Zucchini Noodles and Turkey Meatballs
Zucchini Noodles and Turkey MeatballsI’ve been making zucchini noodles long before I got my spiralizer, but now they are so popular you can even buy them pre-cut in the supermarket. Zucchini is one of my favorite veggies, serving them in place of noodles is my favorite low-carb swap.
I made a pot of my Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs at my toddler’s request but rather than eating mine with pasta, I served it over (zucchini noodles) for a lighter low-carb alternative (perfect for using up zucchini from your garden). If your family isn’t a fan (like my husband) just cook up some pasta for them and everyone’s happy!
When it comes to making zucchini noodles, a good rule of thumb I like to follow is to use one medium zucchini per person. You lose some when you cut them and the shrink a bit when they cook. To cut them, I use my spiralizer (affil link) or you can use a mandolin (affil link) fitted with a julienne blade. If using a mandolin, be careful the blades are VERY sharp.
And since so many are asking, although I have and love my Instant Pot, I still love my slow cooker! I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker (affil link). I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it’s done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This slow cooker is so great, I actually own several!
Zoodles and Meatballs (zucchini noodles with slow cooker turkey meatballs)
Ingredients
- 12 leftover crock pot turkey meatballs and sauce, 1/2 batch
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 8 oz each zucchinis, cut into long julienne strips (with a mandolin or spiralizer)
- salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the meatballs in the crock pot according to directions here.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot add the oil, onions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high and add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook about 1 minute. Give it a stir to mix everything around and cook another 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through yet firm.
- Quickly remove from skillet to prevent them from further cooking.
- Divide the zucchini between 3 bowls and top with 4 meatballs and sauce, add some grated cheese and enjoy!
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Can I use the instant pot for the meatballs instead of the slow cooker? Thanks! They look delicious – can’t wait to try!
Hi Gina – I was wondering if it is possible to make these meatballs without a slow cooker? I actually don’t own one, but I would love to try this recipe. Please let me know what you’d recommend.
Sure, you can use the directions from this one https://www.skinnytaste.com/skinny-italian-spinach-meatballs/
My family LOVES these meatballs! They are so easy to make since all you have to do is throw them in the sauce. Also the zoodles are delish! Thank you for making eating healthy delicious!
Hi Gina and all of Gina’s followers! I have been making Skinnytaste recipes on the regular (at least weekly) for 4-5 years now, and I have to say, this is my all time favorite. Hands down. I highly recommend this meal for any night, but especially for a Monday or Tuesday if you have time to make the meatballs on Sunday so you only have to make the zoodles on the evening that you want to eat this meal. Thanks for the fabulous recipe, Gina!
You’re welcome Summer! 🙂 Thank you!
Made this today . Doubled sauce recipe for freezing in portions (without meatballs ). Meatballs excellent
Absolutely delicious.
Thanks Gina for another great recipe
You’re welcome Jude!
My husband does not like spaghetti at all, and he absolutely loved this and went back for seconds! (Speaks volumes right there alone!) Our 10 year old son happened to see me make the zoodles and was hesitant at first to try it since it didn’t have “real noodles”. He was the first one to compliment the taste and said how restraints don’t even know how to make spaghetti good! Our toddler devoured this entire thing up as well. This is a keeper. What a great healthy alternative to spaghetti!!!
Wow, this was good and it is a keeper! I made with 16 oz. of ground white turkey, everything else the same, and it came out fine. Yield was 27 inch and a quarter meatballs. This was my first attempt at spiralizing zucchini, and I will do a couple of things differently next time: (1) use the fine blade, which should give a result more like your photos, and (2) stand by with scissors and cut the strands every foot or two. Thanks for the recipe and also for the tip on Tuttorosso tomatoes; they really have a wonderful flavor.
Hi! Was wondering if you have tried this in a pressure cooker? If so how long would you do it? Would you add any extra liquid?
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Just received the Instant Pot for Christmas (based on your recommendation) and LOVE it. When there is a slow cooker recipe like this, can it be converted to pressure cooker instead? Would love to make this on pressure cooker option
Sure, I would cook them 15 minutes.
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Hi,
I’m wondering how many smart points this is?
