This is a plate of honest-to-goodness real spaghetti and meatballs that has just 255 calories and 5 grams net carbs. This Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is a low carb take on a classic Italian meal.
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Buongiorno! 👋
So glad you could make it. Today I'm going to share my recipe for a big plate of real Italian spaghetti and meatballs that has only 255 calories and 5g net carbs. How? Well read on ladies and tramps, and I'll show you how I did it.
💬 Keto dieters often ask
Regular spaghetti noodles made with durum wheat are definitely unfriendly to Keto dieters. They've got about 40 grams of carbohydrates per cup, which is twice the daily amount of carbs in a standard Keto diet.
Companies like Barilla have begun making pasta with added protein, but that doesn't mean that they are low in carbohydrates. One serving of Barilla Protein Pasta still has 33g net carbs, so it is not Keto-friendly.
The same way you make normal people spaghetti sauce: by simmering tomatoes and herbs. Here's a video of how to make a 17-minute Keto Spaghetti Sauce.
🥘 Ingredients
- crushed tomatoes
- ground beef
- olive oil
- eggs
- garlic
- vinegar
- Italian Seasoning
- parmesan cheese
- salt & pepper
- almond flour
- Swerve Granular
- Miracle Shirataki Noodles
🍝 About shirataki noodles
I used shirataki noodles in this Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe. You may recognize them by the brand name Miracle Noodles. These low carb noodles are made from the root of the konjac yam and are entirely made up of fiber. They are edible but not digestible, which means that you can eat these Keto pasta noodles but you'll get no energy, carbs, or calories from them.
They are this miraculously odd un-food.
For another great recipe that uses shirataki noodles, try my Keto Ramen.
🍝 Other noodle options
I will say this about Keto spaghetti noodles made from konjac yams: the chewy texture isn't for everyone. So you can turn to the usual low carb suspects. Zoodles (zucchini noodles) and spaghetti squash are always good veggie-based alternatives. And you can make your own noodles with these Keto pasta recipes: Egg Noodles and Psyllium Husk Noodles. You can also buy ready-to-boil Keto noodles from The Great Bread Company or ThinSlim Foods.
🍚 About Swerve
The appearance of a sugar-free sweetener on a list of Keto Spaghetti and Meatball ingredients might be a little unexpected, but it will really help out the marinara sauce. Tomatoes are very acidic, so most sauces worth their salt include sugar to counteract the acidity and balance out the flavors.
I always use an erythritol sweetener called Swerve in my cooking and baking. It's a zero-calorie alternative to sugar that doesn't have an aftertaste (speaking of miracles!). When you read the label, it's a little confusing, because the total carbs are the same amount as table sugar. But erythritol is a sugar alcohol that your body can't process for energy, so the "net carb" amount is zero.
You can find it at larger grocery stores or on Amazon.
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📖 Instructions
- You start by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees F and covering a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
- You're going to make the Keto spaghetti sauce first so that it can simmer as the meatballs bake. Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and cook until softened, 2 minutes.
- Add 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 TB Italian Seasoning, 1 TB vinegar and 2 TB sugar-free sweetener and mix well to combine.
- Bring to a low simmer. Simmer until meatballs are finished cooking.
- In a large bowl, mix together ¾ pound ground beef, 1 clove minced garlic, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, 3 TB almond flour, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper and 1 egg.
- Use an ⅛ cup measure (or 2 TB) to scoop out meatball mixture. Roll into meatballs and place on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes until browned on top and cooked through.
- Combine meatballs and sauce in the sauce pan.
- Add 5 packages shirataki noodles to a colander and rinse under hot water until heated through. Dry with paper towels.
- Serve spaghetti noodles with sauce and meatballs on top.
- Sprinkle a little cheese on top, if you like.
❄️ Storage
You can store the leftovers separately or mix them together in an airtight container. They'll keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can store the meatballs and sauce for up to 6 months in the freezer, but DO NOT freeze the shirataki noodles or they will be inedible.
And that's that! 👩🍳
In about 30 minutes, you'll have a delicious Italian supper with only 5g net carbs and 255 calories per serving. Not too shabby for a meal that is usually upwards of 60g net carbs and 600 calories.
So grab your lady or your tramp, and cook up this romantic meal. 😍
📋 Recipe
Quick Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs
This is a plate of honest to goodness real spaghetti and meatballs that has just 255 calories and 5g net carbs. It's a low carb take on a classic Italian meal.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 7 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Spaghetti Sauce:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Swerve
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Meatballs:
- ¾ pound ground beef*
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons super fine almond flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
Spaghetti:
5 (7 oz) packages Miracle Noodles or equivalent shirataki noodles
Instructions
Step 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 
Step 2. Make the sauce first so that it can simmer as the meatballs bake. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until softened, 2 minutes.
Step 3. Add remaining sauce ingredients and mix well to combine.
Step 4. Bring to a low simmer. Simmer until meatballs are finished cooking. 
Step 5. In a large bowl, mix all meatball ingredients until well combined.
Step 6. Use an ⅛ cup measure (or 2 tablespoons) to scoop out meatball mixture. Roll into meatballs and place on the cookie sheet.
Step 7. Bake for 14-17 minutes until browned on top and cooked through. 
Step 8. Combine meatballs and sauce in the sauce pan.
Step 9. Add shirataki noodles to a colander to drain the storage liquid. Then and rinse under hot water until heated through. Dry with paper towels.
Step 10. Serve spaghetti noodles with sauce and meatballs on top.
Notes
*Use ground beef with a high percentage of fat if you're doing strict Keto. But if you are watching your calories, you can use lean ground beef or ground turkey.
Nutrition
- Calories: 255
- Fat: 17
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 16
Keywords: Low Carb Spaghetti and Meatballs, Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs, Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs
IF YOU LIKED THIS LOW CARB ITALIAN MEAL, THEN YOU MIGHT LIKE MY RECIPES FOR CHICKEN ALFREDO, EDAMAME SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS OR HAM AND CHEESE PANINI.
Tiffany says
The instructions on the noodles says to boil them for 3 minutes. How long do you run them under hot water until there cooked?
Emily Krill says
It only takes about a minute under hot water.
Patricia Duncan says
Just made the meatballs and sauce. Simple and DELICIOUS! I don't have any of the noodles on hand, so I made 90 second keto coconut flour bread and had it as open-faced meatball sandwich.
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Oh, that sounds delicious. I might need to make myself a meatball sub now.
Sara Welch says
What a fun recipe and one that won't throw me off my diet! Looking forward to giving this a try!
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Great! Let me know how you like it.
Debbie says
This dish just sounds like it is full of flavor. I can't wait to try this! My husband gets tired of just meat and veggies on his low carb plan.
★★★★★
Alina | Cooking Journey Blog says
Such a lovely dinner idea, ant romantic, too!
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Agreed. Very romantic.
Wanda Baker says
We tend to use these kind of noodles in Asian cooking. Never thought about serving them this way! Such a great idea!
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Thanks! I was just in a spaghetti and meatballs kind of mood, and these were the noodles I had.
Mikayla says
I've never heard of those noodles! Sounds like a great way to lighten up a typically heavy plate of pasta!
EmilyKrill says
Yea, they are well worth a try if you want to cut back on calories and/or carbs.
Emily @ Robust Recipes says
Yummm. You can never go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs. I ahve never tried those noodles before. They look interesting!
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
You really can't go wrong with spaghetti. I completely agree.