Keto pimiento cheese meatballs

Keto pimiento cheese meatballs

Cheddar cheese, red pimiento peppers, and the secret ingredient — mayonnaise — creates a zesty, creamy and juicy keto meatball. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner but also for a low carb snack or your lunchbox!
April 2 2016 recipe by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Appetizer, Main course

Keto pimiento cheese meatballs

Cheddar cheese, red pimiento peppers, and the secret ingredient — mayonnaise — creates a zesty, creamy and juicy keto meatball. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner but also for a low carb snack or your lunchbox!
USMetric
4 servingservings

Ingredients

Pimiento cheese
  • 1⁄3 cup 80 ml mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup 60 ml pimientos or pickled jalapeños
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp paprika powder or chili powder
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup (4 oz.) 240 ml (110 g) grated cheddar cheese
Meatballs
  • 1½ lbs 650 g ground beef or ground turkey
  • 1 1 eggeggs
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp 2 tbsp butter, for frying
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Instructions

  1. Start by mixing all ingredients for the pimiento cheese in a large bowl.
  2. Add ground beef and the egg to the cheese mixture. Use a wooden spoon or clean hands to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Form large meatballs and fry them in butter or oil in a skillet on medium heat until thoroughly cooked.
  4. Serve with a side dish of your choice, a green salad and perhaps a homemade mayonnaise.

Tip!

This recipe works well for meatloaf, too. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Press the meat mixture into a loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Meatloaf can also be sliced for sandwiches or luncheon meat.

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47 comments

  1. 1
    Rens
    May 28 2016
    Sounds delicious, but what exactly is 1 batch of pimiento cheese? 4 servings, as descripted in the recipe for pimiento cheese, or only 1 serving?
    Reply: #3
  2. 1 comment removed
  3. 3
    Reply to comment #1 by Rens
    Kristin Berglund Team Diet Doctor
    May 29 2016
    Hi Rens!
    It is delicious and it's meant to be the entire recipe, so 4 servings of Pimiento cheese. Please let us know if you liked it!
  4. 4
    Gerardine Farrington
    June 12 2016
    How many grams in a batch
  5. 5
    Jeri Derr
    June 15 2016
    How many carbs
    Replies: #6, #20
  6. 6
    Reply to comment #5 by Jeri Derr
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    June 15 2016
    1 gram carbs/serving. 4 grams in the batch.
  7. 7
    Noushka
    September 7 2016
    Can anybody tell me what is the difference between keto low carb and strict low carb? thanks
    Reply: #8
  8. 8
    Reply to comment #7 by Noushka
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    September 9 2016
    Hi Noushka!

    I would say it's about the same... ;-)

