Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs with Zero-Carb Noodles
Keto spaghetti and meatballs are juicy beef chicken meatballs cooked in tomato sauce and serve with zero-carb Wonder Noodles. It’s a delicious comforting keto dinner for all pasta lovers.
Are spaghetti keto-friendly?
Let’s break that down, first the noodles, then the sauce.
How many carbs in spaghetti noodles?
Regular Spaghetti noodles are made with milled wheat. As a result, they contain about 30g of net carbs per 100g. Suffice to say, it is not keto-friendly at all! You would reach your daily macro with just 3 ounces of spaghetti and that’s with no sauce at all!
That’s why I am using zero-carb noodles, a keto-friendly spaghetti in this recipe. Read more about that below!
Is spaghetti sauce keto?
There is a great number of spaghetti sauce recipes out there. I am a big fan of the Bolognese sauce and this recipe is inspired by the traditional Spaghetti Bolognese recipe.
A traditional Bolognese sauce has about 5-8g of net carbs per 100g. Which again is not particularly keto-friendly.
So keep on reading to learn how I make a keto-friendly spaghetti sauce!
Keto spaghetti and meatballs with Wonder Noodles – zero-carb noodles
The 2 magical ingredients that create a super tasty keto spaghetti and meatballs recipe with juicy beef meatballs are:
- Zero-Carb Noodles. I love Wonder Noodles because they have zero net carbs or calories. In fact, these keto spaghetti noodles are made of water, yam fiber, lime, and oat fiber. Another option for this keto spaghetti recipe is to use shirataki noodles or homemade zucchini noodles also known as zoodles.
- Diced chicken liver. The meatballs are hand-shaped with a mix of minced beef and finely-diced chicken liver. If it’s the chicken liver that makes you doubt this recipe, don’t! Give it a try. As the keto spaghetti sauce simmers for a while, and because the liver is finely diced, it doesn’t taste like liver at all. It simply makes the meatballs super tender and they melt in your mouth.
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How to make this keto spaghetti sauce recipe?
I learned this recipe from an Italian friend so it has some deep traditional roots. I would actually never have thought that I would eat chicken liver before she made me this recipe.
Making the keto meatballs
The keto meatballs are one of the secrets of this recipe. To make them, slice the chicken liver finely and mix it with the ground beef, Parmesan, herbs, and salt.
Then, shape and cook 20 meatballs with onions and garlic.
Tip: deglaze with beef broth to add a delicious taste!
Hi! Do you need help to start Keto?
By Carine from Sweetashoney
Making the low-carb pasta
The zero-carb keto pasta is very easy to cook! They essentially behave like regular spaghetti.
Tip: add a pinch of salt to the boiling water!
Serving the keto spaghetti and meatballs
To serve this delicious keto dish, put a quarter of the spaghetti in a bowl with a quarter of the meatball and sauce.
Add some grated Parmesan on top for a true Italian taste!
How many carbs in this keto low carb spaghetti and meatball recipe?.
This recipe has only 6.4 grams of net carbs per serve and only 365 calories.
So it is a great pasta recipe on your keto journey!
I use keto-friendly Zero-Carb spaghetti to make this keto spaghetti and meatballs recipe, but spiralizing zucchini into zucchini noodles would work well too. I love Wonder Noodles as they contain no carbs, no calories, and the texture is firmer than regular keto noodles.
More keto-friendly pasta recipe
If you enjoy pasta dishes, try the following recipes!
Have you made this recipe yet? Share a picture with me on Instagram.
XOXO Carine
Recipe Card
Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Garlic Clove crushed
- 1 large Onion finely diced
- 14 oz Ground Beef
- 5 oz Chicken Liver finely diced - or more ground beef
- ½ cup Shredded Parmesan
- ½ tablespoon Dried Oregano
- ½ tablespoon Dried Marjoram
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Beef Broth
- 14 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes no added sugar
- 7 oz Uncooked Wonder Noodles zero net carbs, zero calories keto noodles
To serve
- 2 tablespoons Shredded Parmesan per plate
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the minced beef with finely diced chicken liver (or ground chicken if you don't like liver), grated parmesan, dried herbs, and salt.
- Shape meatballs with your hands and form 20 meatballs.
- In a large saucepan, under medium heat warm olive oil.
- Add the crushed garlic and diced onion, reduce to low heat and cook for 2 minutes until golden and fragrant.
- Add the meatballs into the saucepan and fry the meat for 2-3 minutes on all sides.
- Add the beef broth to deglaze and stir in the can of diced tomatoes.
- Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until the liquid slightly thickens and reduces.
- Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, cook the wonder noodles following your packing instructions. If you can't find these noodles you can make your own zucchini noodles with a spiralizer or try shirataki spaghetti
- When the keto noodles are cooked, serve 1/4 cooked noodles per plate (or more, they have zero carbs so they won't impact carb count but they will add fiber). Top with 1/4 of the whole meatball sauce.
- Serve with 1/4 cup of grated parmesan.
Storage
- You can freeze the leftovers in an airtight container or store 2 days in the fridge.
- Defrost the day before eating and rewarm in the microwave or saucepan.
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Disclaimer
The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. You must consult with your doctor before starting on a keto or low-carb diet. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only. The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sugar alcohols from the total Carbohydrates. As an example, a recipe with 10 grams of Carbs per 100 grams that contains 3 grams of erythritol and 5 grams of fiber will have a net carbs content of 2 grams. Some sugar alcohols are excluded because they are not metabolized. You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.
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Hi Carine
I recently borrowed your book Clean Bakery from our local library in Te Aroha and loved it so much – I didn’t want to return it!!! So have now purchased a copy of my own. I’m loving all the recipes in your book and wanted to see if you had a ‘savoury’ version. So I am so happy to have found this site which gives me lots more of your sweet recipes and also the savoury! (Although you can’t beat sitting down with a cup of tea and perusing a beautiful cookbook!) Thank you so much for your inspiration and your healthy alternatives to our favourite recipes and yours from France! Keep up the good work! 🙂
Cheers
Victoria
Kia ora Victoria! I am so happy to read your comment. Unfortunately I only wrote one cookbook in New Zealand and it is a sweet one. The rest of my low carb baking recipes are here on the blog, for free. I also love to read books so I totally get the frustration to navigate through a blog but my passion is to write here and I hope you will enjoy every recipe I post. Enjoy the recipes, XOXO Carine.
I truly believe that there’s never a bad time for spaghetti and meatballs. For some reason, it’s the dish that just makes me feel comforted and happy and content no matter what’s going on in my life– not sure if that’s from the carbo-high or my childhood memories, but either way I totally love it! Need to try this recipe soon!
Hi Karly, So true ! it is the kind of simple comforting dish we could eat all year long right? Tell me if you like this recipe. I very enjoy the addition of chicken liver in the meatballs it makes them extra juicy and tender. See you soon on the blog! Merry Christmas too! Carine.