Juicy homemade meatballs baked with tomato sauce and topped with a layer of mozzarella, this Baked Meatballs Casserole is a super easy family dinner that everyone will enjoy. Even better, it’s a freezer friendly meal and works as a meal prep as well.
This cheesy baked meatball casserole is definitely going to be a hit in your household. It’s a classic comfort meal but is low carb so you don’t feel weighed down after eating it. It’s delightfully cheesy, saucy, and bursting with flavours.
If you love meatball recipes, I’m sure you’ll love these recipes too: Spaghetti Squash With Meatballs, Healthy Meatball Soup, Meatballs with Mashed Cauliflower and Ground Turkey Meatballs.
As we approach the holiday season, I’m always looking to make the easiest dinners possible as it feels like we have 101 things to do and errands to run. Luckily, this baked meatball casserole is extremely easy to make and outside of making the meatballs, this recipe is pretty hands off. If you plan this ahead of time and pre-make your meatballs, you pretty much just have to place everything into your casserole dish and bake!
Are you looking for some sides to go with this low carb meatball casserole? Try my Parmesan Brussels Sprouts Salad, Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Whole30 Mashed Cauliflower Recipe, or my Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Rice Recipe. Want a side dish that’s also hands off? Try my Zucchini Casserole Recipe.
How to Make this Low Carb Baked Meatballs Casserole
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Red onion — chopped
- Extra-lean ground beef
- Seasoned keto breadcrumbs
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Parsley — finely chopped
- Egg
- Seasoning: garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, salt, and pepper
- Tomato sauce
- Mozzarella cheese — shredded
- Parsley — fresh chopped, for garnish
Instructions
Prep the Oven
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and butter a casserole pan. Set aside.
Make the Meatballs
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In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, combine ground beef, keto breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, salt and black pepper in a large salad bowl. Then, add the sauteed onions and mix everything well to combine.
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Use a small cookie scoop to form the meatballs all the same size. Place the meatballs in the prepared casserole dish.
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Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove the meatballs casserole from the oven and drain the grease.
Top Off The Meatballs and Bake Again
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Top the casserole pan of meatballs with tomato sauce and shredded cheese.
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Place the meatballs casserole back in the oven. Bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese has fully melted.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of just beef for the meatballs, you can mix 1 lb (450g) ground beef and 1 lb (450g) spicy pork sausage. Ground turkey or ground chicken can also be substituted.
- Feel free to add additional vegetables to this such as cooked broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, etc before the second bake. The cheese layered on top is a great way to “hide” some vegetables if you have picky eaters.
- Don’t have mozzarella? You can use whatever you have on hand such as cheddar, monterey jack, etc. Just be sure to shred your own cheese as pre-bought shredded cheese does not melt as nicely.
- Don’t have seasoned keto breadcrumbs? Try almond flour instead.
Make Ahead Tips For This Baked Meatball Casserole
There are a few ways to make this recipe ahead of time as it’s a very freezer friendly recipe! Choose the one you find the most convenient. For method one and method 2, you can make the double or triple the meatballs so the next time you want to make this baked meatball casserole, you save yourself time from making the meatballs! For method 3, you can also implement the cook once, eat twice concept by doubling all the ingredients and making two casseroles then freezing one for later while you enjoy one for dinner.
Method 1:
- Make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer friendly bag and freeze until ready to use.
- When ready to use, bake directly from frozen and add an extra 5-10 minutes before adding the tomato sauce and cheese.
Method 2:
- Make the meatballs ahead of time and bake.
- Allow the meatballs to cool and then freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer friendly bag and freeze until ready to use.
- When ready to use, bake directly from frozen before adding the tomato sauce and cheese.
Method 3:
- Follow all of the instructions to make this baked meatball casserole.
- Allow it to cool and then wrap up the entire casserole and freeze.
Meal Prep:
Alternatively, if you’re not looking for a freezer meal this low carb meatball casserole is also great for meal prepping as the leftovers reheat really well. Be sure to pack it in an airtight container and store in the fridge.
More Casseroles You Might Like
- Cauliflower Casserole Recipe
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole
- Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole
- Make-Ahead Veggie Breakfast Casserole
- Sweet Potato Zucchini Casserole
Baked Meatballs Casserole
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Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef*
- ¼ cup seasoned keto breadcrumbs or you can use almond flour
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried basil
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 ½ cup Mozzarella cheese for topping
- 1 tsp parsley fresh chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and butter a casserole pan. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine ground beef, keto breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, salt and black pepper in a large salad bowl. Then, add the sauteed onions and mix everything well to combine.
- Use a small cookie scoop to form the meatballs all the same size. Place the meatballs in the prepared casserole dish.
- Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove the meatballs casserole from the oven and drain the grease.
- Top with the tomato sauce and shredded cheese.
- Place the meatballs casserole back in the oven. Bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese has fully melted.
- Meal-Prep: Place an even amount of meatballs, any veggies of your preference, and mashed cauliflower into 5 glass containers. Cover with the lid, and place in the fridge for up 5 days. Heat in the microwave for about 1½ - 2 minutes. The time depends on the power of your microwave.
Tips
- Click HERE to watch the web story.
- You can also mix 1 lb (450g) ground beef and 1 lb (450g) spicy pork sausage.
- You can add additional vegetables to the meatballs before baking them again with the cheese. This way, you get cheesy vegetables!
- To store: You can store leftover meatballs in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- To reheat: Simply pop the leftovers into the microwave to quickly heat them up.
- To freeze: You can freeze the meatballs before or after baking them. Check out the detailed instructions for three different methods of freezing this meatballs casserole in the post.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Craig says
Sorry for your loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Olivia Ribas says
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!