Zoodles and Meatballs

 

(Image Source |Shot_by_Cam)

By Shot_by_Cam (http://www.flickr.com/photos/picsbycam/3787124260) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Lately, Drilldoggy is in a mood for pasta and he can’t wait to whip up a yummy pasta dish in his kitchen! But isn’t pasta a strict no-no in our concept? Yes, it is and the flour pasta can indeed pose as a threat for your wellbeing. But when pasta can be made from veggies, then you really don’t have to go without this yummy ingredient.

Fitness spaghetti or pasta can be best made with zucchini or squash. So grab a spiral or a mandoline slicer and peel them into long threads of pleasure. But zoodles (zucchini noodles) will fall flat without a spicy sauce for company and with meatballs on top, this dish is bound to please. However, the key to its awesome flavors lie in the fresh ingredients which go into the sauce.

The fresh herbs, garlic and the tartness of the roasted tomatoes adds an umami tone to the dish, thus leaving you craving for more. A handful of black olives or bacon would work wonders for the dish too. So enjoy spaghetti like a caveman and enjoy pasta with its new flavors.

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

  • 3 lb zucchini
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 ½ cups onions, finely chopped
  • 24 oz fire roasted tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

  • Warm up your oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Place the ground turkey in a medium mixing bowl and pour in the coconut aminos and beaten egg.
  • Sprinkle ¾ cup chopped onions, garlic powder and a tsp each of salt as well as ground pepper over them.
  • Stir them all together until well combined and pinch out small portions of the mixture; roll them into small ping-pong sized balls.
  • Slice out the zucchini using a mandolin slicer and arrange a bed of zoodles onto a baking dish.
  • Scatter the meatballs on top and bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
  • To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a sauce pan over moderate flame until it shimmers.
  • Toss rest of the chopped onions in a saucepan and stir in the minced garlic.
  • Saute them for several minutes until the onions soften and stir in the chopped tomatoes.
  • Sprinkle the chopped parsley and oregano on top in addition to the seasonings.
  • Stir them all together until well combined and bring it to a boil.
  • Reduce it to a simmer and continue to cook likewise, covered, for 20 minutes.
  • Pile up the zoodles onto serving plates and scatter the meatballs over them.
  • Pour the sauce on top and serve warm.