  9. 9
    Ruby
    September 18 2016
    Cooked this tonight but just used venison instead of beef. It was on reduced price as had to be eaten/cooked by Monday. Had small side dish of zucchini noodles drenched in butter. Saved half for lunch tomorrow. Very filling, and no snacking afterwards-new for me. Keep up the fantastic recipes as I get bored by food and it triggers overeating the old carb–heavy foods through boredom. Glad I took out the membership. Lost 9kgs so far in 12 weeks or so. Thank you.
  10. 10
    Gail
    April 12 2017
    This looks so perfect (and for simplicity, I will be making a meat loaf - lazy cook) because I have always loved pimento cheese and would have never thought to make it part of meat loaf! Thanks for such creativity and attention to the tasty factor!
  11. 11
    Nat
    May 27 2017
    How much is one batch of pimiento cheese (in grams or oz)? Thanks
  12. 12
    Simon
    June 19 2017
    I made these last night and while they were delicious they did pretty much fall apart in the pan. I would recommend anyone else to use an egg as part of their meatball mixture to help bind it together.
  13. 13
    Jon
    June 25 2017
    Tried meatballs with half the mixture, they fall apart while cooking. So made a meatloaf with the other half, let it cool completely, then tried to slice it but again it falls apart. Followed recipe exactly so no idea why this happened.
  14. 14
    Emily
    July 28 2017
    These were fabulous! They were soft, but I had no problems with falling apart as other posters did. I used a ceremic nonstick pan, and tried not to overhandle. I'll also bet that shredding your own cheese is important, as the anti-caking agents in the pre-shredded stuff will encourage falling apart in the meatballs. They came together quickly, and formed a beautiful browned crust from the cheese. They were soft and moist, which is hard to achieve in a grain free meatball. They were so flavorful, too. My husband said they were the best meatballs he's ever had and requested I make them again, which I will do. I served with a side salad of mixed greens with tomato, avocado, and balsamic vinaigrette. Thanks for a great recipe!
  15. 15
    Ken
    March 3 2018
    When I make pimento cheese I shred my own cheese as it binds better and tastes better.
  16. 16
    Cyndi
    May 3 2018
    I shredded my own cheese and they melted & fell apart. Should have chilled them at least an hour maybe that will bind them better or just do the meatloaf style.
    Reply: #18
  17. 17
    Aleesha
    May 22 2018
    I can't get pimiento - what are some alternatives?
  18. 18
    Reply to comment #16 by Cyndi
    ashlee
    June 21 2018
    I added ground flax seed and it held together better
  19. 19
    Melissa
    August 14 2018
    Typically Pickled Jalepenos have 21 grams of sugar per serving (about 5 whole peppers)
  20. 20
    Reply to comment #5 by Jeri Derr
    Brenda
    October 10 2018
    Emily, made the meatball form it was prefect and sooooo good . After cooking I cut it into 4 pieces... l am hoping Peter or someone can help me with sides ... I made green beans , sliced up 1 tomatoe , some cucumber and sprinkled feta cheese on it with some salt and olive oil .... how I count that up .?? Is it this way .....green beans =4
    Tomatoe = 3
    Cucumber = 3
    Feta = ?
    1 serving meatloaf = 1
    On the visual guides is whole avocado 2 carbs ??
    On the olives it show 3 carbs but not on how many ...help please
    Why don’t we have a chart or a website to go to for carb counts . This confuses me so much . I am on my third 3 and I feel so uneducated about how to add things to a main meal ...help .thanks
  21. 21
    Helga Brandt
    October 25 2018
    How many meatballs do you get out of your 4 servings/25oz ground beef, say about the size of a large apricot?
  22. 22
    Anne
    November 4 2018
    Hi can I substitute an ordinary red pepper for the pimientos? And if I do does this change the net carb?
    Reply: #23
  23. 23
    Reply to comment #22 by Anne
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    November 5 2018

    Hi can I substitute an ordinary red pepper for the pimientos? And if I do does this change the net carb?

    Yes, if that's what taste you would prefer. Any change to carb count would be minimal.

    --Kristin

  24. 24
    Dawn
    November 11 2018
    I tried to shortcut and bake in the oven (batch 1) and air fryer (batch 2), and I think all the cheese (and oil) just drained out of meatball. I guess pan frying would have seared the outside first? Still good!!!
  25. 25
    bec
    November 21 2018
    Ours fell apart 😥
  26. 26
    Teresa
    December 5 2018
    So easy, so deliscious and great to have on hand in a pinch for another day!
  27. 1 comment removed
  28. 28
    Susie
    January 2 2019
    Please, please, please, stop measuring non liquids in millilitres! Non liquids are usually measured in milligrams, grams, and kilos. Or their non metric equivalent. Throughout your recipes I come across many non liquid ingredients measured in millilitres. I ask why? I get no reply. For example: 110g or 125 ml of CHEESE! And why measure the jalapeños in ml? Please, I beseech you, make this easier for me/us and use “normal” measurements. It’s driving me mad!
  29. 29
    Susie
    January 2 2019
    I calmed down and went over to American cup sizes! I made the whole recipe into a meatloaf. It was delicious and very filling. Definitely a favourite.
  30. 30
    Mark
    May 23 2019
    Like others this fell apart and would not stay together. It ended up being a disgusting mess and waste. I followed recipe exactly with measurements.
  31. 31
    Sheetal
    July 19 2019
    I guess pan frying would have seared the outside first
  32. 32
    Carly
    July 26 2019
    Serves 4, makes 8? is a serving size 2 meat balls per person?? does the nutritional info add up for 2 meatballs per serving??
    Reply: #33
  33. 33
    Reply to comment #32 by Carly
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    July 26 2019

    Serves 4, makes 8? is a serving size 2 meat balls per person?? does the nutritional info add up for 2 meatballs per serving??

