Keto Swedish Meatballs with Turmeric

These savory, low-carb Swedish Meatballs have a touch of golden turmeric. This cozy meal takes just 35 minutes start-to-finish… perfect for a weeknight!

It's that time of year where I'm craving cozy, warm dishes. I don't care that in Miami it's still 80-something degrees out, according to the "Fall Harvest" decorations around my house (*sips pumpkin spice latte*) it's cozy-meal season. These Keto Swedish Meatballs with Turmeric are right up my autumn alley: comforting and flavorful. Yum! 🙂

Whenever I get beef, I always try to buy grass-fed and grass-finished. But man, it's expensive! Since ground beef is cheaper than steaks, I'm always trying to come up with creative and flavorful recipes for ground beef. This has become one of our favorites!

Nutrition

Macros

This dish is spot-on keto. Each serving contains 30g of fat, 16g of protein and only 2.9 net carbs. That gives you some room to spare for serving over riced cauliflower (a half cup of riced cauliflower has 2g net carbs) or in a low-carb wrap.

Turmeric

I'm always looking for ways to use turmeric. A potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, I try to sneak it into as many foods as possible. I particularly love it in this dish because it gives the sauce a lovely golden color. I've been known to add turmeric in with the meatballs as well, but it does give them a yellowish color. I don't mind having yellow meatballs, but picky eaters might be turned off by it. For that reason, I only put the turmeric in the sauce for this recipe.

Tips & Tricks

• I love the flavor of caramelized onions. However, to ensure that the meatballs don't fall apart, you have to cut the onions into very small pieces. Aim for about ¼-inch (approx. ½ cm) pieces. If a piece of onion is 1cm long, it's too big.
• I recommend serving the meatballs over a bed of cauliflower rice. Keto-friendly pasta alternatives would also make a nice bed. Turn these into a "meatball sub" by serving on a low-carb wrap or bread. Or, don't mess with any of that and just eat them on their own. They're great as an appetizer with little toothpicks sticking out of them.
• If you're eating the meatballs by themselves or on a sub, then you might want to make the sauce thicker, in which case you should cut the amount of broth in half.
• Xanthan gum acts as the thickener for the sauce. If you leave out this ingredient, the sauce will still taste good but it will be runny. Alternatively, you could substitute with psyllium husk powder, or just let the sauce cook a little longer to reduce it down.

What about dessert? Make a Keto Pumpkin Pie in a Mug (in the microwave) in 7 minutes. Or search more desserts here.

📖 Recipe

Keto Swedish Meatballs with Turmeric

Savory, low-carb Swedish Meatballs with a touch of golden turmeric. This cozy meal takes just 35 minutes start-to-finish... perfect for a weeknight!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

 

USAMetric

1x2x3x

Meatballs

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoon butter (2 tablespoon + 1 tbsp)
• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 2 large eggs

Sauce

• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon turmeric

Instructions

 

• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan, then add the onion (make sure it's finely diced into small pieces). Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is browned and caramelized.
• While the onions are browning, get out a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients for the meatballs. When the onions are ready, add them in and mix everything together. For a richer flavor, cover and refrigerate for a few hours (optional).
• Take about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture at a time and roll it in between your hands to form little balls. In a large saucepan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and then cook the meatballs on medium-high heat for about 15 minutes (or until internal temperature is 160°), flipping them over half way through cooking.
• Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside. Add all of the ingredients for the sauce to the pan, and reduce the heat to low. Cook the sauce for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it has thickened. You can add more broth/water if it gets too thick.

Notes

Serving Suggestion: Serve over cauliflower rice and garnish with sliced green onions.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Keto Swedish Meatballs with Turmeric

Amount per Serving

Calories

349.9

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

30

g

46

%

Saturated Fat

 

14.6

g

91

%

Cholesterol

 

158.1

mg

53

%

Sodium

 

502.1

mg

22

%

Potassium

 

306.4

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

3.4

g

1

%

Fiber

 

0.5

g

2

%

Sugar

 

1.1

g

1

%

Net Carbs

 

2.9

g

Protein

 

16.3

g

33

%

Vitamin A

 

608.4

IU

12

%

Vitamin C

 

1.6

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

46.3

mg

5

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition information is estimated. Amounts may vary depending on the specific brand and/or type of ingredients you use. Sugar alcohols and other sweeteners that typically do not effect blood glucose levels, including but not limited to erythritol and allulose, are excluded from the carb count.