Home » Keto Recipes » Ketogenic Crockpot and Slow Cooker Recipes » Keto Crockpot Spaghetti and Pesto Meatballs Recipe

Keto Crockpot Spaghetti and Pesto Meatballs Recipe

This keto crockpot spaghetti and pesto meatballs recipe has flavor at every turn! The pesto really livens up what might otherwise be an ordinary meatball.

Pesto Perfection

When you hear spaghetti, your mind probably jumps to long, stringy noodles covered in red spaghetti or marinara sauce.

But you shouldn’t limit yourself to that narrow definition. There are so many delicious options beyond the traditional.

For this keto recipe, pesto rules the day. To make it, you’ll need to make just a couple of modifications to keep it keto.

Unfortunately, cheese is not keto. I know, I know. I love it too. But there are ways of getting around it, I promise.

In this case, you’ll just leave out the Parmesan cheese that might otherwise be included in your pesto.

Everything else – the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and lemon juice – stays the same, which means your pesto will have that same magical taste you know and love.

Keto Noodles

As you might suspect, flour-filled pasta noodles are not the ticket to ketosis. Instead, zucchini noodles make a handy and tasty substitute.

While their green hue strays afar of white pasta, the texture of the noodles (if cooked right!) should be similar to what you’re used to.

You can eat the noodles raw, or cook them for just a minute or so. Any longer and you’re going to get a soggy product.

Keto Crockpot Spaghetti and Pesto Meatballs Recipe

---

• Author: Louise Hendon
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner, Lunch
• Cuisine: Italian

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Ingredients

For the meatballs –

• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
• 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 2 cups (480 ml) beef broth

For the pesto –

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil, plus more if necessary
• 1.5 cups (50 g) basil leaves
• 2 Tablespoons of pine nuts (16 g) (or walnuts)
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 lemon zest and juice
• Dash of salt and pepper

For the “spaghetti” –

• 2 zucchinis, spiralized or use a peeler to create long strands.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

---

Instructions

1. Make the pesto by blending all the pesto ingredients together. Set aside 1/2 to serve with.
2. Combine the ground beef and the other half of the basil pesto and form small balls 1oz / 30g in size.
3. Heat the olive oil and fry the meatballs (in batches) until browned all over. Place into the slow cooker along with the beef broth.
4. Cover and cook for 2 hours, spooning the broth over the meatballs every now and then.
5. Toss the zucchini noodles with the rest of the pesto.
6. Serve with meatballs on top.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Notes

All nutritional data are estimated and based on per serving amounts.

Net Carbs: 2 g

Nutrition

• Calories: 522
• Sugar: 1 g
• Fat: 48 g
• Carbohydrates: 3 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 20 g