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Zucchini Noodles and Meatballs
with lemony broccoli

Active: 60 Total: 60

Spaghetti and meatballs are a classic, but this paleo version gets a Cook Smarts twist and is served over zucchini noodles. To keep things simple (and allow you to double up on the meatballs for later in the week), these meatballs are baked instead of seared in batches in a skillet. Combine them with marinara sauce at the end so they still have a chance to soak up some of the saucy flavors.
Smarts: Because meatballs take some time to make, we opted for store-bought marinara sauce for this weeknight meal. Use your favorite homemade marinara if you prefer.

Proteins
Cuisines

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Zucchini Noodles:
  • Zucchini - 12 oz , turned into 'noodles' with a spiralizer or peeler
  • Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Baked Meatballs:
  • Onions, medium - 1/4 , diced
  • Eggs - 1
  • Almond meal / flour - 2 Tbsp
  • Oregano, dried - 1 tsp
  • Salt - 1/2 tsp
  • Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
  • Beef, ground - 1 lb
  • Parchment paper - for baking
Meatballs in Marinara:
  • Parsley (opt) - 1 Tbsp , chopped
  • Marinara sauce, store-bought (24 oz / 680 g) - 1 jar
  • Classic meatballs - ~20 (ingredients listed separately)
Lemony Broccoli:
  • Broccoli - 1 lb , florets
  • Garlic - 2 cloves , thinly sliced
  • Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
  • Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Prep

  1. Onions / Broccoli / Garlic - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Make meatballs - (Double if making Thursday’s meal; you can place the formed meatballs directly onto the parchment-lined sheet pan you’ll use for baking if you’d like.) Whisk together eggs. Add onions, almond meal, oregano, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Add in ground beef and gently mix with a spoon or your hands. (To keep the meatballs tender, try not to overwork the mixture.) Form into 1” / 2.5 cm balls. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  3. Zucchini - Turn zucchini into 'noodles' with a spiralizer or peel off strips with a peeler. (Note: If you prefer, you can also just cube your zucchini to make a zucchini saute.) (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  4. Parsley - Chop parsley.

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Make

  1. Heat oven to 400F / 204C. Set out two sheet pans.

  2. On the first sheet pan, toss broccoli and garlic with olive oil.

  3. Roast broccoli until very tender and golden brown, ~25 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through cooking.

  4. When broccoli is about halfway done cooking, line the second sheet pan with parchment paper and spread meatballs out on top (if doubling, bake Thursday’s meatballs at the same time).

  5. Transfer meatballs to oven and bake until golden brown on top and cooked through, 13 to 16 minutes.

  6. Warm marinara sauce on the stovetop or in the microwave.

  7. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add cooking oil and zucchini with a sprinkle of salt. Saute until zucchini is tender, ~2 minutes for zucchini noodles and 4 minutes for zucchini slices. 

  8. When meatballs are done, reserve half if doubled. Stir tonight’s portion of meatballs into the warm marinara sauce and set aside, covered to keep warm.

  9. Squeeze lemon juice over broccoli.

  10. Divide zucchini noodles between serving plates. Top with meatballs, sauce, and parsley. 

  11. Serve zucchini noodles and meatballs with broccoli on the side. Enjoy!

  12. If you want to get a head start on Thursday’s soup, go ahead and slice the remaining meatballs in half.


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