Amazing Keto Turkey Meatballs In A Creamy Sauce: This Is How

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Juicy keto friendly turkey meatballs in a creamy parmesan sauce with hints of garlic and herbs. Meatballs can be made without breadcrumbs and still be delicious as this low carb versions with an Italian twist!

I have a hate, love relationship with ground turkey. Now, I do love turkey when done right for lunch or dinner. Considering it is very easy to cook a dry turkey. Turkey is part of the poultry family so it’s very low in fat. Fat brings moisture, meaning juiciness and taste.

In this recipe, you create keto meatballs without any breadcrumbs. This makes them naturally low carb and gluten free as well.

How To Make Keto Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients Needed

  • Ground Turkey
  • Egg
  • Salt & Black Pepper
  • Garlic Powder
  • Parsley
  • Heavy Cream
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Butter

Making The Meatballs & Cooking Instructions

  1. To start, in a large bowl add in ground turkey. Now, add in egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder and fresh or dried parsley. In the recipe I used fresh chopped parsley but dried can work as well. It’s just not as fragrant.
  2. Combine all the ingredients together. Next, when it comes to rolling the ground turkey meatballs cover your hands with oil because the mixture is sticky. I personally used a meatball maker in the photos you see. Either way you will need oil due to the stickiness in the mix.
  3. In a skillet or frying pan with oil on medium heat add in the meatballs. Don’t overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if you need to. The goal isn’t to cook the meatballs through it’s just to get color on them.
  4. Then, when all the meatballs are finished lower the heat on the pan. Add butter then heavy cream. Lastly, toss in parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Allow it to simmer a little but do not let it boil. Note, the sauce should be thick before adding in meatballs. If it isn’t see notes below.
  5. Now, add back in the meatballs from earlier. Place them in an oven for 15-20 minutes or until meatballs have cooked all the way through.
  6. To finish, garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley.

Helpful Recipe Tips

  • Use oil when forming meatballs. This mix is very sticky. To avoid it being all over your hands the oil will keep it from sticking. I used a meatball maker and I oiled that as well.
  • Quality parmesan cheese only! When I say quality I don’t mean the best or the best. My point is using cheese from the cheese section in the grocery store and staying away from the shelf stable stuff. You don’t want any caking agent in your cheese or it will not melt properly messing up the thickness of the sauce and and the overall recipe.
  • If the sauce doesn’t thicken, I have had situations where the parmesan cheese didn’t melt to thicken the sauce and it just stuck to itself causing a loose cream sauce. Tip 1, add the parmesan cheese after the heavy cream has simmered a little or you know its hot then add it in a little at a time. Tip 2, add in more cheese before adding in the meatballs. Just sprinkle the cheese until it thickens.

How To Store

This reheats well from the refrigerator. Simply store the meatballs in a sealed container until you’re ready to eat again. However, I am not a fan of freezing dairy. The proteins and fats like to separate when it thaws. I personally have never frozen this recipe out of all the times I have made it.

Keto Turkey Meatballs in cast iron pan

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do turkey meatballs have carbs?

A turkey meatball recipe outside of keto use breadcrumbs like most recipes. They use breadcrumbs for a bulking factor and for the gluten in them to help with forming and sticking together. In this recipe at only 4g net carbs per serving the meatballs stick together just fine and are juicy and delicious.

Are meatballs OK on keto?

Of course! When done right meatballs are a great option on the keto diet. They are small and easily weighed for your meal prep. The biggest concern would be the absence of breadcrumbs. Or what do you use in place of them?

For this recipe I didn’t use any breadcrumbs nor a substitute. The meatballs are small and held just fine even without eggs. Breadcrumbs have their place but not here.

Is turkey good for keto diet?

This is a hard one! Fattier meats are surely ideal not to mention tastier. Turkey is a lean meat but the fat can be added such as this parmesan sauce has cheese, butter and heavy cream in it. All which are good dairy options for the keto diet.

When done correctly or used as a tool turkey can work well. I am currently doing a cut and an option like turkey keeps my protein up and lowers the calories due to its lack of fat. So tracking my macros and counting my calories this sparked the idea for the recipe. Now when I meal prep for the week I have a delicious option.

What to eat with keto turkey meatballs?

Keto Turkey Meatballs in cast iron pan

Amazing Keto Turkey Meatballs In A Creamy Sauce: This Is How

These parmesan keto turkey meatballs have just the right amount of spice and savory flavors. Making these the perfect option for a easy low carb dinner.
4.56 from 34 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 617.6 kcal

