I’ll be the first one to say it.
A spiralizer can change your life. This was like the best $39.95 I’ve spent. Ever.
Many of you have asked what brand I’m using. I am using the Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer, by Paderno World Cuisine and bought it from Amazon (This is not an affiliate link). It took me a few tries. . and experimenting with the different blades and now I’ve got it.
For me, texture is everything. I think this is why I never got into spaghetti squash. Slicing raw zucchini, on the other hand, into spirals or curls worked for me. I loved this dish. I did not miss the pasta one bit and especially since I added meatballs, this was a very satisfying dish. I left the zucchini noodles raw, because when mixed with the hot marinara sauce, they soften up a bit anyway. And, I personally liked the zucchini noodles with a little bite. Alternatively, you sauté the zucchini noodles over medium heat with some extra virgin olive oil just until heated through a bit. The longer you cook the noodles, the softer they become.
Trying to cut back on the pasta intake? Trying to eat more vegetables? I can’t think of a better way to incorporate more veggies into your meals. I am a huge believer that the way your food looks, how it’s presented, how it’s cut or sliced and the texture makes all the difference. I hope you give the Spiral Vegetable Slicer a try and enjoy it as much as I do. My 3 year old said, “Mom, this is the best dinner ever!”
Potato curly fries are next!
Now, before we get the recipe here, I must share my homemade marinara sauce. Since creating this marinara sauce for this Baked Goat Cheese recipe, I keep coming back to this sauce because of the flavor, tang and heat.
I made just two changes for this recipe:
1) Use TWO 28-ounce cans of crushed tomato sauce. You don’t need the diced tomatoes for this recipe.
2) Let the sauce simmer for close to an hour, or at least 50 minutes. In the other recipe, you’re cooking the sauce longer in the oven but here, we are not.
3) Click here for the marinara sauce recipe.
Zucchini Noodles with Meatballs
Ingredients
For the marinara sauce: click here
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Panko or bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup fresh chives diced
- season lightly with salt and pepper
For the zucchini noodles:
- 3 medium sized zucchinis
- very light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if desired
- fresh parsley for garnish
- freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish if desired not pictured here
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or your silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Using a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, olive oil, panko, eggs, minced garlic, chives, and salt and pepper. Using your hands (with plastic kitchen gloves if desired), mix until well combined. Roll the ground beef mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 15-18 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until all of the sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through.
For the zucchini noodles:
- Using your spiral vegetable slicer (you will have to experiment with the blades to get the thickness of the spiral ribbon cuts you want), insert the zucchini onto the spiral vegetable slicer and turn the wheel while pushing the base toward the blade. You'll want to have a bowl underneath to catch the zucchini ribbons/curls as they fall out. You can very lightly drizzle some olive oil (if desired) over the zucchini noodles and set aside. If cooking your zucchini noodles, using a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the zucchini noodles and sauté for just a few minutes, or until heated through slightly.
To serve:
- Place the desired amount of zucchini noodles into a shallow bowl, place a few meatballs on top and cover with some hot marinara sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy immediately.
