After this post, you already know that I’ve been trying to eat healthier, work out more and generally live a healthier lifestyle. The tough part is that I still get cravings for dinners that are on the heavier side. Italian food is one of those of things! I seriously love Italian food. I could eat pizza every week and pasta is a close second. Good thing I don’t live there, things would be bad.
I’ve found that the easiest way to make Italian lighter is to use low fat turkey or chicken products in place of pork or beef and zoodles in place of regular noodles. Jenni-O is my go-to for ground turkey and sausages (spicy Italian sausage is where it’s at!) The result is a much healthier dinner that’s still super delicious! Recently I made these pesto turkey meatballs with zoodles! Even Rob doesn’t mind eating this for dinner. Next time I would make more zoodles though. They cooked down a lot more than I imagined, so I’d say about 1 zucchini per person.
Meatballs & Zoodles
Ingredients
1/2 lb. lean ground turkey
3 Tbsp pre-made pesto
1/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 egg, whisked
S&P
1/2 jar of marinara
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
3-4 zucchinis, made into zoodles
Directions
1. Combine turkey, pesto, breadcrumbs, egg and salt and pepper (I used about 1/4 tsp salt and a few grinds of black pepper) in a bowl until evenly mixed.
2. In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. When hot, sear meatballs on all sides, about 2 minutes per side (turning 3-4 times). Lower heat to simmer and carefully pour in the marinara sauce — it will splatter a bit, so be careful!
3. Simmer for 10-12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cut your zucchinis into zoodles with a spiralizer (tools below).
5. Once meatballs are cooked through, remove from heat and stir in basil.
6. Cook zucchini noodles in a hot pan with a little bit of oil and a sprinkle of salt and cook for 1 minute until hot. Don’t overcook!
7. Serve meatballs and sauce on top of zoodles. Serve with fresh parmesan and extra basil.
How do you cut back and still make dinners creative and enjoyable?!
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