From Keto meat balls to Keto meat sauce
My previous recipe was a delicious Keto Spaghetti and Meat balls recipe where I used ground beef and ground pork as my choice of protein for the meat balls. Since I purchased 1/2 kg packets and I used half of each meat, I had some left over. I also had some of those canned tomatoes. It was like the ingredients aligned and I knew I had to create the ultimate Keto Meat Sauce/Bolognese/Ragu.
I watched a bunch of videos and figured out the subtle differences between a Bolognese and a Ragu. They come from different parts of Italy, one uses white wine, the other red and they are eaten with different kinds of pasta. After much consideration I realized that the Keto version of both these incredible Italian sauces would be pretty much the same.
So give it a try, it’s great to cook in a big batch as it freezes really well. You can use it in many ways, perhaps just poured over some zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice, maybe make a lasagna with it or maybe just substitute it for the marinara sauce in my eggplant Parmesan or eggplant involtini recipe.
The finer details
You can substitute the pork and beef for a single meat of your choice. Alternatively you can use lamb and chicken as well for this recipe. To up the fat content even more you can use ground meat with a higher fat %. I am unable to do this due to the only lean meat being available here in India. Also you can skip the cream and use coconut cream for a dairy free version, just remember it won’t taste the same and don’t call it a ragu or a bolognese.
Nutrition Info (For 1 serving)
- Calories: 289
- Net Carbs: 3g
- Carbs: 5g
- Fat: 22g
- Protein: 18g
- Fiber: 2g
This recipe makes 6 servings. Get this recipe on myfitnesspal.
- 250 grams Beef Mince (Ground Beef)
- 250 grams Pork Mince (Ground Pork)
- 50 grams Red onion
- 100 grams Tomato
- 50 ml Water
- 10 grams garlic
- 100 grams White Mushroms
- 100 grams Baby Spinach
- 100 ml Heavy Cream/Double Cream
- 5 grams Chopped Parsley
- 1 Beef/Chicken Stock Cube I recommend this one
- Few springs of thyme
- Fresh or Dried Oregano Try this one
- Red Chilli Flakes
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 15 grams Butter
- 15 ml olive oil
- Heat up the olive oil and butter in a frying pan
- Grate the red onion and add to the pan and cook till translucent
- Add in the beef and pork mince and stir well breaking up the meat and not letting it lump up
- Season with salt, pepper, chilli flakes and dried oregano
- Add in the fresh thyme and garlic and cook down. Then chop and add the mushrooms to the pan.
- Add the tomatoes and water and season with the stock cube. Cover and cook for 15 minutes
- Keep checking the sauce and making sure nothing sticks and that there is enough liquid. Add water if needed
- Once nearly done add the spinach and cover and let them wilt for 1-2 minutes
- Stir in the spinach and finish with the heavy cream and the parsley
- Enjoy!
23 Comments
Rocky
April 27, 2018 at 8:51 pmMade this the other night and it rocked. Keto or not it was great.
Rocky
April 27, 2018 at 8:52 pmAlso i added some stevia for sweetness
Karen
July 8, 2018 at 2:21 pmOnce again you have provided me with what looks like a great recipe AND entertained me. Thanks, m’friend.
Bevin Gammell
October 3, 2018 at 3:40 amIs this with canned or fresh tomatoes?
Sahil Makhija
October 4, 2018 at 1:53 amYou can use either, no problem.
Rebel 40
October 10, 2018 at 10:00 pmomg! I think I just died and went to food heaven … I made this for dinner last night and it was a fully fledged party in my mouth!!
one satisfied keto tummy! ?
Janice Y.
October 16, 2018 at 2:03 amI made this tonight but I was questioning the amount of tomatoes. 100 grams equals 1 small tomato (I weighed it). Your video shows you adding what looks to be 4 plum tomatoes from a can so I added three more small tomatoes and it was delicious but I couldn’t even see the tomatoes once it was cooked.
Is the measurement off?
What size of a can of tomatoes did you add?
Sahil Makhija
October 16, 2018 at 2:37 amYeah I think I used a bit more than 100grams but put 100 in the recipe so people have a slightly lower carb count in the final dish. You can totally add more tomato for a richer sauce.
Kerri
July 30, 2019 at 10:37 pmI made this for my family last night and it was a hit. I even managed to squirrel a bowl full away for the freezer. Thanks for the video.
Mark
September 29, 2019 at 2:20 pmWhat do you think about doing this in an Instapot?
Sahil Makhija
September 30, 2019 at 3:06 amI’m positive you can make it in an instapot.
Karen
October 1, 2019 at 6:26 pmWhere is the 22 grams of Fat from? per serving??
Sahil Makhija
October 2, 2019 at 2:54 amAh sorry forgot to list the butter and olive oil in the ingredients. I fixed that now. So it’s from that plus the fat from the ground pork and beef.
Ripy Chopra
November 5, 2019 at 1:34 amI cooked it for dinner today. It was awesome! I mixed it with cauliflower rice. Also added some garam masala 😉
Leah Foulkes
November 7, 2019 at 6:56 pmGreat recipe. Very tasty and filling. Thanks
Sue
November 16, 2019 at 10:32 pmOmg, this totally rocks. Flavors are insane. I also added a chorizo too for extra spice and fat, served over zucchini noodles. Killed table conversation as we were too busy rolling this scrumptious food around our mouths.totally rocked mate, thank you.
Luci
January 7, 2020 at 8:54 pmMade this tonight for dinner. I added a little wine after stirring in the mushrooms. This is a wonderful recipe, definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Anne Khoury
April 9, 2020 at 10:27 pmLoved this recipe; I too added more tomato for a richer sauce! Good on cauliflower rice (seasoned and roasted at 375 for about 20 min, until golden ). Want to try it with low-carb pasta though! Thanks and keep these recipes coming.
Me
April 27, 2020 at 4:41 pmWhen you say add the beff to the pan are you referring to beef?
Also the chilly flakes you add are these supposed to be chilly as in keep the cold or do you mean chilli flakes?
Sahil Makhija
April 28, 2020 at 2:19 amhaha I mean beef and Chilli flakes. Will fix the typos. I’m more of video guy. I write just because I have to.
Shereene barratt
August 22, 2020 at 9:08 pmAbsolutely love this, easy to follow and tastes amazing..
Debbie
December 8, 2020 at 6:11 amIs it 4 or 6 servings? I know you mention 6 but the servings box under the ingredients says 4 .
Sahil Makhija
December 9, 2020 at 3:48 amSorry fixed that. It’s 6.