Photo by Ronald Tsang
Many of you have been asking me to share more of my DELICIOUS and HEALTHY recipes, so that’s my inspiration for you today. This recipe has been a favorite of my coaching and detox clients, and it’s a super family friendly recipe (that’s great for leftovers, too).
In case you didn’t know, one of my main goals in life is to show you and everyone that HEALTHY EATING CAN BE (AND SHOULD BE) DELICIOUS). We should enjoy eating healthy foods, just like we should enjoy moving our bodies. So if you really dislike something, ditch it; there are tons and tons of options for you! Find what you enjoy.
Hopefully you love this “healthy spaghetti and meatballs” recipe! This recipe is allowed in most detoxes (with option to swap tomato sauce for a vegan cashew cream if you’re avoiding nightshades) and is both PALEO and KETO “approved”.
Meatballs with Veggie Noodles
Ingredients (serves 4-5):
Meatballs:
1 pound organic ground meat (can use ground turkey, beef, chicken, lamb or wild bison)
½ - ¾ large onion, finely chopped/minced
1 - 2 garlic clove(s), minced
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 - 2 teaspoon(s) thyme + ½ -1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped (preferably fresh)
1 organic egg
½ - 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional; I use with turkey, chicken or lamb, with beef I omit)
1 teaspoon sea salt + pinch of black pepper
Optional: 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or cilantro or kale to add more green
Noodles & sauce:
4 medium zucchinis, sliced into thin noodles using spiralizer or mandolin
1 to 2 medium carrot(s), sliced into thin noodles using spiralizer or mandolin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or ghee (touch more if desire)
1 – 2 tsp minced garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt + pinch of black pepper (more if needed)
4-5 cups organic tomato / marinara sauce (+ extra herbs of liking; optional)
Fresh herbs of choice, finely chopped (ex. parsley, cilantro, basil)
Instructions:
Make your noodles: using a spiralizer, create spaghetti-like noodles from the zucchinis and carrot, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add about 1 tsp sea salt, pinch of black pepper, mix, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small pan, toast the fennel seeds over medium heat about 3 minutes until fragrant. Grind the toasted fennel and seeds into a coarse powder. (I use a mortar + pestle)
Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a medium size bowl (ground meat of choice with ground fennel and chia, thyme, garlic, onion, cumin, salt, pepper, egg). Option to add a bit extra green herbs. Then form mixture into even sized balls and place on a baking sheet.
Bake meatballs at 350 F for 10 minutes, flip and bake 5 more minutes.
Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in a medium saucepan, adding more herbs to your liking (I like to first sautée chopped onions, add sauce then add chopped basil and oregano, and even a fresh chopped tomato, for more flavor and chunkiness; totally optional!).
When meatballs have been in oven for 15 minutes, remove, top with the marinara sauce, and return to oven another 5-10 minutes.
In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil (or ghee), add minced garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Then start adding noodles in batches until they soften up a bit and you can fit all the noodles. Taste and adjust as needed. NOTE: you want noodles “al dente” not super soft, so a few minutes on low heat is fine, just until you can fit them all in and toss so they’re evenly coated with the garlicky oil. (Option to skip this step and keep noodles raw, just marinating in a large bowl with a bit of olive oil and sea salt)
Serve meatballs in tomato sauce over veggie noodles and enjoy!
And here is the recipe in Spanish!
Albondigas con Fideos de Verduras
Ingredientes (sirve 4-5):
Albóndigas:
1 libra de carne molida orgánica (se puede utilizar carne molida de pavo, res, pollo o cordero)
½ a ¾ de una cebolla grande, finamente picada
1 a 2 dientes de ajo, bien picados
1 cucharada semillas de hinojo, ligeramente tostadas
1 cucharada de semillas de chía
2 cucharaditas de tomillo fresco, picado
1 huevo (¡orgánico si es posible!)
½ a 1 cucharadita de comino
1 cucharadita de sal marina + pizca de pimienta negra
opcional: 1 a 2 cucharadas de perejil (o cualquier otra hoja verde, ej. cilantro, kale, etc. picaditas) para agregar un toque verde
Fideos y salsa:
4 zucchinis medianos/grandes, cortados en fideos finos utilizando un “spiralizer” o “mandolin”
1 zanahoria grande, cortada en fideos finos utilizando un “spiralizer” o “mandolin”
2 tazas de salsa marinara de tomate orgánica (se consigue en frasco de vidrio Alessi en la Colonia),o casera, o combinación (parte casera, parte de frasco de vidrio)
Hierbas frescas de elección (ej. orégano y albahaca, finamente picadas
Instrucciones:
Crear los fideos/spaghettis con los zucchini y la zanahoria. colocar en un tazón grande, condimentar con una pizca de sal, pimienta y aceite de oliva. Opción de calentar a fuego bajito un par de minutos (u opción de dejar crudos).
En una sartén pequeñita (seca), ligeramente tostar las semillas de hinojo 2-3 minutos. Luego moler (un poquito) las semillas de hinojo calentitas y chia.
Calentar el horno a 350 F. Mezclar todos los ingredientes de las albóndigas en un tazón grande (la carne molida con las semillas de hinojo y chía molido, el tomillo, el ajo, la cebolla, la sal, y el huevo).
Crear pelotas/albóndigas usando la mezcla, y colocar en una bandeja de hornear ligeramente engrasada. Hornea las albóndigas por unos 10 minutos, dar vuelta y hornear 5 a 10 minutos más.
Añadir la salsa de tomate/marinara con hierbas frescas a las albóndigas, y meter otros 5 minutos más en el horno.
Servir albóndigas con salsa de tomate sobre los fideos de zucchini y zanahoria. Condimentar con más hierbas picaditas.
PS: I do virtual healthy cooking classes once a month for only $10 and we learn 3-4 recipes. Space is limited so sign-up ASAP if interested.
PSS: This recipe is one I share in my 10 day detox, and if you’re curious, I’m starting my next detox in just 1 week. It’s an amazing opportunity to RESET, lose a few pounds and get re-motivated to take charge of your health.