Turkey Meatball Zoodle & Noodle Bake

Happy Hump Day Fellow Foodies! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. I finally got back in the kitchen to make something new this evening and wanted to share. I wanted to lighten this up a little, so I did half zoodles and half noodles. I also threw in some carrots for good measure! This makes a hearty portion, so be prepared for leftovers or sharing. Enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey, 93/7 is what I used

1/3 cup parmesan, grated

1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs

3 tb fresh parsley

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1 large egg, beaten

1 1/2 tb olive oil, to top the meatballs before cooking

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, add the cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, pepper, and red pepper flakes and stir well to combine. Add the turkey. In a small bowl, beat the egg, then add it to the meat mixture. With a fork or your fingers, mix just until combined, being careful not to compact the meat. With a scoop or spoon, scoop the meat and shape into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet. You will have about 20 meatballs total. Brush the tops of the meatballs with the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. As an alternate way to check, a meatball in the center of the baking sheet should be fully cooked through when cut in half.

Zoodle & Noodle Bake

Ingredients:

1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce, I always use Rao's

8 oz rotini (or a smaller pasta)

1 (10 oz) package zucchini noodles (make sure these are strained and dried out)

1 cup carrots, diced

3 cups water

salt and pepper, to taste

~12 meatballs (fully cooked)

2 cups shredded mozzarella OR thinly deli style sliced Italian-herb mozzarella (~6-8 pieces to cover)

grated parmesan, for garnish (optional)

parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, lightly stir together the uncooked pasta, zucchini noodles, carrots, marinara sauce, and water. Add the cooked meatballs (I put them in 4 rows of 3). Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Pull out the oven to ensure the noodles are cooked through. If they're good, top with the cheese and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Garnish with parsley and parmesan if desired.