever you’re ready to serve it. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator so this is great for meal prep!
To Freeze: To freeze this low carb meatball casserole, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the meatballs separately in a freezer bag to use whenever you need an easy weeknight dinner.
To Thaw: When ready to eat, thaw the casserole out in your fridge overnight before baking and you’re good to go!
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More Meatball Recipes
- Easy Turkey Meatballs
- Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs
- Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Asian Glazed Turkey Meatballs
More Keto Recipes
- Healthier Deviled Eggs
- Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Easy Cauliflower Mash
- Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
- Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Hope you all enjoy this Cheesy Meatball Casserole recipe! If you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Cheesy Keto Meatball Casserole
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the casserole:
- 3 cups marinara sauce or 1, (24 oz) jar favorite marinara (I prefer Rao's)
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 to 3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- To make the meatballs: In a large bowl combine ground beef, cheeses, egg, onion, garlic, parsley and seasonings, mixing well. Use a large cookie scoop to form the meatballs so they are all the same size, rolling them around in your hands, and arrange on a baking dish or cookie sheet. You should get about 15 to 16 large meatballs.
- Bake meatballs for 20 to 25 minutes, or until fully cooked. Remove meatballs, draining any excess grease, and arrange cooked meatballs in a baking dish.
- Pour marinara sauce evenly over the meatballs and spoon ricotta cheese on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and top with fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We put it over riced cauliflower.
Absolutely love this recipe! Even my one and four year-old love it! When freezing, it was the best way to reheat them?? All the night before and then bacon in the oven? And at what temperature? Need to make it as easy as possible for the husband.
Do you cook it before freezing it? or can you assemble everything (either using the cooked meatballs or already frozen meatballs) and then freeze it?
Both methods would work, but I prefer assembling everything and freezing the casserole before baking it 🙂 Just thaw overnight in the fridge before baking and it may just need an additional 10 minutes or so.