This recipe has my mouth watering! If you’re trying to cut back on the pasta intake, or to eat more vegetables, this is a fantabulous way to incorporate more veggies into our diet.
>> Servings: 4; Yields about 15-18 meatballs
This recipe is highly recommended for the Spiral Vegetable Slicer (Spiralizer) but if you do not have one, you can try using your food processor or vegetable peeler for the zucchini.
Ingredients for the meatballs:
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup Panko or bread crumbs
2 large eggs
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup fresh chives, diced
season lightly with salt and pepper
For the zucchini noodles:
3 medium sized zucchinis
very light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (if desired)
fresh parsley for garnish
freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish if desired (not pictured here)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or your silicone baking mat and set aside.
Using a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, olive oil, panko, eggs, minced garlic, chives, and salt and pepper. Using your hands (with plastic kitchen gloves if desired), mix until well combined. Roll the ground beef mixture into 1¼-to-1½-inch meatballs, forming about 15-18 meatballs.
Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until all of the sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through.
For the zucchini noodles:
Using your spiral vegetable slicer (you will have to experiment with the blades to get the thickness of the spiral ribbon cuts you want), insert the zucchini onto the spiral vegetable slicer and turn the wheel while pushing the base toward the blade. You’ll want to have a bowl underneath to catch the zucchini ribbons/curls as they fall out. You can very lightly drizzle some olive oil (if desired) over the zucchini noodles and set aside. If cooking your zucchini noodles, using a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the zucchini noodles and sauté for just a few minutes, or until heated through slightly.
To serve:
Place the desired amount of zucchini noodles into a shallow bowl, place a few meatballs on top and cover with some hot marinara sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy immediately.
(recipe from Hip Foodie Mom)
Note from an MCM Staffer: Buy a Spiralizer. They are awesome. You can order one from Amazon.com. You can even make curly fries with them! Win-win.
