Ground beef and mozzarella cheese join together for a nutritious entree

Matt Jenner

Contributing Writer

When you're craving some classic old-school Italian food, these meatballs hit the spot! Roll homemade all-beef meatballs by hand and cook them inside a zesty "Sunday gravy" — a quick but tasty tomato marinara sauce. The meatballs and sauce are prepared separately but cooked together at the end, with each element adding flavor to the other. This recipe will prepare about 16 traditional all-beef meatballs, but it easily can be adjusted to feed more people.

These meatballs are high-protein/low-carb, so they work well for snacking any time for someone living a low-carb or Keto lifestyle. For those who aren't, these meatballs could be classically paired with some freshly cooked pasta or inside a meatball sub. Turn this dish into a casserole by transferring the meatballs into a baking dish and covering with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden.

Cooktop Cove

Low-Carb All-Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

20 minutes

35 minutes

55 minutes

For the meatballs:

1 pound 80/20 ground beef

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1 large egg

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands until fully incorporated.

Form 16 meatballs from the mixture.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the meatballs to the skillet and allow to cook until browned on all sides and cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the skillet and allow to drain on paper towels.

Add the chopped onions to the meatball drippings in the skillet and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic to the skillet, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add tomatoes and oregano to the skillet, and stir.

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Add the meatballs back to the skillet, pressing them down into the sauce.

Cover the skillet, and allow to simmer, covered, until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are hot throughout, about 15 minutes.

Serve directly from the skillet.

Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and/or fresh chopped parsley.

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