Tender, juicy, and savory, these oven-baked Keto Turkey Meatballs have a flavorful basil cream sauce that results in pure comfort food with only 4 grams of net carbs.
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Use them as a family dinner or a potluck appetizer, these gluten free turkey meatballs will be gobbled up in no time.
There’s something completely comforting about meatballs in a cream sauce. It’s the perfect blend of flavors.
The ground turkey pairs with ricotta to make an indulgent bite-size meatball and the parmesan added gives them a salty, savory taste.
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Totally keto, these healthy turkey meatballs in basil cream sauce fit seamlessly into your low-carb diet.
If you are looking for another delicious meatball recipe our Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are also easy to make. Pair this recipe with a side dish like our Mushroom, Cauliflower, Garlic Skillet for a complete meal.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
- Pork rinds: You can substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs or panko for the pork rinds. If you choose to use regular breadcrumbs the recipe will become non-keto.
- Make it into a casserole - the keto ricotta meatballs can be made and turned into a casserole easily enough.
- Sauce - not into a basil cream sauce? You can use a traditional marinara sauce, like Rao's, on top of the meatballs.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Switch proteins - though ground turkey and ricotta pair together beautifully, ground beef, venison, chicken, lamb, or bison will work as well.
- Slow cooker - if you want the meatballs to soak up the basil cream sauce, place everything into a slow cooker once done and let it cook on low for a few hours so that all the flavors mesh together.
- Seasonings - you can adjust the flavor of the ricotta meatballs by adding different seasonings. Garlic powder, a hint of fish sauce, onion powder, truffle salt, and red pepper flakes are all tasty ideas.
- Air Fryer - you can make the meatballs in an air fryer. Set the temperature to 350 degrees and add the meatballs for 10 minutes. Top with the basil cream sauce when finished.
- Fresh herbs - use 2 garlic cloves minced in place of the garlic powder, and substitute a blend of rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram for the Italian seasonings. Add a bit of fresh parsley for a nice crunch.
- Onion - kick up the flavor by adding some finely chopped onion to the turkey mixture.
- Egg - you can substitute a flax egg for the egg in this recipe.
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How To Make Keto Turkey Meatballs: Step-By-Step
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400℉.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the turkey meatball ingredients and mix until combined.
Step 2: With your hands, form the mixture into evenly sized balls about the size of a large tablespoon and place them into a greased baking dish.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned.
Step 3: Start the basil cream sauce by heating butter in a skillet over medium heat and adding in the garlic powder.
After 30 seconds, add the heavy cream and season it with salt and pepper.
Simmer until the sauce thickens before stirring in the parmesan and basil.
Step 4: Add the meatballs to the skillet and toss to coat them before serving them.
Hint - Make sure to grease or at least line your baking dish with parchment paper to make for easy cleanup.
Expert Tips
Use an ice cream scoop with a quick release or a small cookie scoop to portion the meatballs so that they’re even in size. Then simply roll them with your hands to form a ball.
How To Store Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs
These keto meatballs are an easy meal prep recipe for busy days.
- Store: Cook the meatballs and the cream sauce and let them cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze them as well in one of two ways. Make the dish entirely, let it cool, and freeze it as a full meal. You can also freeze the meatballs separately and then whip up the basil cream sauce the day you’ll be serving them.
- Reheat: If stored in the freezer, let the meatballs thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat them, let the baking dish sit at room temperature first and then heat them in the oven until warm, or transfer everything to a pot and reheat the dish on low on the stove.
How To Serve Keto Turkey Meatballs
- These easy turkey meatballs make a delicious dinner or fun appetizer.
- If you’re serving them as a dinner, pair them with:
- A simple side salad with a Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette or our Hearts Of Palm Salad work nicely.
- On top of zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash to reduce carbs
- On top of cooked cauliflower rice or with a Cauliflower Tabbouleh
- With white or brown rice if you don’t mind the extra starch
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
Pork rinds will give a savory taste and a bit of crunch to the keto meatballs. However, almond flour is a great alternative. Know that almond flour may change the texture and be sure to use one that has finely ground bleached almonds to avoid a noticeable texture issue.
Meatballs fall apart when the ratio of binder to wet ingredients is off. Make sure to mix the ingredients well so that everything is combined. If your meatballs seem dry, you may have too many pork rinds which will cause keto meatballs to fall apart. Add a tiny bit of ricotta cheese to moisten the meatballs.
Turkey meatballs make a great freezer meal! They can be frozen fully cooked and stored with or without a marinara or cream sauce. You can also freeze prepared but uncooked meatballs as well. Make sure to thaw them in the fridge overnight before cooking and then bake them in the oven as needed.
Other Keto Main Dishes
A low carb meatball recipe that the whole family will love and ask for! These baked turkey meatballs have simple ingredients and make a great option for those on a low carb diet. Next time you would like to have delicious meatballs, make these keto turkey meatballs recipe!
Keto Turkey Meatballs
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Equipment
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 cup pork rinds crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- salt and black pepper to taste
Sauce
- 2 tbsps butter
- 2 tsps garlic minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Add the meatball ingredients to a large bowl and combine.
- Form the mixture into evenly sized meatballs and place them into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
Sauce
- Add the 2 tbsps butter to a skillet over medium heat.
- Mix in the 2 tsps garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the 1 cup heavy cream and season with salt and black pepper.
- Simmer until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the ¼ cup parmesan cheese and ¼ cup fresh basil.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the skillet and toss to coat before serving.
Anonymous
They weren’t as creamy as I expected! Yum!