Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs

Beef meatballs stuffed with mozzarella cheese, baked in a marinara sauce and topped with a blanket of melted cheese.  

These cheesy stuffed meatballs have been a staple keto meal for me over the years. Often taking various forms of ingredients such as Italian sausage, crushed pork rinds (as a binder), various cheeses and sauces, baked vs fried. However they all have the same idea… meat, sauce and plenty of cheese.

My favorite dishes are the ones where you don’t really have to measure things. This is one of those types of meals. I’ve provided some basic ingredients to give it an Italian flavor, but just about any herbs are game. In fact, a general purpose Italian Seasoning blend would work just as well for flavoring.

I do insist on quality proteins though. When possible, I look for humanely raised meat products that are free of hormones and antibiotics. And for these meatballs, I use 100% grass-fed ground beef. I trust the meat I pickup at my local Sprouts Farmers Market to share the same values. All of their 100% grass-fed ground beef comes from trusted family farmers whose cattle graze on nutrient-rich open pastures here in the USA. It checks all the boxes for me, so it’s an easy decision to make.

You could certainly pair these cheesy stuffed meatballs with a baked spaghetti or other low-carb pasta option, but I’ve found the meatballs taste great on their own. Plus, if you forgo the pasta option, you can add a little more marinara sauce to keep the carbs down. On a side note, make sure the marinara sauce that you’re using is free of added sugars, as many will add them to their sauces. My usual go-to sauce is Rao’s Marinara but there are a few other options out there that taste just as great.

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Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs

Beef meatballs stuffed with mozzarella cheese, baked in a marinara sauce topped with a blanket of melted cheese.  

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 2 lbs 100% Grass-fed ground beef
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 4 string cheese mozzarella sticks cut into cubes
• 1 24 oz jar of no sugar added Marinara Sauce such as Rao’s
• 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• *optional* Italian parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 500°F and grease an oven safe casserole dish.
• In a large prep bowl, add ground beef, almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, basil, oregano, parmesan cheese and eggs. Mix with hands until completely incorporated.
• Pinch a bite size amount of ground beef and roll it into a ball. Press on a flat surface to form a patty. Place a cube of the cut mozzarella sticks and wrap the beef around it, ensuring there are no gaps or crevices. Continue until all of the meatballs have been formed and place into your casserole dish.
• Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Then remove casserole dish and set your oven to broil.
• Pour jar of marinara sauce over meatballs and sprinkle the top with shredded mozzarella. Place dish under the broiler until cheese has melted and browned (about 5 minutes).
• Remove dish from oven and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.