Ajpal

Easy recipes and foodie travel

Pasta

Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs

If you love rich, creamy garlic butter sauce, and meaty, hearty meatballs – you’ll love my garlic butter parmesan meatball

  • Serves 6
  • Prep 5 minutes
  • Cook 30 minutes
  • Total 1 hour
Jump to the recipe
Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs

Perfect easy low carb dinner that is great over cauliflower rice or vegetables – or over pasta, noodles, and rice for a delicious family friendly meal everyone will love!

Close-up of a bowl of Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs, topped with chopped herbs and grated cheese.

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

A close-up of One Pot Garlic Meatballs in a creamy sauce, cooked and placed in a skillet—a perfect easy one pot keto diet dinner.

Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs

These delicious garlic butter meatballs are perfect for both my husband and I to keep motivated on our keto diet – we serve them as-is alongside grilled veggies, or over cauliflower rice – and I cook up some spaghetti, fettuccine, or orzo to serve the meatballs and garlic butter sauce over!

These easy garlic butter parmesan meatballs are bursting with flavor and a deliciously rich garlic butter sauce – perfect over noodles, rice, vegetables, or even cauliflower rice for a deliciously indulgent dinner everyone loves!

If you’re looking for other amazingly delicious keto diet compatible recipes, check out my Ultimate Low Carb Recipe Guide, full of over 60 of my favorite rich, hearty, and creamy dishes that work with a paleo or keto diet and are guaranteed to keep you motivated on a low carb diet!

Click here for the Ultimate Keto Recipe List

A bowl of Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs garnished with grated cheese and chopped herbs, placed on a light-colored surface with a green cloth in the background.

How to Make Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs

To make this recipe, you will need the following:

For Meatballs:

(Store-bought meatballs work as well; heat according to package directions if using.)

  • 1 lb ground pork: Adds a rich, fatty flavor and helps create juicy, tender meatballs.
  • 1 lb Italian sausage (mild or spicy): Infuses the meatballs with a punch of flavor, herbs, and spices, with the choice of mild or spicy providing flexibility depending on heat preference.
  • ½ cup very finely minced onion: Adds sweetness and moisture to the meatballs, balancing the savory ingredients and enhancing flavor.
  • ¼ cup garlic, minced: Provides a bold, pungent flavor that complements the richness of the pork and sausage.
  • 1 stalk celery, finely minced: Adds a subtle freshness and slight crunch, while also bringing moisture to the meatballs.
  • 1 egg: Acts as a binder, helping the meatballs hold their shape while adding richness to the texture.

For Sauce:

  • ½ cup butter: Creates a rich, creamy base for the sauce and adds depth and flavor to the dish.
  • ¼ cup garlic, diced: Infuses the butter sauce with a robust, savory garlic flavor that enhances the meatballs.
  • ½ cup beef stock: Adds a savory, umami-rich element to the sauce, thinning it out slightly and deepening the overall flavor.
  • Salt and pepper, to taste: Enhances and balances the flavors of both the meatballs and the sauce, ensuring the seasoning is just right.
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese: Adds a nutty, salty richness to the sauce, thickening it slightly and giving it a cheesy, savory finish.
A frying pan with melted butter spread across the surface, perfect for starting your Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs.
A frying pan with melted butter and chopped garlic on a white background, perfect for preparing an easy one pot keto diet dinner.
A whisk stirs flour into melted butter in a black saucepan, creating a perfect base for easy one pot Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs.
A frying pan on a stovetop contains a thick white sauce, possibly a roux, simmering over low heat—a perfect base for an easy one-pot keto diet dinner.
A skillet meatball dinner recipe featuring Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs cooked in a creamy, thick beige-colored sauce. The meatballs are evenly browned and partially submerged, making it an easy one pot keto diet dinner option.

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:

For the meatballs:

  • Mix & form meatballs. If making fresh, combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Roll into 2″ (golfball sized) balls.
  • Chill. Let chill 1 hour in refrigerator to set.