What r the SP for this please?
Hi there!
I have a lot of leftover zoodles. Do you have suggestions on how I can store them?
I see that this recipe only calls for 3 servings. I’m good at doubling recipes but I would need to make 4 servings. Any suggestions on what to up in order to do this? Thank you
How far ahead can I make this? This looks great to make for lunches — I like to make them ahead on Sunday . . . will this hold for a few days in the fridge? Should I keep the zoodles and meatballs separated?
have you ever made "zoodles" with summer squash? I bought a big bag of organic zucchini and squash at costco and already ate all the zucchini. lol
Yes, works great!
How many calories are in just the zoodles?
I bought a gadget at Bed Bath & Beyond called a Veggetti. It works just great for making spaghetti like strands out of zucchini. I've been using it all summer and just love it, I substitute the Zoodles (great name) for pasta in all my favorite quick pasta dishes. I blogged about it here: http://notesfromnorma.blogspot.com/2014/08/let-me-tell-you-about-my-veggetti.html
I love your blog and will have to be sure to check it more often.
These were fantastic! Both myself and my boyfriend loved them. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
I bought that gadget "Vegetti" at my local drug store. I'm sure they have it in Walmart or other large stores. I put the zucchini in one end and twist it, the "vegetti" has little blades that cut the zucchini into perfect ribbons. They also have a safety guard to protect your fingers. It's the best little tool I've used.
i have recently found your site and have used it daily for dinner recipes! thank you so much for helping me eat and feed my family healthier meals! also, thank you for the easy to follow recipes and for the easy to find ingredients (so far)!
Another wonderful recipe. The meatballs were so moist and delicious! I Was so excited to use my new spiralizer today! My husband LOVED it! He said he enjoyed it more than spaghetti. Thanks again Gina! I've lost over 15 lbs in 2 and 1/2 months thanks to your wonderful recipes! I even pulled a size 8 dress out of the back of my closet and was so excited when I put it on and it fit beautifully,. (My husband has lost weight and looks great too!)
That was so good! Everyone loved it……4 boys and they even ate the Zoodles! A victory for Mom – vegetables consumed at dinner!
can you julienne the zucchini and freeze for later?
They do not freeze well. When you defrost them they are a mushy mess. Sweet Potato and Butternut squash noodles freeze well. You can julienne zucchini and store it in the fridge for 3-5 days. You will just have to pat them down with a paper towel because they get a little bit of moisture build-up.
Simply and deliciously delightful. I cooked the zoodles through in the sauce and the kids swore it was better than pasta (at first they didn't believe that it wasn't, I attribute this to my handy zucchini cutting skills) It's a bit more work than just boiling a bunch of pasta, but I'd gladly make the switch any day. This is definitely going to make a regular appearance on our dinner table.
I just made this and it's AMAZING!!!
We finally got a mandolin today so I could make zoodles! We had some chicken meatballs in the freezer so I made some sauce with the garlic, crushed tomatoes and tossed in some mushrooms. I knew I would love them but was so pleased that everyone else ate them all up! Thanks to low point zoodles, I was able to indulge in a wonderful 5 point dessert and stay within my points for the day! (Dessert was a pumpkin roll with peanut butter cream cheese filling…oh so good but I need a lightened up version of it hint hint 😉
I have been following and making your amazing recipes for over a year and this is my first post. This recipe is genius and delicious! I bought a mandolin and cannot believe that the "zoodles" are even better than pasta! My 7 year old made the meatballs and the whole family devoured the dinner! Thanks for another great one, Gina!
This is an awesome recipe for those cumbersome large zucchini. I used the "zoodle maker" from amazon and it worked great. Rave reviews from the hubs and now I'm looking for other things to use with our zoodles.
The zoodles turned out good. I'd recommend one large zucchini per person. We have a little bit leftover. The zucchini does release a lot of moisture/liquid, so I'd recommend draining the cooked zoodles over a colander before serving. I only cooked ours 2 minutes, as we like our veggies tender-crisp.
Do you salt the zucchini and let it sit to pull out some of the moisture? I've seen that in some zoodle recipes.
