This is a lot of green on a plate, right? Normally that’s a bad sign in my book, but these meatballs are delicious and the zoodles (zucchini noodles, if you’re not familiar) are tasty and also a whole bunch healthier than ‘real’ pasta. They also make this a real easy gluten free meal, if that’s a thing you care about.

We may also have been so eager to eat that I didn’t put a lot of time into figuring out how the heck to even do a glamor shot of something so green.

The recipe called for two medium zucchini, but I bought kind of huge ones, and I think the proportions of zoodles:meatballs made more sense that way, so let’s go with it. You can also possibly just buy pre-spiralized zucchini, depending on your supermarket. I’m back home for a while so have my mom to help cook, but the zucchini comes together quickly enough that, if you have your ingredients prepped, you can get them spiralized and cooked while the meatballs cook.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 2 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach (I dumped in a whole bag of baby spinach – no point in leftover spinach!)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled, plus extra for topping
• 1 pound lean ground chicken
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs (use g-f ones if needed)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh oregano, plus extra for sprinkling

Zoodles:

• 2 large zucchini squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the spinach and garlic briefly until, until the spinach is in small pieces.

Even before it’s cooked, a whole bag of spinach gets pretty small real fast.

Add the tablespoon of olive oil and 2 ounces of the feta, and pulse again briefly.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, egg, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, 1/3 cup of panko, and the spinach mixture, stirring with your hands until just combined. If the mixture is too wet to shape into balls, stir in a bit more panko. Mix another 2 ounces of feta.

Swamp thing?

Shape the mixture into approximately 30 small meatballs, placing them on the parchment-lined pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

While the meatballs cook, spiralize the zucchini.

Looks like a cucumber from here, but I assure you it is not!

In a large skilled, combine the olive oil and butter over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, then add the lemon juice. Add the zucchini and stir to coat in the lemon mixture. Cook until slightly softened, around 6-7 minutes (bit less if you used medium, not large, zucchini).

Serve the meatballs with zoodles, top with extra feta and/or oregano, feel healthy but not like you are giving up anything to be so.

We may also have been so eager to eat that I didn’t put a lot of time into figuring out how the heck to even do a glamor shot of something so green.

Chicken/Spinach/Feta Meatballs with Zoodles

From How Sweet It Is.

Meatballs:

• 2 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach (a whole bag is ok too)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled, plus extra for topping
• 1 pound lean ground chicken
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh oregano, plus extra for sprinkling

Zoodles:

• 2 large zucchini squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the spinach and garlic briefly until, until the spinach is in small pieces. Add the tablespoon of olive oil and 2 ounces of the feta, and pulse again briefly.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, egg, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, 1/3 cup of panko, and the spinach mixture, stirring with your hands until just combined. If the mixture is too wet to shape into balls, stir in a bit more panko. Mix another 2 ounces of feta, then shape the mixture into approximately 30 small meatballs, placing them on the parchment-lined pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

While the meatballs cook, spiralize the zucchini. In a large skilled, combine the olive oil and butter over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, then add the lemon juice. Add the zucchini and stir to coat in the lemon mixture. Cook until slightly softened, around 6-7 minutes.

Serve the meatballs with zoodles, top with extra feta and/or oregano.