Quick and easy enough for a weeknight, these low carb turkey meatballs are accompanied by a rich and creamy red pepper coconut sauce.
I don't know about you, but meatballs are a big hit in my house! My boys in particular love them. While we love the traditional Italian variety, it's also fun to mix it up with something a little bit surprising. Something like these low carb turkey meatballs with red pepper coconut sauce.
The meatballs come together super quickly – I'm talking weeknight fast. The sauce has only a few simple ingredients but they come together to make something truly delicious that you won't want to stop eating!
So how do you make these little beauties? It's simple!
You'll start by combining ground turkey, almond flour, an egg, basil and garlic powder in a bowl. Next, you'll roll the mixture into meatballs. Then you'll work on the sauce. You'll blend roasted red peppers with a bit of the liquid from the jar until smooth. To finish the sauce, you'll sauté a bit of garlic before adding the blended peppers, coconut cream, a bit of the coconut milk liquid and spices to the pan. (To get the coconut cream, simply refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight and scoop off the solid portion.)
Once you've stirred to combine, carefully add the meatballs, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. That's all there is to it!
I love serving these meatballs over cauli mash – it soaks up all of that delicious sauce in the best way.
I hope you love this one! Let me know in the comments.
Low Carb Turkey Meatballs with Red Pepper Coconut Sauce Over Cauli Mash
Ingredients
For the Meatballs w/ Red Pepper Coconut Sauce:
- 1 # ground turkey
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 12 oz jar roasted red peppers
- 13.5 oz full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
For the Cauli Mash:
- 1 head cauliflower
Instructions
For the Meatballs w/ Red Pepper Coconut Sauce:
- In a large bowl combine 1# ground turkey, ½c almond flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp basil & ½tsp garlic powder.
- Roll into golf ball-sized meatballs. Set aside.
- Mince 4 garlic cloves. Set aside.
- In a blender, combine 12oz jar of roasted red peppers w/ 2T of liquid from the jar. Blend well.
- Heat 1T olive oil in a large, deep saute pan over med heat.
- Add minced garlic cloves & cook, stirring ~1 min.
- Add the pureed peppers, coconut cream (just solid cream from top of can), ¼c of the coconut milk liquid, ½ tsp basil, ¼ tsp pepper & ¼ tsp salt. Stir to combine.
- Carefully add meatballs into the liquid.
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 15 mins or until meatballs are fully cooked. Serve meatballs & sauce over cauli mash.
For the Cauli Mash:
- Cut 1 head cauliflower into 1-2” bite-sized pieces.
- Place cauliflower florets in a steamer pot and cook ~12 mins or until fork tender
- Place cauliflower + 1-2T water in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition
Can I meal Prep Low Carb Turkey Meatballs?
Yes, these low carb turkey meatballs are perfect for meal prep. I recommend making the cauli mash and forming the meatballs ahead of time. If you're planning to cook within a couple of days, you can store the meatballs in the fridge. If you're planning to cook toward the end of the week, pop them in the freezer! Meatballs freeze so well!
I also recommend blending the roasted red peppers as part of your meal prep. This step will help the sauce come together quickly and prevent you from having to clean the blender on a busy weeknight.
With these meal prep steps complete, all you'll have to do on dish day is reheat the cauli mash, stir together the sauce ingredients and simmer the meatballs in the sauce. Quick and easy!
How to Freeze Meatballs
I LOVE stocking my freezer with homemade meatballs. They're easy to pull out for lunch and also make the perfect dinner for my kiddos on nights my husband and I are going out.
You can freeze meatballs either raw or cooked. Either way, you'll want to flash freeze them. To do this, place your meatballs in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet and freeze. Once fully frozen, transfer to a freezer container. This will prevent the meatballs from sticking together in a giant clump or getting excessive freezer burn.
You can thaw frozen meatballs in the fridge overnight or heat frozen, cooked meatballs directly from frozen.