This is on my "to get" list. Easier than a mandolin. http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378951964&sr=8-1&keywords=vegetable+spiral+slicer
As a beloved italian and spaghetti coinseur (sp?) these were fantastic!!!! My only recommendation is to actually use more zuccini, we all wanted more, my 1 year old had a helping all to himself!
I made the turkey meatballs with spaghetti squash for supper tonight. SO good!!! Looking forward to eating the leftovers and will definitely make them again soon. So easy and delicious.
You wouldn't believe how expensive zucchini are here in SW Florida now. Over $2 a pound! But I'll save this idea for the winter when we have our growing season.
Gina, I'm so glad you gave zucchini noodles the spotlight! Thanks for spreading the healthy message! Love that you call them "zoodles," very cute!
Check out my blog sometime, I started a food blog dedicated to spiralized cooking and have so many zucchini noodle recipes! I'd love for you to take a look. Inspiralized.com!
Oh. My. Gosh… Just found your blog and I'm seriously about to put every recipe on my to-make list. This is dangerous!
At least they are all light : )
Oh my gosh I have got to try this. I have used zucchini to replace some linguine in the past, but love this with the meatballs too!
Enjoy!
Great dinner idea! Thanks!
These were amazing!
This looks amazing! Definitely going to have to try this.
Also, random thought but would you consider making a lighter tiramisu? That's really the only desert I miss since switching to eating healthy
Hi Gina, this looks yummy! Question – can you make "zoodles" in advance? Is there a good way to keep them fresh? Or is it best to make them same day? Thanks!
You can cut them a day or two in advance and wrap them tight with plastic until you are ready to cook them.
Thanks!
Thank you so very much for this wonderful recipe. My husband is not quite two months out from gastric bypass surgery and I made this tonight and it is the best thing he has had since the surgery and we both loved it. I did cut back to a teaspoon the oil for the sauce and leave the fresh garlic out of the "zoodles" and just used one clove in the sauce and it was still wonderful. I am inspired to make his favorite dishes sans noodles and use the "zoodles". This was so easy and so good.
Glad you liked it Jojo!
I just really love your blog! Your recipes are so inspiring 🙂
Thanks for this zucchini recipe, I will have to try it soon as I have a huge zucchini in the fridge right now 🙂
The fact that you can make noodles out of zucchini makes the world a better place. I need to try this soon! Thank you for sharing!
xx
youngmildandfree.wordpress.com
Loving all these great zucchini recipes!
So scrumptious! I made zucchini noodles recently and they really are all they're cracked up to be… love the idea of combining these "zoodles" (ha!) with meatballs. Mouthwatering recipe!
Such a big fan of veggie alternatives for noodles so keep it comin'!! 🙂 I actually wanna thank you- I recently lost 26 pounds and I feel like it's largely because I was able to be so successful on my diet thanks to some of your recipes!! I was still eating what I would crave, I'd just always pop by here and see if there was a "skinny" way to indulge! Now I always refer people to your site! You rock!! 🙂
*Krystina
By the Seat of My Shorts
Awesome, I love hearing that!!!
This is such a great idea!
http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com
I LOVE that you call them zoodles. That totally cracks me up and those meatballs are so perfect!
This looks delicious, and I love pasta alternatives! I just posted a spaghetti and meatballs alternative this morning like you, and posted a zucchini pasta recipe 2 weeks ago … great minds think alike! I don't have a mandolin (just rely on my spiralizer) but I've been eyeing them, so that may change soon :).
This looks so good ! I'm afraid to to make it though I have a mandolin and the only 2 times I've used it I have cut through my finger lol
I've been following your blog for a while, and never left a note so thought I'd send you a quick THANK YOU to say how much I just love your postings. So delicious, so healthy and always a favorite with my family and friends. I've become famous for your zucchini lasagna recipe 🙂 Keep the great posts coming!
Thanks Claudia – yay, I'm making that tonight!
The Rikon Kuhn brand makes a wonderful julienne peeler. It is much safer than a mandolin and I first saw the zoodles on the nom nom paleo website. I love your photos and directions.
I'm going to order that, I always used my mandolin. Will see how it works!
