Turkey Meatballs with Zoodles and Chunky Homemade Marinara
What's more comforting than spaghetti and meatballs? Answer: a dish that tastes the same, but doesn't leave you feeling remorseful for the pound of pasta you inhaled. Turkey makes a great substitute for traditional beef meatballs.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/3 cup grated carrot
- 1/2 cup yellow onion chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 Tbsp parsley minced
- 1/8 cup parmesan grated
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- Salt & Pepper
For the marinara:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes *See note
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- Salt & Pepper to taste
For the zoodles:
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 medium zucchini
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Mix all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop (or a large spoon), scoop mixture to form 2-inch meatballs.
- Place on a foil lined baking sheet, sprayed with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
For the marinara:
- Add olive oil to large saucepan.
- Add onion and garlic, thyme, and oregano. Saute until fragrant, but be careful not to burn!
- Add tomatoes and tomato past. Season with salt and pepper.
- Let sauce simmer at least 20 minutes. Once meatballs have finished in oven, add them to the sauce.
For the zoodles:
- Spiralize your zucchini. If you don't have a spiralizer, you can halve the zucchini lengthwise, and slice into half-moons.
- Add olive oil to large saute pan, and add zucchini.
- Using tongs, toss the zucchini to coat each piece with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Continue to toss until zoodles are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Top zoodles with marinara and meatball mixture. Top with grated parmesan and parsley.
Notes
-San Marzano tomatoes will be your best bet here. I always hated when people would say this. Really?! I need to spend almost $3 on a can of tomatoes?! Until I tried them. Just trust me here....
-I've made this recipe with all sorts of other canned tomatoes though, too. Just be sure you're tasting along the way to ensure it's seasoned to your liking!
-Feel free to swap in different herbs and spices to your liking. Rosemary and basil would make beautiful additions.
-Reducing the marinara is key. You're adding the whole can of tomatoes (liquid and all), so you'll want to take extra measures to be sure the liquid has evaporated off.