How to Make Cauli Mash
Once you master cauli mash, you'll find yourself making this easy, super healthy side dish again and again. The best part? It's incredibly simple.
To make cauli mash, all you need to do is chop a head of cauliflower, steam the cauliflower for about 12 minutes or until fork tender, and blend along with 1-2 tablespoons of water or broth until smooth. You can of course add whatever seasonings you like so have fun with it!
Are Low Carb Turkey Meatballs healthy?
Yes, these low carb turkey meatballs, as well as the red pepper coconut sauce, are indeed quite healthy. In addition to being perfect for a low carb or keto diet, they also offer tons of nutrition and vitamins. Here's a snapshot of the nutritional benefits:
Turkey (B Vitamins, Selenium, Zinc)
In addition to being a low fat source of protein, turkey offers significant amounts of B vitamins, selenium and zinc. It also contains zero carbs, making it a great addition to a low carb diet.
Almond Flour (Magnesium, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, Antioxidants)
Made from almonds, almond flour is an excellent resource of several vitamins and minerals. Almonds' high antioxidant content can help fight inflammation. Much of the antioxidants are in the skin of the almond so unbalanced almond flour offers more antioxidants. Almonds are one of the best sources of vitamin E which may help prevent diseases like heart disease, Alztheimers and cancer. Furthermore, the magnesium in almonds may help lower blood pressure in those with high blood pressure.
Garlic (Beneficial Sulfur Compounds, Manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Selenium)
Garlic has been used in homeopathic remedies for thousands of years and is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol and some types of cancer. Eating garlic may also help prevent colds and other minor illnesses.
Scientists believe these substantial health benefits may stem primarily from garlic's sulfur compounds such as allicin, diallyl disulfide and sallyl cysteine.
Red Peppers (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Folic Acid, Iron, Potassium, Fiber, Antioxidants)
Bell peppers provide tons of good-for-you vitamins. The combination of iron and vitamin C in bell peppers makes them particularly good for preventing anemia. They're also highly beneficial for eye health.
Red bell peppers, which are often the type used in roasted red peppers, offer even more nutrients and can have 1.5 times as much vitamin C and 11 times as much beta-carotene as green bell peppers.
Coconut Milk (Potassium, Vitamin C, Folate)
Made of the white flesh of coconuts mixed with water, coconut milk is high in manganese, copper, iron, magnesium and selenium. It's also a good source of potassium, vitamin C and folate. Some studies have shown that coconut helps to reduce inflammation, fight bacteria and viruses and fight stomach ulcers.
Cauliflower (Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B Vitamins, Potassium, Manganese, Magnesium)
Containing tons of vitamins and nutrients, cauliflower is a great choice to regularly include in your diet. It's particularly high in vitamin C, fiber and certain antioxidants that may slow the growth of cancer. Cauliflower is also high in choline, which is important for brain health.
I want more low carb dinner recipes!
It can be hard to find low carb dinner recipes, especially ones that appeal to the whole family. Here are a few of my favorites:
Chili Lime Chicken
This recipe features the best marinade! It's delicious on shrimp and steak as well.
Homemade Fish Sticks w/ Simple Tartar Sauce
This nod to the childhood classic is so crispy and addictive, a total family dinner win.
Chicken Poblano Casserole
Creamy and savory, this poblano casserole is perfect for busy weeknights.
FAQ – Everything You Want to Know About Low Carb Turkey Meatballs
Can you eat turkey on a low carb diet?
Yes! Turkey is an excellent choice for a low carb diet.
How many carbs are in turkey meatballs?
The number of carbs in meatballs will vary by the recipe. One serving of these low carb turkey meatballs, including red pepper coconut sauce and cauli mash, has about 17.7 grams of carbs.
Can you freeze turkey meatballs?
Yes! Turkey meatballs freeze quite well. Simply flash freeze before transferring to a freezer container.
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