I never really thought of myself as a big pasta person, but now that I’ve been using my Veggetti once a week, I’m realizing I really packed away the linguini. And rotini. And penne.
I mean, all whole grain versions, but still. That be a looooooot of carbs.
I’ve been making a weekly batch of homemade marinara with my garden tomatoes, and I think it’s the 14th Commandment that “Thou shalt eat pasta with your marinara.” Fortunately zoodles do the trick just fine .
I always feel compelled to add a protein to marinara as well, so I made some chicken meatballs. So easy, pretty quick as well. Heeeere’s the breakdown:
Homemade Marinara Sauce
-About 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
-1/2 cup red wine
-5 or so basil leaves, torn
-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
-Pinch red pepper flakes
-1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
-1 teaspoon dried parsley
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Here’s the deal- most marinara recipes call for blanching and peeling whole tomatoes. This is great and all, but I don’t have time or patience for that. I use cherry tomatoes because well, that’s what I grow, but also there is less water content. Less water = more flavor.
Combine all ingredients in a pot over low-medium heat. Cover. Once it starts simmering, stir every 15 minutes or so. Once tomatoes really soften, use an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor) to puree. You don’t need this totally smooth- a few chunks are ok. Return to pot, return to simmer. I like to let it simmer a total of one hour, but this is not a magical number. I find that it ultimately helps reduce the water content for a slightly thicker, richer sauce.
Italian Chicken Meatballs
-1 lb ground chicken
-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
-1 teaspoon dried parsley
-1 egg
-1/2 cup whole grain bread crumbs
-1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon pepper
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. With making the meatballs, I just somewhat loosely pack a 1.5” or so ball with my hands and put on the pan. You don’t need to roll this into super compact spheres. The bigger they’re made, the longer the time they’ll need to bake, so that’s why I like mine on the inch and a half side. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until internal temp registers 165 degrees. This recipe makes about 22-24 meatballs. These freeze really really well, so don’t let the large amount deter you. This batch would technically yield 6-8 servings.
Basic Zoodles
To make enough zoodles to go with the meatballs and sauce, you’ll need 5-6 small zucchini, or 2-3 large zucchini. Using a spiralizer, make noodles. Saute in a large pan with 2 teaspoons olive oil and optional garlic. Stir until heated and only slightly softened.
Top your zoodles with the marinara, half the meatballs, and a sprinkle of cheese if you’d like.
Perfect summer “pasta”- minus the carb coma.
Per serving (2 cups zoodles, 1/4th of the sauce, 4 meatballs): 300 calories!
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