Cheesy Keto Meatball Casserole - Eat Yourself Skinny (2024)

This Cheesy Keto Meatball Casserole is delicious and super filling with homemade meatballs topped with creamy ricotta cheese, mozzarella and parmesan for the perfect low carb meal your whole family will enjoy!

Do any of you have that go-to family meal you literally never get sick of even though you make it every. single. week?? Yup this CHEESY keto meatball casserole is definitely one of mine! Not only is it incredibly delicious, but this makes great leftovers which is always super helpful during a busy week. I mean how can you go wrong with homemade meatballs topped with your favorite marinara, creamy ricotta cheese, mozzarella and, of course, fresh basil!

So my hubby and I started our keto journey together soon after the holidays (although my husband has been doing it since September and has already lost 50 pounds!), but we’ve been having so much fun experimenting with new recipes every week and THIS meatball casserole has legit become a weekly staple! It’s super easy to throw together and the best part is I don’t miss pasta because I’m getting my much-needed Italian food fix! I always serve this with a big salad or over zucchini noodles and we are completely full and satisfied!

What You’ll Love this Recipe

• Zero breadcrumbs are used (the mozzarella cheese helps to bind these meatballs together!)
• We are using a marinara sauce that is low in sugar.
• No pasta is used as the cheesy meatballs are the star of this dish!
• You can enjoy 3 large meatballs plus sauce and cheese for about 6 net carbs.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Protein for the meatballs – I used ground beef because that’s just what we prefer, but you could also use ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or even a mixture with Italian sausage
• Egg – to bind the meatballs together (no breadcrumbs needed!)
• CHEESE! – I use 3 kinds of cheeses in this recipe, shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan cheese and creamy ricotta cheese. These cheeses act as a binder for the meatballs in place of breadcrumbs as well as a delicious topping
• Marinara sauce – you can either use my homemade marinara sauce , this loaded veggie marinara sauce for an extra boost of vegetables, or if you want to use store-bought sauce I highly recommend using Rao’s as it is low in sugar and tastes delicious! However any jarred marinara 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

How to Make a Meatball Casserole

1. 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. Arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet 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. Remove meatballs, draining any excess grease, and arrange in a casserole dish.
2. Assemble the casserole. Top the cooked meatballs with marinara, add scoops of ricotta cheese all throughout, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
3. Bake! Place the casserole dish uncovered in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is deliciously gooey and bubbly!
4. Serve. Top with fresh basil and serve with a salad or over zucchini noodles!

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.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

This keto meatball recipe is my absolute GO-TO and there are no breadcrumbs added (making them gluten-free as well!) which is great because who doesn’t love avoiding those extra carbohydrates?? You could also cook these meatballs right in your Instant Pot too, which I have been loving using 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 the blog!

Prepping and Storage

To Store: This meatball casserole 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 to 4 days in the refrigerator so this is great for meal prep!

To Freeze: This recipe is also a great freezer meal and can be stored in your freezer for up to 3 months before baking. Simply thaw it out in your fridge overnight before baking the next day and you’re good to go!

More Meatball Recipes

• Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs
• Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• Asian Glazed Turkey Meatballs
• Cranberry co*cktail Meatballs

More Delicious Recipes to Try

• Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Hope you all enjoy this Cheesy Keto Meatball Casserole and if you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me onInstagramusing the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!