For the meal:

  • Cook meatballs. Add olive oil to pan or dutch oven, and heat on medium high until shimmery. Add meatballs and brown on all sides, about 3-5 minutes per side (1-2 minutes if cooking pre-cooked/frozen meatballs) – around 15-20 minutes total.
  • Deglaze. Add stock to pan, and take care to scrape up any browned bits from the meatballs. Keep cooking meatballs until done inside, turning occasionally to prevent sticking, until size is reduced and balls are firm to the touch – about 8 minutes.
  • Make sauce. Add butter to pan with garlic. Let garlic slightly brown and soften, until fragrant. Stir in parmesan cheese and serve over pasta, rice, vegetables, or on their own!
A close-up of meatballs garnished with chopped herbs and coarse salt in a white bowl. This easy one pot keto diet dinner showcases perfect One Pot Garlic Meatballs, making it a delightful skillet meatball dinner recipe for any night.

Other Delicious One Pot Easy Dinners You’ll Love:

If you love this delicious and easy one pot garlic butter meatball dinner, be sure to check out some of my other favorite one pot dinners that are sure to be a huge hit! Easy enough for everyday, but special enough to be for a dinner party, too!

Other Easy Low Carb Dinners in 20 Minutes or Less:

If you love this delicious and easy low carb garlic butter meatball recipe, be sure to check out some of my other favorite low carb dinners that are easy and huge hits – even with family members who aren’t on a diet!

Boneless Ribeye Roast Recipe

Best Baked Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Easy Baked Greek Chicken Thighs

One Pot Italian Chicken Vegetable Skillet

Share on Facebook

Pin this now to find it later

A pan filled with Easy Keto Diet Meatballs in creamy sauce. The meatballs are browned and partially submerged in the light-colored sauce, making for an easy one pot keto diet dinner.
Close-up of Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs topped with chopped herbs, illustrating an easy one pot keto diet dinner. Text highlights "GARLIC butter meatballs" and "easy keto recipe.

The recipe

Garlic Butter Parmesan Meatballs

Easy one pot garlic butter parmesan meatballs are a delicious 20 minute keto and paleo diet dinner that is hearty, rich, and indulgent! Perfect easy low carb dinner that is great over cauliflower rice or vegetables – or over pasta, noodles, and rice for a delicious family friendly meal everyone will love!

  • Serves 6
  • Prep 5 minutes
  • Cook 30 minutes
  • Total 1 hour

Ingredients

For Meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb Sausage (Italian ground, mild or spicy, depending on your preference)
  • ½ cup very finely minced onion
  • ¼ cup garlic (Minced)
  • 1 stalk celery (finely minced)
  • 1 egg

For Sauce:

  • ½ cup butter
  • ¼ cup garlic (Diced)
  • ½ cup beef stock
  • salt and pepper (to taste (a generous pinch of each))
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Method

For the meatballs:

  1. 1

    If making fresh, combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

  2. 2

    Roll into 2" (golfball sized) balls.

  3. 3

    Let chill 1 hour in refrigerator to set.

For the meal:

  1. 4

    Add olive oil to pan or dutch oven, and heat on medium high until shimmery.

  2. 5

    Add meatballs and brown on all sides, about 3-5 minutes per side (1-2 minutes if cooking pre-cooked/frozen meatballs).

  3. 6

    Add stock to pan, and take care to scrape up any browned bits from the meatballs.

  4. 7

    Keep cooking meatballs until done inside, turning occasionally to prevent sticking, until size is reduced and balls are firm to the touch – about 8 minutes.

  5. 8

    Add butter to pan with garlic.

  6. 9

    Let garlic slightly brown and soften, until fragrant.

  7. 10

    Stir in parmesan cheese and serve over pasta, rice, vegetables, or on their own!

Equipment

  • Bruntmor 3.8 Quart Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven With Handles And Lid, 3.8 Qt Marine Blue Cast Iron Skillet, Enamel Shallow Cookware Braising Pan For Casserole Dish, Crock Pot Covered With Cast Iron
  • Bovado USA 4 Quart Glass Bowl for Storage, Mixing, Serving – Clear, Dishwasher, Freezer & Oven Safe Premium Quality Glass, Easy-Clean, 4 QT

Nutrition

  • Serving3 meatballs
  • Calories613 kcal
  • Carbohydrates5 g
  • Protein28 g
  • Fat53 g
  • Saturated Fat23 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat5 g
  • Monounsaturated Fat21 g
  • Trans Fat1 g
  • Cholesterol180 mg
  • Sodium775 mg
  • Potassium527 mg
  • Fiber0.3 g
  • Sugar0.4 g
  • Vitamin A641 IU
  • Vitamin C5 mg
  • Calcium88 mg
  • Iron2 mg