These low carb meatball sub cups are perfect finger food for your next football party. Each gluten free cup is like a mini meatball sub with a tasty bread cup, marinara sauce, meatballs and cheese. Only 2.4g net carbs per cup.
You might also like these low carb meat calzones.
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Recently I made a low carb Halloween appetizer (witchy fingers) using fathead dough which made me remembered how much I like it. It does not taste just like bread but it is bready and tastes good when you add other spices and flavors. So today I made for you some low carb meatball sub cups that have all the flavor of a meatball sub in one perfect bite (or two). While each cup is 2.4g net carbs I think you can bring that number down even more by making your own meatballs. This makes for great football party food.
What is fathead dough and how do you make it?
I always feel like I have to explain fathead dough to my new readers. If you have been eating low carb for awhile you already probably know. It’s a dough made of mozzarella, cream cheese, eggs and a little coconut or almond flour. You can make it in just a few minutes and it’s a good low carb substitute for bread. I’ve used it to make a flatbread, meat calzone and a fruit pizza. So check those out if you like fathead dough.
The basic recipe for the dough, cream cheese and mozzarella in a bowl that you microwave for 1 minute. Mix it well and then add in the egg, flour and any seasonings you want. Now you have fathead dough. However work quickly with it because as it cools it’s harder to handle.
Low carb Meatball sub cups recipe
Start by making your dough. Add the cream cheese, mozzarella, garlic powder and Italian seasonings to a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Meanwhile in a separate bowl mix the egg and coconut flour. Mix both together as good as you can. I often have to use my hands and it’s very sticky.
]IMPORTANT: make sure to spray you mini muffin tin very well so they don’t stick. I forgot with the first batch and I could not get them out at all.
Then place the dough in the mini muffin tin and form into cups (see pic above). Bake for about 10 minutes. You want them cooked but not too brown.
When they are done baking, place a teaspoon of marinara sauce in the cups, then add a meatball to each one. I used frozen meatballs from Aldi and there were about 1g net carbs per meatball. You could probably make your own for less carbs but I wanted to make these quickly.
Next top with more marinara sauce and a little mozzarella cheese. Place them under the broiler to melt the cheese. That is all there is to it.
As for the marinara sauce I like Aldi’s Specialty Selects Marinara as it has 5g net carbs per half cup and it’s easy for me to get. If you have a lower carb one you like use that. Here is some of the low carb condiments I’ve found on Amazon.
As you can see above these can be the perfect bite. The dough has alot of flavor from the spices and of course who doesn’t love a good meatball. The nutrition for 1 cup is:
120 cals / 9.1g fat / 3.3g carbs / 0.9g fiber / 7.5g protein = 2.4g net carbs
Low Carb Meatball Sub Cups
These low carb meatball sub cups are perfect finger food for your next football party. Each gluten free cup is like a mini meatball sub with a tasty bread cup, marinara sauce, meatballs and cheese. Only 2.4g net carbs per cup.
Ingredients
- 10 small meatballs, cooked
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/2 cup low carb marinara (see notes)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
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In a microwave safe bowl, add the cream cheese, mozzarella, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Cook for 1 minute.
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Meanwhile in another bowl, mix the egg and coconut flour together.
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Take the cheese out of the microwave and mix well. Add in the egg mixture and mix again. You might have use your hands to make sure everything is well incorporated.
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Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Make sure you spray well because these will stick. Take a bit of the dough and form into a cup inside the muffin tin.
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Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Take out of the oven and add a teaspoon of marinara sauce, then a meatball, then another teaspoon of sauce and finally a little shredded mozzarella.
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Please under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
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NOTE: I buy Specially Selected Premium Marinara sauce from Aldi. It only has 5g net carbs per 1/2 cup of sauce. If you have a lower carb sauce you like please use that.
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kaylee
what nutrition calculator do you use? I tried putting this into myfitnesspal. 10 servings and received these results: Calories: 71 total fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 1g (Carbs: 4g dietary fiber 1g= net carbs 3g) Protein: 5g
Denise
Hi Kaylee, I use the Loseit app as it has all my recipes on it and I feel it’s more consistent that way. I do know entries vary on all these calulators. It can depend on the brand or a lot of the entries are from users not manufacturers so they can be incorrect. Therefore I would suggest that you use your own calculations.
I used Aldi brands in my calculation except for the coconut flour. Here are screen shots of my calculator. Hope that helps!