I just ordered that yesterday from Amazon! Can't wait to try the zoodles! 🙂
Okay your recipes are usually pretty darn good, but Zoodles, that's genius right there. PS I have a beautiful stainless steel French Mandolin which I keep in it's box. I use the one I got at K Mart all the time, simple is best with this tool, my little one makes great julienne.
Oh this is just great! All the other zoodle recipes out there giving directions for microwaving and yours is perfect. I have added to my paleo recipes on pinterest.
WoW! I've never thought of zucchini as pasta! I tried it tonight with a bit of pesto, a chicken thigh, a bit of onion, some roasted peppers and a few beet tops. All i can say is wow. I didn't miss the pasta AT ALL! I took 2 points for the olive oil and 3 points for the chicken. 5 delicious points instead of 10 for a "regular" pasta meal!I'm hooked! Thanks for the idea Gina!
I bought a spiral vegetable cutter when I saw your earlier zucchini noodle recipe and just love it. It makes perfect zucchini noodles, sweet potato curls, and I'm going to spiral cut apples all fall! This looks like another incredible zucchini recipe. Thanks, Gina!
I'm making something so similar tonight. Using the same OXO mandolin (which I'm still trying to figure out) for the zuccchini strips and cooking it with some spaghetti, shrimp, lemon and pine nuts. This with meatballs looks wonderful for the Fall!
Ooh I love these! Such a good idea.
This looks delicious! I recently made lasagna w. zucchini in place of regular noodles and loved it. Will definitely have to get a mandolin and try this.
Love zoodles!!! I need to get myself a mandolin. I try cutting them myself with a knife, and they just don't come out as "noodly" or pasta like.
I totally forgot that my mandolin had a julienne blade. Hm… I need to find that!
I totally forgot that my mandolin had a julienne blade. Hm… I need to find that!
Just purchased my first mandolin…works fantastic and yes VER SHARP – use the special handle thing when using it it really help. I also purchased a hand help OXO thing that make the zucchini in strands sort of looks like a carrot peeler. really easy too.
This looks good. I did make some zoodles and cooked them too long but they were still edible!
Thanks Gina…
Diane
@ UNKNOWN thats the small tool I bought..
THE OXO JULIENNE HAND HELD PEELER.
WORKS GOOD TOO.
DIANE
I made your other zoodle recipe with the yellow squash and carrots. Instead of dragging out the mandoline, I used my julienne peeler. No muss, no fuss.
$10 bucks. http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Julienne-Peeler/dp/B0000CCY1S/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1377801224&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=julinenne+peeler
I can't wait to do the zoodles with the meatballs. I've never tried them! I know what's going into the crock pot this weekend! We get lucky in Texas, zucchini keeps producing a lot longer than it does "up north".
Is this gluten free?
There are breadcrumbs in the meatballs, so no it's not.
Use gluten free breadcrumbs. My daughter is g-free and I substitute the breadcrumbs all the time. Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Yes, gluten-free crumbs should work.
I ground some oatmeal instead of using breadcrumbs. Worked just fine.
great idea and healthier!
Yep, mandolins are definitely dangerous… The second time I used mine I sliced half my finger off and had to go to the emergency room to get it sewn back on… Then the next week my boyfriend went to just simply move it off the counter and he barely touched the thing and his thumb got sliced open, and BAM, back to the emergency room we went.. He made me throw it out after that, stating no one should have anything that sharp in their kitchen without chain mail gloves haha..
Oh boy! I luckily didn't have accidents, but I know they sell special gloves on amazon that prevent cuts.
My husband did the same to his thumb! It took two years to convince him we needed another one…
The special gloves tear very easily with the mandolin. It really is dangerous
I prefer using a Vegetti for the zucchini noodles. Its really the only vegetable you can use in that “spiralizer” but its $14.99 and so worth it.
You've done it again! Looks delicious. I have some of your spinach meatballs frozen so I will try those over the zoodles! 🙂
A nice alternative to spaghetti squash.
I cannot wait to try this! I've been searching for a noodle alternative!
I just got my first Mandolin, and I'm not sure how to use it to make the zoodles. Can you explain in a little more detail?
Does yours have a julienne blade? As long as you use that blade, the zucchini comes out like pictured above.