Italian Meatballs with Marinara
over zucchini noodles

Name: Italian Meatballs with Marinara
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb Turkey, ground and lean (sub any ground meat); 1 Eggs; 2 tsp Italian seasoning; 1 tsp Salt; 12 oz Zucchini, turned into noodles with a peeler or spiralizer or sliced; 4 cloves Garlic, chopped; 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 1/2 tsp Basil, dried; 1/2 tsp Oregano, dried; 1 can Crushed tomatoes (28 oz / 794 g); ~12 Turkey meatballs (ingredients listed separately); 2 hearts Lettuce, romaine, chopped (sub butterhead); 4 Tomatoes, roma, chopped; 1 can Black olives, sliced (2.25 oz / 63 g), drained and rinsed; 2 tsp Mustard, Dijon; 1 Tbsp Vinegar, red or white wine; 1/4 tsp Oregano, dried; 3 Tbsp Oil, olive

Active: 35 Total: 35

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

Saucy meatballs over noodles are total Italian-inspired comfort food which is why we love this paleo-friendly version over zucchini noodles.
Smarts: Meatballs freeze well and there are so many ways to use them. We double this recipe to use leftovers in Thursday's soup, but feel free to scale the recipe up even more.

Proteins

Ground meat

Cuisines

European - Mediterranean

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Italian-Style Meatballs:

Turkey, ground and lean - 1 lb (sub any ground meat)
Eggs - 1
Italian seasoning - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Italian Meatballs with Marinara and Zucchini Noodles:

Zucchini - 12 oz , turned into noodles with a peeler or spiralizer or sliced
Garlic - 4 cloves , chopped
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
Basil, dried - 1/2 tsp
Oregano, dried - 1/2 tsp
Crushed tomatoes (28 oz / 794 g) - 1 can
Turkey meatballs (ingredients listed separately) - ~12

Italian Side Salad:

Lettuce, romaine - 2 hearts , chopped (sub butterhead)
Tomatoes, roma - 4 , chopped
Black olives, sliced (2.25 oz / 63 g) - 1 can , drained and rinsed
Mustard, Dijon - 2 tsp
Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 Tbsp
Oregano, dried - 1/4 tsp
Oil, olive - 3 Tbsp

Prep

Make meatballs - Double if making Thursday’s meal. Heat oven to 375F / 191C degrees. Mix ground turkey, eggs, Italian seasoning (portion for the meatballs) and salt. Brush or spray a sheet pan with some oil. Roll meatball mixture into small 1” / 2.5 cm wide meatballs and place onto sheet pan. Bake until just cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
Zucchini - Turn zucchini into 'noodles' with a spiralizer or peel off strips with a peeler. (Note: If you prefer, you can also just slice your zucchini to make a zucchini saute.)
Lettuce / Tomatoes / Garlic - Prep as directed.
Olives - Drain and rinse olives.

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Make

Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add first part of cooking oil and then garlic, basil and oregano (portion for the marinara) to heated oil. Cook just until fragrant, ~1 minute. Pour crushed tomatoes over top and bring to a simmer.
Remove sauce from heat and season with some salt and pepper. Stir meatballs (remember to reserve half if doubled for Thursday) into sauce.
Let meatballs sit in sauce while you heat a nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add second part of cooking oil and then zucchini noodles with a pinch of salt. Saute until zucchini is tender, ~2 minutes for zucchini noodles and 4 minutes for zucchini slices.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar and oregano (portion for the salad). Add olive oil while whisking. Top with tomatoes, lettuce and black olives. Toss to combine.
Serve meatballs and sauce over zucchini noodles. Enjoy with salad on the side.

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