Ingredients
 

Meatballs

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic
  • 2 teaspoon parsley

Parmesan Sauce

  • 1 3/4 cup Heavy cream
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese (cut from the block)
  • 4 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon Salt (half if using salted butter)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F
  • Combine ground turkey with egg, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley. Note, this will be sticky. In order to form meatballs be sure to oil your hands before rolling them.
  • Roll seasoned ground turkey into meatballs with the diameter of a quarter but thick enough to be considered a meatball. Not super tiny but not so thick they will have a hard time cooking through. I used a meatball maker and I got 15 meatballs.
  • In a skillet on medium/ high heat add oil and meatballs. Don't crowd them, if you need to cook in batches do so. Cook on both sides for about 2-3 minutes. They don't have to be done inside this step is for color.
  • Remove meatballs and then adjust heat to low heat. Add in butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to simmer a little. See notes if sauce isn't thickening. Sauce should be thick before adding in meatballs. After sauce is right then add meatballs back in
  • Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove, garnish with parsley and and a bit of parmesan then serve. Careful, the cream sauce will be hot.
  • Note: You will have to remove the meatballs after baking and give the sauce a stir to get the thickness back. While baking the parmesan cheese likes to settle to the bottom.

Video

Notes

Parmesan Cheese– Be sure to use Parmesan Cheese from the cheese section of the grocery store. The shelf stable cheese has a non-caking agent that makes it not melt properly.
 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Amazing Keto Turkey Meatballs In A Creamy Sauce: This Is How
Amount Per Serving (4 ounces)
Calories 617.6 Calories from Fat 466
% Daily Value*
Fat 51.8g80%
Saturated Fat 24.9g156%
Trans Fat 1.4g
Cholesterol 260.1mg87%
Sodium 399.1mg17%
Carbohydrates 3.6g1%
Sugar 1.9g2%
Protein 35.3g71%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword keto turkey meatballs
Tried this recipe?Leave a rating and comment, thank you

26 thoughts on “Amazing Keto Turkey Meatballs In A Creamy Sauce: This Is How”

  1. This is a tasty recipe. I added some finely chopped celery and a little extra fresh garlic. Then made your sauce but added a couple of gloves of minced fresh garlic to the melted butter in the skillet. Sautéed the fresh mushrooms. Added the cream and a fourth of a section of low fat cream cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Simmered it until all creamy and then put the turkey meatballs back in. Stirred to cover the meatballs. Then put in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. So yummy!

  2. I made these and they are delicious, but the sauce didn’t thicken so I added xanthum gum, and it was perfect . The meatballs are the most flavorful ones I’ve ever had. I will make these again. I also made zoodles and put the sauce on that too. What are the nutrition facts for these?

  3. I was wondering if the sauce freezes well? I wanted to make the sauce for a meatloaf I made out of the meatball recipe and take it to a family friend, that just lost her husband, as a freezer meal for later…

  4. When you freeze heavy cream it doesn’t thaw well without stabilizers. Those stabilizes would be the gums such as xanthan and guar gum you see in packaged foods. What happens is the proteins in the dairy begin to separate. This doesn’t happen in butter or milk but it’s something about heavy cream

  5. I make these all the time! I always add some chopped up garlic to my sauce as well! Thanks so much for the recipe

  6. If only more young people cared about their health, we as a people would be in much better shape…literally. I made these and they are amazing! I added just a tad bit of lemon juice because I’ve been on a lemon juice kick lately. Awesome recipe and very simple!

  7. 5 stars
    Made these for dinner tonight, they were delicious! My husband said he could of eaten a lot more of them! Lol! I will make these again!
    Thank you!

  8. Are there nutritional facts for this recipe?? Would be very helpful. I made the recipe and it was delish!

  9. 5 stars
    I hardly ever comment on recipe blogs, but this was SO GOOD I made it 2 days in a row. I made a small modification – I sauteed leeks, minced garlic and chopped spinach in butter before adding the cream sauce. Served this with sliced zucchini doused in butter. A KEEPER!

  10. 5 stars
    Loved this recipe! Simple and quick but so tasty and filling. I couldn’t wait to try it when I saw the video on Instagram. Did not disappoint! I’ll definitely make this one again.

  11. Made these meatballs for dinner tonight. My husband loved them, this will be a regular dish for us. ❤️

  12. 5 stars
    Just made this, DELICIOUS! Really hit the spot. Recipe is excellent, pair with a green salad & cauli-rice. Two thumbs up!

  13. 5 stars
    These were delicious and so easy to make. Definitely going to be a staple dinner in my house. I did add some pork rind crumbs to help bind the turkey mixture better. No you can’t taste them. Great recipe!

  14. 5 stars
    WOW Amazing!! I was surprised to see how well this dish turned out!! Resturant quality! Paired it with chickpea pasta and seriously so good!!! So quick and easy to make!! Thank you!! Definitely recommend this recipe!

  15. 5 stars
    Just tried these, 5 stars. I did the meatballs on the stovetop then in the oven. I doubled the batch. I am making the sauce later when my husband is home from work but freezing the extra meatballs to use with Rao’s sauce next week. Two dinners!!! Meatballs tasted wonderful. I will probably add some spinach to my cream sauce.

  16. 5 stars
    excellent flavor and texture! I was worried about it being too solid. I did add a couple tablespoons of almond flour. it made it stick really well. no oil needed when I used a cookie scoop. the sauce is so tasty with parmesan. thank you for this!

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