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LOW CARB MEATLOAF that the whole family will devour! Wrapped in bacon, topped with the simplest little sauce, and baked to juicy meatloaf perfection.
I’m a total sucker for meatloaf and meatballs.
My mom never made either one when I was a kid, so when I grew up and discovered how tasty they both are, I started making up for lost time.
We went through a period where we were eating meatloaf every few nights there for awhile. I’m sure the husband loved it. 😉
Anyway, we still have this low carb meatloaf at least once a month. It’s easy to prepare, hearty, comforting, and it’s just plain delicious.I can never get enough of the sweet tangy sauce on top!
How to make this low carb meatloaf recipe:
I like to use lean ground beef for my meatloaf, because it’s getting wrapped in bacon before baking. The fat from the bacon keeps the meatloaf plenty moist, so no need to worry about using a higher fat content in the beef.
Mix together your beef with some minced bell pepper, onion, and garlic.
Stir in eggs, crushed pork rinds or almond flour, cheddar, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
Mix that up real good with your hands to combine and then pat it out into a loaf shape on your baking sheet.
Lay slices of bacon over the top and pop it all in the oven. The sauce will come in after the meatloaf has baked a bit.
Low carb meatloaf binder:
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You have two options in this recipe for a binder: crushed pork rinds or almond flour.
The pork rinds end up being a bit more light and they don’t add carbs to the meatloaf.
The almond flour seems to hold together a bit better, but produces a heavier meatloaf with a few more carbs.
We like both, but usually go for the almond flour in my house.
Low carb meatloaf topping:
Once the meatloaf has baked for about 30 minutes, whisk together the meatloaf sauce and spoon it over the top.
The topping consists of just 2 ingredients: sugar free ketchup and bottled Italian salad dressing.
You can use no sugar added Heinz ketchup if you’re low carb or Primal Kitchen Ketchup if you’re keto.
They add the perfect sweet and tangy flavor to this low carb meatloaf.
I add a second layer of sauce about 10 minutes before the meatloaf is done. We like it saucy in our house!
What to serve with this keto meatloaf:
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese: The perfect side for meatloaf!
Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts: Roasted to perfection.
Cauliflower Potato Salad: The texture isn’t quite the same as regular potato salad, but the flavor is spot on!
Keto Mashed Cauliflower: The creamiest!
Keto Coleslaw: My mom’s famous recipe.
Ranch Dressing: A side salad with my homemade ranch is always a win!
Low Carb Meatloaf
Total comfort food and it's low carb! That saucy topping is the perfect combo of sweet and tangy.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup almond flour *see note
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- 1/4 cup powdered Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 slices thin-cut bacon
- 3 tablespoons sugar free ketchup
- 1 tablespoon bottled Italian salad dressing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Mince the green pepper, onion, and garlic.
- Add to a large bowl with the ground beef, eggs, almond flour, cheddar, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to combine.
- Shape mixture into a loaf, about 7x4 inches, and place in a 9x13 baking dish.
- Cut the bacon slices in half and drape over the meatloaf.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Whisk together the ketchup and Italian dressing. Spoon half of the mixture over the meatloaf.
- Increase heat to 425 and bake an additional 10 minutes and then spread the remaining sauce over the meatloaf.
- Continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- Let rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
You may substitute crush pork rinds for the almond flour, though the meatloaf won't hold together quite as well.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 356Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 148mgSodium 798mgCarbohydrates 5gNet Carbohydrates 4gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 31g
28 comments
Can you freezer this recipe after it has been cooked?
I think it would freeze fine, though I’ve never done it.
The note saying pork rinds can be used instead of almond flour but it won’t hold together as well isn’t true, at least for me. I’ve made this low carb meatloaf several times with no problems.
How much rinds do you use?
Approximately how many grams, or ounces, for one serving?
I didn’t measure this by weight. I just sliced into 6 equal pieces.
Loved this recipe! My 21 year old son said it was the best meatloaf he’d ever had. Two adjustments I made we’re; I used half almond flour and half pork rinds and I subbed half a jalapeno pepper diced very fine for the bell pepper.
Sounds delicious!
Omg this was amazing. Even better than the meatloaf I used to make before we went keto! Thank you!
Oh, that’s great to hear! 🙂
My family loves, loves, loves your meatloaf recipe. I pulse the onions, peppers and garlic in my food processor…super easy. Great family meal when doubled! Thank you, it’s now a favorite!
Great idea to pulse the veggies. I’ll have to try that for my onion haters! 😉
Just finished this and had to stop myself from eating the whole loaf!!! Wow! Thanks for the recipe. Thinking about spicing it up a bit with some jalapeño or crushed red pepper, maybe next time I’ll try the rinds.
Yum – a little spice sounds good! 🙂
Can you use tomato paste invaded of ketchup just not and much
I’ve never tried it with tomato paste. I’m not sure you’d have the same flavor.
Wow, wow, wow!!! I will continue to make this recipe if I ever go off low carb! It was SO much better than regular meatloaf. I did not use bell pepper, added a packet of onion soup mix, and used crushed pork rinds. I also used shredded Parmesan and a little mozzarella instead of cheddar. I loved the ketchup mixed with Italian dressing for the top. Unlike typical meatloaf, this was moist, flavorful, and a 100% keeper recipe. Just wow!
Oh gosh, so happy to hear this! Glad it was such a hit and I bet the onion soup mix added so much flavor!
Do you cover the meatloaf while it bakes or leave it uncovered?
Leave it uncovered. 🙂
I made this recently with almond flour, and it was very good! Today I made it with 3/4 cup crushed bbq pork rinds, so I could compare and see which I like best. I think I’ll like them both! I liked the catsup/Italian dressing sauce too.
I had no green pepper so I substituted half red pepper and half celery. It was very good. You did not mention greasing the pan so I did not, but next time I definitely will do that. I like cold meatloaf, and this was just as tasty cold as hot.
Instead of adding the bacon on top could you add it to the mixture?
Yes, I’d probably chop it up and then fry it first though.
Do you have to use bacon at all? i’m not sure I have any right now.
You could skip it.
My 1st meatloaf in oven now.
Hope you love it!