I tried out a new recipe tonight and it was SO GOOD!!!! Even my kiddos loved it. I call it "zpaghetti" and meatballs because instead of noodles, I used zucchini curls. Um....yum! So here's how it went down. I used organic ground chicken breast, fresh herbs, and homemade tomato sauce. And it was super easy. I cannot stand when a recipe takes more time to make it than it does for you to eat it, and I promise you this one was VERY easy. Okay so maybe I'm exaggerating a little about the time thing, but it really didn't take much time at all.
First off, I used FRESH herbs: basil and oregano. It made a world's difference! Mince up about 2 tablespoons each of both herbs, one garlic clove and 1/4 of a medium onion. Reserve 2 tablespoons of that mixture for your sauce, and put the rest in a large bowl with the ground chicken.
So for the meatballs...they started out like any other basic meatball recipe: ground meat, herb mixture, 1 egg white, 1/4 cup dry oatmeal (instead of bread crumbs), and some spices (1 teaspoon Mrs. dash's garlic and herb seasoning). Using my hands, I mixed up all of the ingredients, then scored the meat into four equal sections. Then I made four equal size meatballs from each section to make 16 total meatballs. I browned them on all sides in a large pan coated with olive oil cooking spray over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes total.
While the meatballs were browning, I used one small jar of homemade canned tomatoes (approximately 14 ounces). A 14.5 ounce can of any kind of tomatoes would work well too. I put the entire jar of tomatoes into a medium sauce pan with the 2 tablespoons of reserved herb mixture and let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes I have to admit though, I added a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity. But you can omit this if you want.
Then while the meatballs were cooking and the sauce was simmering, I sliced one small-medium zucchini length wise. Using a potato peeler, I peeled ribbons or curls of zucchini.
You end up with ribbons like the ones shown above. I placed mine in a small bowl, covered them with a small plate and microwaved them for 20-30 seconds. You don't really need to cook them because they're so thin, but just heat them up a little bit.
Back to the meatballs we go! Once they're browned slightly on both sides and the sauce is done simmering, I poured the sauce into the pan of meatballs, covered it and simmered the meatballs in the sauce for an additional five minutes. Just enough so the meatballs were cooked all the way through, and the flavors had a chance to combine.
Then I took my zucchini, plated it and topped it with four meatballs, and a little bit of sauce. I also topped mine with about 1-2 tablespoons of reduced fat Italian cheese blend (Weight Watchers brand). I also served mine with a side of broccoli. This is definitely being added to the menu rotation in our house!
(If you like your spaghetti a little bit saucier, you can double your tomatoes and herb mixture. I really didn't want to drown the meatballs out with too much sauce. It's up to you and your personal preference though.)
21 Day Fix Servings:
Zucchini and broccoli along with 1-2 tablespoons of your sauce equal your green container
4-5 meatballs equal your red container
Italian blend cheese is your blue container ( I only used 1/2 of my blue container)
No comments:
Post a Comment