For comfort food without the carb overload – you don’t have to look much further than clean keto zoodles with meatballs.
This quick and easy dish is hearty and comforting enough for winter, but light enough for summer. Zoodles feature regularly in my meal plans – with turkey bolognese, my vegetarian favorite walnut pesto, and now with delicious meatballs.
What are Zoodles?
If you’re new to zoodles – they are made from zucchini, sliced (or spiralized) to look like noodles. They make an excellent low-carb replacement for spaghetti and pasta. You can purchase already prepared zoodles or make your own. It is surprisingly easy!
HOW TO MAKE ZOODLES (ZUCCHINI NOODLES)
To make zoodles, you’ll first need to choose the zucchini that makes the best zoodles. Small and medium-sized zucchini will have the best flavor. You can use large zucchini but stop cutting as you get close to the center. The seeds can be bitter and don’t hold up as well once cooked.
HAND ZOODLER
This is the cheapest piece of equipment used to make Zoodles. It works best for small batches, though.
You can also use a spiralizer – a small but mighty piece of kitchen equipment. A julienne peeler will also work. It requires a bit more effort than a spiralizer and you will end up with straight noodles rather than curled ones. A mandoline will give you wide, flat zucchini noodles – similar to lasagna.
HOW TO COOK ZOODLES (ZUCCHINI NOODLES)
Zoodles don’t actually need cooking – and in this recipe, I don’t cook them at all. Yes – you can eat them raw! Simply top the meatballs on them along with the marinara sauce and they’ll get warm but keep their crispness. I
f you want to cook them a little before eating, you can put them in a microwave for one minute, or sauté in a pan for 1-2 minutes with a teaspoon of olive oil.
More Clean Keto recipes to try:
Clean Keto Zoodles with Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 2 tbsp basil
Tools:
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Form into meatballs.
3. Use a nonstick sheet pan or line sheet pan with parchment paper.
4. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the zucchini noodles using a Zoodler. Place zoodles on a kitchen towel, sprinkle them with salt and let the water soak out while the meatballs soak.
6. Take the meatballs out of the oven and serve over zoodles. Top with marinara sauce and garnish with fresh basil.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 375Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 149mgSodium 486mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 2gSugar 5gProtein 34g
I love zoodles and this is a great addition to my favorite meals. I love that this recipe is so easy to prepare and healthy. Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you loved it.