Starting a new diet can seem daunting, especially the keto diet. It's easy to get stuck in a rut thinking “there are so many things I can't eat!” Instead of thinking about what you can't eat, start thinking about what you can. Here are six easy keto meals to get you started.
1. Chicken Alfredo
I'll start out with one of my personal favorite easy keto meals, chicken alfredo! You'll need to find a fairly low carb alfredo sauce for this (or make your own). Most alfredo sauces from the store are already low carb, but check the nutritional label and find the one with the lowest carbs possible.
Simply cook up some chicken breast (or even chicken thighs) in a pan with some butter or coconut oil and Italian seasonings. Once the chicken is cooked, add the alfredo sauce and let it simmer until warm. Steamed asparagus makes a wonderful side dish for this meal.
2. Green Beans with Bacon
If you've never had green beans and bacon, you're in for a treat! My grandmother used to make green beans with bacon all of the time when I was a kid. Imagine how delighted I was to find out that it is keto-friendly.
My preferred method of making this dish (because it's super easy) is to buy a bag of frozen green beans that I can steam in the microwave. After steaming the green beans, I pour them into a pan and fry them with the bacon. Sometimes I use pre-cooked bacon and sometimes I cook the bacon myself.
3. Zoodles and Meatballs
If you miss spaghetti and meatballs, do not despair! You can replicate your favorite dish by using zoodles (zucchini noodles) instead of wheat noodles, and finding an acceptably low carb meat sauce. You can also make your own meatballs or buy frozen. I prefer frozen for simplicity.
You can make your own zoodles or buy them. I buy mine fresh from Hyvee.
Simply cook your zoodles in butter or coconut oil in a pan. Cover and simmer the pre-cooked meatballs and sauce in another pan. Serve meatballs and sauce over a bed of zoodles.
4. Mini Zucchini Pizzas
If you're missing pizza, mini zucchini pizzas are a perfect solution. What you need: Zucchini sliced into 1/4″ rounds, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese, favorite pizza toppings, and parmesan cheese if desired.
Brush the zucchini with oil and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until slightly tender (about 5 minutes). Spread the tomato paste on the zucchini, sprinkle with seasonings, and top with cheese and toppings. Bake for approximately 10 more minutes or until zucchini is tender and cheese is melted.
5. Low Carb Quesadillas
An easy keto meal that I make on a regular basis is low carb quesadillas. You'll need some low carb tortillas from the store and shredded cheese (I love sharp cheddar or Mexican cheese blend).
Heat some coconut oil or butter over medium heat in a frying pan. Place one tortilla in the pan, cover with cheese, then place the other tortilla on top. Brown the tortilla on each side. Let cool and slice!
I love pairing my low carb quesadillas with a low-carb guacamole or salsa. Sour cream is delicious with them as well!
6. Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice
If you thought you had to give up stir fry because you can't eat rice, you thought wrong. Stir fry is just as delicious without the rice. And if you're really craving a rice substitute for your stir fry, you can try cauliflower rice.
This one really doesn't need an explanation. Just stir fry your favorite meat and veggies. You can use Asian seasonings and soy sauce for flavor.
Easy Keto Meals for the Win
As you can see, eating keto does not mean going without. You can make delicious and easy keto meals without much hassle. It's just a matter of learning some new recipes and ingredients that you might not be used to. you can still have many of your old favorites in a new way.
Nice blog, good content and helpful. Thanks for posting this keto meals.