Few edibles make me as happy as pasta. Especially the childhood classic, spaghetti and meatballs. Spaghetti and meatballs were my jam growing up. My grandfather nicknamed me ‘Pig Pen’ when I was a toddler because I would eat my spaghetti so messily that it would end up everywhere. Since I currently find myself in the midst of a January Whole 30 (essential after my behavior the past few months) I won’t be indulging in spaghetti because unfortunately, spaghetti is not Whole 30 approved. You can make Whole 30 approved meatballs though. Thank goodness! Again enters my friend, the zoodle to the rescue. If you’re not sure, a zoodle is a zucchini noodle made with a spiralizer. (Still don’t have one? C’monn already, get one here or here.) To satisfy my spaghetti and meatballs craving, I made some Whole 30 approved meatballs that were also loaded with veggies and served them with zoodles (made from both zucchini and squash) with marinara sauce. These are perfect to hide veggies for your loved ones who usually try to avoid them! Keep reading for my zoodles + meatballs recipe.
For the meatballs you will need: 1 pound of lean ground beef, 1 pound of spicy Italian sausage, 2 stalks of celery, 2 carrots, 1/2 onion, garlic, fresh basil, fresh oregano, salt and pepper, and 1 egg. You will also need: zucchini, squash, eggplant, and marinara sauce.
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees and lining a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. Next, start chopping your veggies. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mash the ingredients with either your hands or a potato masher. Then, roll the mixture into evenly sized balls and place them on the baking sheets. Then, bake them in the oven for 15 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, slice the eggplant and put it in a large skillet over medium heat with the marinara sauce. (Check your marinara if you’re doing the Whole 30 to ensure it’s compliant! Aka no sugar.) While the eggplant is cooking, spiralize the zucchini and squash. Add the spiralized veggies to the pan and stir to combine.
When the meatballs are finished cooking, place on top of zoodles and marinara serve!
INGREDIENTS:
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound of lean ground beef (grassfed, organic)
- 1 pound of spicy ground Italian sausage
- 2 stalks of celery, minced
- 2 carrots, minced
- 1/2 onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2.5 Tablespoons fresh basil, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
- Salt + Pepper to taste
- 1 egg, whisked
For the zoodles + sauce:
- 3 zucchini + 3 squash, spiralized
- 1 eggplant, sliced
- 2 jars of marinara sauce
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add meatball ingredients to a large bowl and combine.
- Roll the mixture into evenly sized balls and place onto lined baking sheets.
- Bake meatballs for 15 minutes.
- Add eggplant and sauce to a large skillet and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. While cooking, spiralize zucchini and squash.
- Add spiralized veggies to the skillet. Stir to combine.
- Serve meatballs over zoodles and sauce. Enjoy!
