With all of my health problems, I recently had to go full-on gluten free. Unfortunately since “going gluten free,” I really, really, really missed pasta. Now zucchini pasta isn’t the same thing as pasta, but it tastes pretty darn good and I don’t feel terrible after eating it. And to be honest, I don’t really miss pasta at all anymore.

So lets dive on in. This healthy meal is super easy to make and can made in under 30 minutes. There aren’t a lot of ingredients involved and the prep work is super easy, you just need to have a vegetable slicer. If you don’t have one, you can get one here: Vegetable Slicer.

If you have never had zucchini pasta, or zoodles, then you should probably start prepping for this recipe right now. They are full of flavor, tender and not to mention are gluten free and vegetarian! They are also a great way to sneak in some vegetables into your diet.

**NOTE** Zucchini has a lot of moisture inside and tends to make the sauce watery if you don’t get the excess moisture out. I like to sprinkle a little salt on the noodles and let them drain for 15 minutes. Toss a couple times and squeeze out any extra moisture.

ZuCCHINI PASTA Ingredients

• 4 zucchinis (about 4 cups), cut into thin noodles with a vegetable slicer
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ cups crushed tomatoes
• ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
• Parmesan cheese, for garnish if desired

zucchini pasta Recipe

1. Place zucchini noodles in a colander and sprinkle with salt.
2. Allow the zucchini noodles to drain. Toss and squeeze out any extra moisture. Set aside.
3. Add oil to a large saucepan.
4. Add is onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender.
5. Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
6. Add in crushed tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes. Bring to a light simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add zucchini noodles to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender.
8. Stir in basil and Parmesan cheese.
9. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

Meatball Ingredients

• 3 lb Lean ground turkey
• 2 tbsps Italian Seasoning
• 1 egg (or ground flaxseed replacement)
• 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• SAUCE:
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1 tbsp parsely finely chopped
• 1 tsp black pepper

Meatball Recipe

1. Preheat your oven to 400f & line a sheet pan with foil
2. Mix the meat, egg and seasonings together in a large bowl, then form about two tablespoons of the meat mixture into even sized meatballs and place them on the lined sheet pan.
3. Bake in a 400f oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

SAUCE RECIPE

1. Add the olive oil to a pan and heat up on a medium heat, then add the chopped onion and saute for five minutes. Add the chopped garlic, canned tomatoes, bay leaf and pepper.
2. Cook on a low – medium heat for 20 – 30 minutes.
3. Serve over the cooked meatballs and sprinkle with chopped parsley

I hope that you all enjoy this recipe. If you liked this recipe and would like to see more, check out more recipes here: www.kerridice.com/recipes

xo, Kerri