Your low sodium meatball recipe doesn’t need to lack flavor. We created a low sodium meatball recipe because you should be able to enjoy your favorite foods, even when on a low salt diet! When you start reducing the sodium intake, it can feel a little overwhelming. There is sodium in everything!
What You’ll Need
- Cremini mushrooms
- Onion
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Fresh basil
- Fresh parsley
- Garlic
- Ground beef
- Salt
- Red pepper flakes
Variations of Low Sodium Meatballs
Don’t like beef? You can use any ground meat: chicken, turkey, or pork. You can also experiment with other flavor profiles for different types of cuisine. Instead of Italian seasonings, you could go with garlic, ginger, sesame oil, etc and serve them over rice. Another idea would be to use our no sodium Greek seasoning and make Greek meatballs and serve with tzatziki on a pita.
FAQ
Why Make Low Sodium Meatballs?
While you can get frozen meatballs, many brands can have 500 mg of sodium or more per serving. Between the meatballs and the sauce, that’s probably too much for a single meal. At my local Wegmans, I was able to find a few options for 280-360 mg sodium. Not bad, but we can do better…
This low sodium meatball recipe totals 180 mg of sodium per serving (makes 4 servings). That’s pretty darn good!
Do You Need to Use Mushrooms?
If you hate mushrooms, you may not like the sound of a meatball made with mushrooms. But the mushrooms add a depth of flavor (umami) and because they are blended, you won’t know they are there. They also add some moisture which is helpful when using leaner meats. When it comes to low salt cooking, we need flavor from somewhere that isn’t salt. We also use onions and garlic, along with fresh and dried herbs. Fat is flavor too, so if it works for your nutrition goals, you can choose a meatloaf mix with beef, pork, and veal for added flavor.
Making Ahead/Storage
You can certainly make these ahead and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestion
This recipe makes 4 servings. The number of meatballs depends on the size of your meatballs.
Other Low Sodium Blogs You’ll Love
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15 Low Sodium Snack Ideas for High Blood Pressure
6 Salt Free Seasonings You Can Make From Home that Actually Taste Good
Low Sodium Meatballs
Ingredients
- 6 oz cremini mushrooms also known as baby bella
- 1/2 onion medium
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper divided
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp basil fresh, chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef or meatloaf mix
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Dice onion. On one side of a sheet pan, put the onion. On the other half, place the cremini mushrooms. You can leave the mushrooms whole. I prefer to remove the stems. Drizzle with oil, garlic powder, dried basil, and dried oregano. Toss to coat, keeping mushrooms and onion separate.
- Roast until softened and brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
- In a food processor, place mushrooms and process until finely chopped. Add onion, fresh parsley, basil, garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Process a few times to combine.
- Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl. Add ground beef and use hands to gently combine. Form meatballs and place on the same sheet pan used to cook mushrooms and onions (less to clean!).
- Reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Bake meatballs until cooked through, an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 30-40 minutes.
- Use meatballs on pasta, for a meatball sub, or however you like!
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
An award winning recipe developer, Dietitian Kaitlin’s mission is to empower others to reach their health goals by encouraging them to get back into the kitchen. Co-author of Nourished: 10 Ingredients to Happy, Healthy Eating and Cooking with Diabetes.
