Before I went low carb, nachos were always my favorite “go-to” snack. Perfect with beer (or without), they are great to share (or not) at a casual restaurant with friends, to nosh on while watching a movie on the couch, or just because.
There is no end to what you can add to your nachos (black olives, tomatoes, red onions, scallions, green chilis, guacamole, etc.), but for me, it’s usually about the classics – cheddar cheese, salsa, jalapenos, and lots of sour cream.
So in my quest to turn some of my favorite foods into low carb meatballs, a loaded nachos version was high on the list. Especially since I needed a low carb vehicle to replace the tortilla chips that would normally carry all of that cheesy deliciousness into my face.
I’m thrilled to report that these meatballs worked like a charm, and satisfied all of my loaded nacho requirements!
Notes: I used ground beef since that is a typical nacho topping, but you could easily substitute 80% lean ground turkey in this recipe. To manage the heat, choose a salsa with a spice level that you enjoy – you can omit the jalapenos to tone them down as well. If you like it hot, add a couple of drops of your favorite low carb hot sauce to the meatball mixture.
These are quite nice on their own, but of course SO MUCH BETTER covered in more salsa, cheese, sour cream and jalapenos. I’m giving you the nutrition info both “naked” and with toppings, just in case!
Loaded Nacho Meatballs – Keto
- Yield: 16 meatballs 1x
Description
A tasty low carb & gluten free meatball recipe inspired by my favorite snack – loaded nachos! Keto and Atkins friendly!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1lb. ground beef (80/20)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp prepared salsa (sugar free)
- 1 Tbsp pickled jalapenos, chopped
For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup prepared salsa (sugar free)
- 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 16 pickled jalapeno slices
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
Instructions
To make the meatballs:
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly, Form into 16 meatballs. Saute in a large nonstick pan until golden brown and cooked through – about 3 – 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
To Serve:
- Arrange the meatballs on an ovenproof dish. Top with about 1 tsp salsa, and 1 tsp shredded cheddar each. Place under the broiler for about one minute or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, top each meatball with a dab of sour cream and a slice of pickled jalapeno.
Notes
Approximate nutrition information:
per meatball naked: 81 calories, 6g fat, .5g net carbs, 7g protein
per meatball with toppings: 93 calories, 7g fat, .8g net carbs, 7g protein
4 meatballs naked: 324 calories, 24g fat, 2g net carbs, 28g protein
4 meatballs with toppings: 372 calories, 28g fat, 3.2g net carbs, 28g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 372
- Fat: 28g
- Carbohydrates: 3.2g net
- Protein: 28g
Don’t miss these recent favorites, the General Tso’s Meatball, the Caprese Meatball, the Carolina BBQ Meatball, and the Green Chicken Enchilada Meatball, just to name a few! Be sure to subscribe to IBIH so you can get new low carb meatball recipes delivered to your inbox every Monday!
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Lacey says
How did you all get these done in the middle? I cooked them at least 10 mins on each side then baked them at 350 for 15 mins… Still pink! We had to crumble them and fry it up. It was good, but I’m so confused on the cooking times. I made 16 small/medium ones, so I don’t think they were too big.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sorry Lacey, not sure why they didn’t cook through in that amount of time – it seems like it would be more than enough! Maybe your cooking temperature was a lot lower than mine – glad they tasted good at least!
buttoni says
These sound so good. I’ll bet you could even put the salsa IN the meatballs before cooking. Can’t wait to try these!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Right???? What’s not to like about cheese and salsa all over a meatball??? Enjoy!
Amber M. says
I love these! I made them the other day and they were absolutely delicious. I saved the leftovers, took them to work, and nuked them in the microwave and they tasted good as new. I bought my almond flour in bulk at WinCo.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the feedback Amber! I loved these reheated too – next time I have to make a double batch! :)
Dalena says
What kind of Salsa do you use?
Mellissa Sevigny says
It varies, but in this recipe I think I used Pace brand medium salsa which is pretty tasty.
Amanda says
I made these tonight. They were yummy. We left off sour cream because it was not our cup of tea. The only problem was mine looked like a train wreck instead of the nice picture of yours.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Trust me Amanda, if I didn’t have to style them for the blog photos, mine would have looked like a hot mess! :) Glad you liked them – thanks for taking the time to comment!
Simone says
Love the idea of the nachos without the nachos sort of.. ;) This looks fantastic and I bet you don’t miss the carb one bit! (and having said that, I am very fond of my carbs so that is saying something!)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Me too Simone – and I really DIDN’T miss the chips at all when I ate these! Hope you like them!
sara says
Yum! What a great idea – these meatballs look super yummy! :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Sara, they really are!
jennypenny says
Yum! I love nachos! Can’t wait to make these. I just made your sun dried tomato meatballs for my lunches this week. Can’t wait for lunch today!
Mellissa Sevigny says
If you love nachos, you’ll love these jenny! But I do love the sun dried tomato meatballs too! It’s so hard to choose between them all!
Mary Kay says
Wow love the recipe can’t wait to find more!
Tony says
Love this idea, where have you found Almond Flour at a reasonable price?
Victoria says
Trader Joes has Almond meal at pretty decent prices.
Dalena says
You can find good prices for almond meal at nuts.com
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes, nuts.com is my favorite source too! They are relatively inexpensive and the shipping is ridiculously fast!