Paleo Turkey Meatballs with Zoodles is flavorful, grain free turkey meatballs cooked in marinara sauce. Serve over zoodles for a delicious low carb meal!
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and salt and sauté another 2 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the basil, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or longer for a deeper flavor.
Remove from heat and stir in the chopped basil.
Prepare the meatballs:
Add all meatball ingredients (ground turkey through parsley), except for the olive oil for the pan, to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until the ingredients are well-combined and the meat begins to ball up. Or mix with your hands!
Form 1 1/2 - 2" diameter meatballs and place on a plate.
Heat a 10" or larger cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of the pan. Once the skillet is hot, carefully add the meatballs, but avoid overcrowding the pan.
Cook for 1 1/2 minutes per side or until the meatballs have a nice sear on all sides. The meatballs should not be cooked all the way through at this point.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the marinara sauce to the skillet. Cover and cook at a gentle boil for 20 minutes or over medium low for 1 hour or until cooked through.
Prepare the zoodles:
Spiralize the zucchini following the spiralizer manufacturer instructions.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.
Add the zucchini noodles and sauté, stirring occasionally, until noodles are hot and reach the desired amount of doneness, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve the zoodles with the turkey meatballs and garnish with freshly chopped basil or parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe is from the cookbook Paleo Power Bowls by Julia Mueller.
For best results, make the marinara sauce up to 1 week advance as it becomes more flavorful as it sits.
Sub the marinara sauce with store bought sauce, making sure that it does not contain sugar.
Replace cooked zoodles with spaghetti squash or cauliflower rice.
Use store bought zucchini or other veggie noodles for a time saver!
Use half ground turkey and half turkey sausage for even more flavor. Be sure to check turkey sausage ingredients if you follow a paleo diet.