Chicken Meatballs with Marinara
and spaghetti squash ‘noodles’ / roasted balsamic broccoli

Name: Chicken Meatballs with Marinara
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb Broccoli florets, chopped; 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 2 tsp Vinegar, balsamic; 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes (opt); 2 shallots Shallots, diced; 1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped; 1 lb Chicken, ground; 1 Eggs; 3 Tbsp Almond flour / meal; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/4 tsp Black pepper; 1/4 tsp Garlic powder; 1 Tbsp Oil, olive; 2 Tbsp Tomato paste; 1 tsp Oregano, dried; 1 tsp Basil, dried; 2 cans Tomatoes, crushed (15 oz / 397 g); 3 lbs Squash, spaghetti (weighed before being roasted and peeled)

Active: 50 Total: 50

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

This isn't a classic Chicken Parm, but it has all the same layers of flavor and texture, served over a healthier base of spaghetti squash.

Proteins

Ground meat

Cuisines

American

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Roasted Balsamic Broccoli:

Broccoli florets - 1 lb , chopped
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Vinegar, balsamic - 2 tsp
Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/4 tsp

Chicken Meatballs with Marinara:

Shallots - 2 shallots , diced
Parsley - 1 Tbsp , chopped
Chicken, ground - 1 lb
Eggs - 1
Almond flour / meal - 3 Tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Garlic powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
Tomato paste - 2 Tbsp
Oregano, dried - 1 tsp
Basil, dried - 1 tsp
Tomatoes, crushed (15 oz / 397 g) - 2 cans

Spaghetti Squash Noodles:

Squash, spaghetti - 3 lbs (weighed before being roasted and peeled)

Prep

Shallots / Parsley - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Make meatballs - Combine parsley, chicken, eggs, almond meal, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Gently mix together with a spoon or your hands. Form into 1” / 2.5 cm balls. (If the mixture sticks to your hands, rub them with a small amount of oil or water before forming the meatballs.) (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Spaghetti squash - Pierce spaghetti squash in several places with a knife. Place in an oven-safe dish and cook in the microwave on high for 6 minutes. (Pre-cooking the squash will shorten the roasting time.)

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Make

Heat oven to 425F / 218C degrees. Move one oven rack to the lower third and one to the upper third of the oven.
Set out two sheet pans and brush them lightly with some oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Slice stem off the spaghetti squash and slice in half, base to stem. Scoop out and discard seeds. (Watch this video for tips.) Brush the inside of the squash with some oil and season with some salt and pepper. Place squash, cut-side up on one sheet pan. Transfer to the lower rack of the oven and roast until the squash is tender, ~35 minutes.
When squash has been roasting for a few minutes, on a second sheet pan, toss the broccoli with cooking oil, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, and some salt. Roast, shaking the pan halfway through cooking, until tender, ~25 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or saute pan (use one with a lid) over medium heat. Add the olive oil and then shallots. Saute for 1 minute to start cooking. Add in tomato paste, oregano, and basil and saute until fragrant, ~1 minute more. Pour crushed tomatoes over top and bring to a simmer, whisking everything together to combine.
Reduce the heat under the sauce so it is at a low simmer. Gently stir in the meatballs so they are coated in sauce.
By this point the spaghetti squash should be done cooking. Remove it from the oven.
Use a fork to loosen the strands from the rind of the spaghetti squash and toss them with some olive oil and some salt. Transfer the squash strands to a serving platter or individual bowls.
Top the spaghetti squash with meatballs and sauce. Serve with broccoli on the side. Enjoy!

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