    Yes, this recipe makes 4 servings. If you get 8 meatballs, then a serving is 2 and yes, the nutritional information is for one serving.

  34. 34
    PJ
    November 8 2019
    We made these tonight. They were good, but fell apart in the pan. Decided to go with the flow and let them crumble. I definitely can see where this would make a great meatloaf.
  35. 35
    Candice
    December 5 2019
    Super annoying how everything falls apart and turns into mush. How about brown some ground beef and throw the pimento cheese on top afterwards?
  36. 36
    Laura Lisk
    January 15 2020
    Can the meatballs or meatloaf be frozen?
    Reply: #37
  37. 37
    Reply to comment #36 by Laura Lisk
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    January 16 2020

    Can the meatballs or meatloaf be frozen?

    Yes, they can both be frozen and enjoyed at a later date.

  38. 38
    Linda
    January 19 2020
    Serves 4, makes 8? is a serving size 2 meat balls per person?? does the nutritional info add up for 2 meatballs per serving??

    Yes, this recipe makes 4 servings. If you get 8 meatballs, then a serving is 2 and yes, the nutritional information is for one serving.

    Wow! So 2 meatballs are 651 calories?? That's half of my calories for the whole day!

  39. 39
    QT
    February 21 2020
    What is the nutritional info. I can't find it anywhere. I made them. They fell apart a little but not much. They were yummy. I used habanero because I didn't have jalapeño.
    Reply: #40
  40. 40
    Reply to comment #39 by QT
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    February 21 2020

    What is the nutritional info. I can't find it anywhere. I made them. They fell apart a little but not much. They were yummy. I used habanero because I didn't have jalapeño.

    All of our recipes have the full nutrition information listed in the Nutrition+ tab under the list of ingredients.

  41. 41
    Tawni
    July 13 2020
    Mine did not brown very good in pan. Kept falling apart. So I just cooked it like ground beef. Awesome flavor I will try it with meatloaf😊
  42. 42
    Hristo
    July 28 2020
    Fell apart for me...
  43. 43
    Greg Yancey
    August 18 2020
    Made this tonight, it had great flavor albiet totally fell apart during cooking. Might try again as a meatloaf who knows.
  44. 44
    Leesa
    August 20 2020
    This was "Ok" but I am a ketchup fiend and i miss a sauce. Is there any keto friendly sauce that could go with this? OR can tomato paste be added? or tomatoes?
    Reply: #45
  45. 45
    Reply to comment #44 by Leesa
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    August 20 2020

    This was "Ok" but I am a ketchup fiend and i miss a sauce. Is there any keto friendly sauce that could go with this? OR can tomato paste be added? or tomatoes?

    We have a ketchup recipe you may like.
    https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/ketchup

  46. 46
    Leah
    October 4 2020
    Talk about a complete mess, none of mine resembled balls. 😭 Way too soft to handle, so as soon as you turn them, they just fall apart to make a pan full of mess. Would there have been anything else to add to bind them better?
    Reply: #47
  47. 47
    Reply to comment #46 by Leah
    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
    October 4 2020

    Talk about a complete mess, none of mine resembled balls. 😭 Way too soft to handle, so as soon as you turn them, they just fall apart to make a pan full of mess. Would there have been anything else to add to bind them better?

    You might want to try adding some crushed pork rinds or Parmesan, as they make great binders. You may also want to try baking them on a rack, as they wouldn’t need to be turned.

  48. 48
    Lori
    November 5 2020
    To keep them from falling apart I added 1 T of almond flour and an extra egg and subbed used parmesan cheese and they were great. Also I used chopped sundried tomatoes instead of the pimientos and the flavor was outstanding ;)
    Reply: #49
  49. 49
    Reply to comment #48 by Lori
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    November 5 2020

    To keep them from falling apart I added 1 T of almond flour and an extra egg and subbed used parmesan cheese and they were great. Also I used chopped sundried tomatoes instead of the pimientos and the flavor was outstanding ;)

    What a neat variation, Lori!

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