Marinara Turkey Meatballs With Zucchini Noodles

25 minutes

  

Serves 3

  

32 grams of protein per serving

By Erin Macdonald, RDN, Tiffani Bachus, RDN

Marinara Turkey Meatballs With Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz. ground turkey, dark meat (*if organic ground turkey is available, it is the preferred choice)
  • ½ sweet yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tsp. each dried thyme and oregano
  • ¼ tsp. each salt and black pepper (*is celtic sea salt is available, it is the preferred choice)
  • 1 zucchini, roughly chopped
  • 1 jar marinara sauce (2 cups), no added sugar
  • 3 zucchini, spiralized (or purchased zucchini noodles)
  • 3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350 F.

  2. Place the ground turkey, onion, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and one zucchini in a food processor. Pulse to break everything down and then run the machine for 30-45 seconds to get everything evenly mixed.

  3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs. Use a small (2 Tbsp.) ice cream scoop to portion out the meatballs.

  4. Cook 2-3 minutes or until they are golden on the bottom. Use tongs to turn each meatball over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

  5. Pour marinara sauce over the meatballs and then place the skillet into the heated oven for 5 minutes to ensure the meatballs are cooked through.

  6. Place another skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 Tbsp. oil. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini noodles. Saute 3-4 minutes.

  7. Serve zucchini noodles with 5-6 meatballs and top with 1 Tbs. parmesan or pecorino cheese.