These keto egg filled meatballs are reminding me so much of my childhood; Have you ever had ‘birds nests’? That is what my grandma used to name them. She would make these for me as a kid, and I loved them. She taught me how to prepare them, but I made some adjustments so they stay keto-friendly.
One egg filled meatball has a total of only 8 grams of net carbs.
This recipe is easier than it may seem. I usually prepare these in the oven, as is described it in the recipe, but you can also prepare these in the air-fryer. In that case you can just replace the baking in the oven-part of the recipe by placing them in the air-fryer and fry them for 20 minutes at 190 degrees celsius or 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
The ingredients for these keto egg filled meatballs
Ground beef: I like to use organic grass-fed, grass-finished ground beef because this meat is free of antibiotics and hormones and it’s higher in nutrients. But you can use any of your preferred ground meats such as pork, chicken, lamb, etc.
Eggs: organic, pasture raised or conventional.
Spices: To season the beef I used salt, black pepper, paprika powder, ground cumin and garlic powder. For the tomato sauce I used salt, black pepper, ground cumin, paprika powder and dried oregano.
Coconut oil: I used coconut oil to sautee the meatballs and the ingredients in the tomato sauce. You can use any of your preferred healthy cooking fats.
Chopped tomatoes: For the tomato sauce I used organic chopped tomatoes from a can. You can also use any other tomato sauce without added sugars. Make sure to check the ingredient list. It should only have tomatoes listed.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that help keep this content free.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 3 eggs
- 1 kg ground beef
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 onion cut in pieces
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red bell pepper cut in pieces
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Boil the eggs in hot water for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime season the beef with the listed spices.
- When the eggs are done, peel them and set them aside. Preheat the oven at 190 C/ 375 F.
- Take 1/3 of the seasoned ground beef, shape it into a ball and flatten it out by pressing it onto a flat surface. Lift up the flattened ground beef and wrap the egg with the beef. Shape it until the egg is fully covered.
- Roll the balls into the parmesan cheese on a plate so the surface of the meatball is covered.
- In a large pan, melt some butter over medium to high heat, and cook the meatballs until the outside starts to brown.
- Place the meatballs in a baking dish, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce: In a large pot, melt the coconut oil on medium to high heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and stir.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, ground cumin, paprika powder, and dried oregano. Stir, lower the heat and let simmer.
- Carefully cut the meatballs in half and serve with the tomato sauce and your favorite vegetables.
