Traditional carb heavy Italian dishes can be something people miss when following a ketogenic diet. With this recipe you can recreate those familiar comforting flavors with a vastly reduced carb count!

The meatballs are made with Italian herbs, and covered in a rich tomato sauce with a mozzarella topping. The dish is finished in the oven which allows the flavors to mingle and develop whilst creating a delicious crispy cheesy topping.

It’s important to keep a wide variety of vegetables in your diet, and tomatoes pack a big punch nutritionally with high antioxidant levels and essential minerals such as potassium.

Serve with dark leafy greens such as kale or a green salad for an extra nutritional boost! If you want a pasta substitute you could also use spiralized zucchini or celery root – just adjust the nutritional breakdown accordingly.

Yields 4 servings of Baked Italian Meatballs

The Preparation

16 ounces ground beef
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper
28 ounces canned whole tomatoes
1/2 cup red onion, diced
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh basil, for garnish

The Execution

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, oregano, and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

2. Divide the beef mixture and form 16 meatballs.

3. On a medium heat fry the meatballs for around 5 minutes, until they are brown all over. Remove the meatballs from the pan.

4. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooking juices in the pan and add the whole peeled tomatoes, onion, garlic and tomato paste. Break down the tomatoes into small chunks and mix the sauce well. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

5. Arrange the meatballs in a baking dish and top with the tomato sauce.

6. Break the mozzarella into small chunks and distribute evenly over the top of the dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for around 5 more minutes, until the cheese has browned.

7. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with sautéed leafy greens or salad.

This makes a total of 4 servings of Baked Italian Meatballs. Each serving comes out to be 378 calories, 26.4g fats, 6.4g net carbs, and 24.8g protein.

NUTRITION	CALORIES	FAT	CARBS	FIBER	NET CARBS	PROTEIN
16 ounce ground beef	1152	90.7	0	0	0	77.9
1 teaspoon dried oregano	4	0.1	1	0.6	0.4	0.1
1 teaspoon dried thyme	3	0.1	0.8	0.4	0.3	0.1
— salt and pepper	0	0	0	0	0	0
28 ounce canned whole tomatoes	127	2	27.5	15.1	12.5	6.3
1/2 cup red onion	35	0.2	8.1	1.1	7	1.1
2 teaspoon fresh garlic	8	0	1.9	0.1	1.8	0.4
1 tablespoon tomato paste	13	0.1	3.1	0.7	2.4	0.7
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese	168	12.5	1.2	0	1.2	12.4
1/4 cup fresh basil	1	0	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.2
Totals	1513	105.7	43.8	18.1	25.6	99.2
Per Serving (/4)	378	26.4	10.9	4.5	6.4	24.8