A Keto Lamb Meatball Meal Prep recipe that can be baked or fried for a fast and flavorful Whole30 and keto-friendly recipe.
Spaghetti and meatballs, as a dinner, is a traditional comfort food favorite, much beloved. However, if you're following a Whole30 or keto diet, you're well aware that traditional pasta as you knew it is off limits. And meatballs can't include things like breadcrumbs. So, what to do?
Zoodles to the rescue, right? Zucchini noodles are fresh and flavorful with marinara sauce and lamb meatballs. With some dried herbs and lots of seasonings, you'll have some delicious meatballs.
Lamb Meatball Meal Prep Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoon grated white onion
- 1 teaspoon salt (pink Himalayan is preferred)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cups marinara sauce (or your desired amount)
How to Make Lamb Meatballs
These are easy! In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb and two eggs, along with grated white onion, minced garlic cloves and, of course, salt and pepper. You'll also need spice cabinet basics such as rosemary, oregano, and parsley. A bit of lemon zest adds some brightness to what's a strong meat flavor (lamb), and some crushed red pepper brings a kick. Form them into balls about the sizes of walnuts (or bigger, if desired). Depending on your preference (and how messy you want things to get), you can either cook these right a skillet in some hot oil, or line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and pop them in the oven.
Serve as desired. We've got it paired with zoodles for an ideal keto pasta-like dinner, but you'll need a spiralizer to get the job done. Whether or not you cook the zoodles is also up to you. They are crunchy by nature, but if you cook them down a little bit with some salt and pepper they'll soften a bit. It's all about the texture. If you're meal prepping, we recommend leaving them raw because you'll probably want to reheat the meatballs, and the heat from that process will transfer over a bit to zoodles, if you're serving them together.
How to Store and Serve Keto Lamb Meatballs
You can make these and easily meal prep them for the week. If you're serving with zoodles, make sure you leave them raw or a little undercooked if you reheat everything throughout the week, typically. Otherwise, if you cook them right off the bat, they'll be too soggy when you go to reheat them for dinner. Or lunch. Or whenever you're having this healthy meal prep.
Meatballs freeze incredibly well, too. So feel free to freeze some leftovers in a little sauce in an airtight container and defrost in the fridge for a day before cooking. (Or make a double batch and freeze half of them straight away.) In a pinch, you can certainly thaw them from frozen right in a saucepan, but you'll probably need them thawed a little in order to get them out of the container. Add more marinara as needed. If you don't want to deal with clumped together meatballs, you'll need to freeze them individually on a baking sheet and then transfer to a container or zip-close bag once they're frozen solid.
Substitutions and Alterations
Meatballs are personal—or, at least they can be. Feel free to use ground beef if you aren't a fan of lamb, or combine beef and pork for a delicious Italian meatball. Many people make them with a combination of beef, pork, and veal, or beef, lamb, and veal. You do what you like!
Play around the with amounts of dried herbs, too. Thyme, rosemary, parsley, marjoram, and Italian seasoning all work great. You can also try a little paprika, which is tasty with lamb. Some people swear by a smidge of cinnamon, too, but again. Meatballs are personal.
A teaspoon of onion powder and/or garlic powder never hurt, either.
MORE MEATBALLS? YES, PLEASE!
Keto Lamb Meatball Meal Prep
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tbs grated white onion
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary
- ½ tsp fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cups Whole30 compliant marinara sauce
Optional
- zoodles
- brown rice
- shredded cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except the sauce) by hand.
- Form mixture into meatballs of 1 to 1 ½ ounces each, about the size of a walnut.
- In a wide, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook the meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan, for 6 to 8 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 150-160 F.
- Transfer the cooked meatballs to a waiting plate lined with paper towels so they can drain. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce and garnish with fresh basil.
Oven Method
- Follow steps 1 and 2 above and then line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Space the meatballs about 2 inches or so apart on the sheet pan and bake at 400 F for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 150 to 160 degrees F.
- Serve with your favorite marinara sauce and garnish with fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
