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I can officially say that Jason and I are adults. This past weekend, we were watching the HP marathon on ABC Family when we heard this shoveling/scraping noise outside our back alley. At first we were just laughing it off like what are they scraping? It’s July. It went on for a while so then we decided to actually look out back and our neighbors who were painting, were rinsing their paint buckets and brushes into the STREET. Like tan paint being rinsed off with a hose into the street and down the sewer. Pretty sure that stuff is illegal and the fact that our driveways are now spotted with tan paint. Anyway, so I’m also pretty sure a bunch of the neighbors were seeing this go on too. And of all houses these people were rinsing paint off from, they did it right next to the HOA board lady, haha…and next thing you know we see this firetruck rolling into the neighborhood with four firefighters hopping out of the truck and making these people come outside to chat. At least now they got a lesson on how to dispose of paint properly and how to rinse it.

You'll want to make a large batch of these zucchini turkey meatballs. They're SO moist and you can freeze half the meatballs then use them to top over a savory zoodle dish later! Paleo-friendly never tasted so good!
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Now the reason why I say Jason and I are adults is because we found this whole thing to be slightly amusing and also at the same time an annoyance. I mean, if I were 23 and saw this outside, I wouldn’t care..but we saw this and we were like, “wtf are these people doing?!” and then when the firetruck came we were like, “right on!!” The things adults find liberating…justice being served. Haha

You'll want to make a large batch of these zucchini turkey meatballs. They're SO moist and you can freeze half the meatballs then use them to top over a savory zoodle dish later! Paleo-friendly never tasted so good!
You'll want to make a large batch of these zucchini turkey meatballs. They're SO moist and you can freeze half the meatballs then use them to top over a savory zoodle dish later! Paleo-friendly never tasted so good!

I made this dish over the weekend and loved it so much that I decided to share it today! I literally have like 30 other recipes I could’ve shared but this one was the clear winner since it’s seasonal and everyone could use an easy, summertime recipe especially with all the zucchini we have around!

So I’ve been having a real dilemma lately over whether or not to get a spiralizer. It has crossed my mind numerous times to make zoodles but every time, I haven’t because I don’t have a spiralizer and I don’t really want to buy one because it’s one of those kitchen gadgets that I know I’ll buy and then it’ll just sit there. It always happens. I “need” this kitchen gadget and I buy it then use it two times. So that’s why this time I’ve refused to buy one. But I was really craving zoodles this weekend cause ever since I got off my paleo challenge, I’ve been avoiding cooking pasta at home. I just feel like that’s an easy way out and I want to be more creative with meals and not always relying on pasta. Anyway, so I found this post from Izy on how to make zoodles without fancy tools. Just use your cheese grater! It totally worked and while my zoodles weren’t as nice as what you would get from a spiralizer, I thought they still worked out perfectly for what I was doing with this dish. You actually end up using the cheese grater in two different ways for this dish. One shredding the zucchini into tiny pieces for the meatballs and two for making the zoodles. Who would’ve known that a cheese grater could be this versatile?!

You'll want to make a large batch of these zucchini turkey meatballs. They're SO moist and you can freeze half the meatballs then use them to top over a savory zoodle dish later! Paleo-friendly never tasted so good!
5 from 2 votes

Zucchini Turkey Meatballs with Zoodles

These zucchini turkey meatballs are SO moist and you can freeze half the meatballs then use them to top over a savory zoodle dish later! 
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients 

For the meatballs

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini
  • ¾ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs, or you could use seasoned
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the noodles

  • 2 medium zucchinis, zoodled using the method in the text above or with a spiralizer
  • Your favorite pasta sauce

Instructions 

  • Line a large baking sheet with wax paper.
  • Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Using your hands, gently work all the ingredients together, careful to not overwork the meat.
  • Using a medium cookie dough scoop or two tablespoons, scoop meat into individual balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Once all is scooped, form the meat into balls. Freeze 20 of them in a freezer-safe plastic bag or container and place 10 of them onto a plate to set aside to cook.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil.
  • Once the oil is hot, carefully place the meatballs into the skillet and let brown on one side then turn with tongs. Continue cooking until meatballs are all cooked through, about 7-10 minutes.
  • For the zoodles, you can either just blanch them in hot water and add sauce on top along with the meatballs or you can throw them into the same skillet and cook them until softened and pour sauce on top along with the meatballs.
  • Serve warm!

Notes

The meatball mixture makes roughly 30 meatballs. They freeze really well and I love having the ability to pull them out of the freezer during busy work weeks! :)
To make paleo: this is mostly paleo-friendly minus the breadcrumbs. You can substitute almond meal for the breadcrumbs if you’re being strict paleo.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 438kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 50g, Fat: 20g, Sugar: 6g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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26 Comments

  1. Tammy says:

    I made your zucchini turkey meatballs and zoodles together with a Specislty Pumpkin & Squash pasta sauce from ALDI… heavenly delish! Thanks for sharing your recipe… really enjoyed!

    1. Julie says:

      Yum!! Thanks for letting me know!

  2. Katie says:

    Do you know what the points for this is (minus the sauce) for 21 day Fix?

    1. Julie says:

      no, sorry! i have no idea how to calculate for 21 day fix.

  3. Cathy Lawdanski says:

    Made this recipe this week and it was fabulous. Sharing it in the MySideof50 newsletter that goes out tomorrow!

  4. Tay says:

    LOVED these, I made them for dinner and me and my boyfriend really enjoyed them. I’m a very beginner cook so I do have a question: do you let the frozen meatballs thaw completely before cooking them?

    1. Julie says:

      Yes, that’s what I do! :)

  5. Denis says:

    Looks yummy, but what the heck are zoodles?

    1. Julie says:

      Zoodles = zucchini noodles.

  6. Mary Frances says:

    This looks fantastic! So yummy and filling but light on the carbs!

  7. elektryk says:

    It looks delicious, I try to do this week

  8. felicia | Dish by Dish says:

    Hey Julie! I understand what you mean about whether to buy the spiralizer… it’s something I’ve been contemplating (because it makes spiralizing veggies so much easier) but at the same time, my trusty julienne peeler (the one that’s shaped like a gilette!) is enough for now! I’ve made zoodles, carrot noodles, butternut squash noodles, and even eggplant noodles! Spiralizer…maybe another time!

    btw, would love to meet up with you one day for coffee when I relocated to Washington in September! :) I know you’ll be busy with the book launch and all, but let me know if you’ll have time! :)

    1. Julie says:

      Hi Felicia, you should come to a book signing event! I’ll hopefully have more details about some soon…or at least I hope to :)

  9. bev @ bevcooks says:

    Turkey meatballs are MAH JAYAM.