Easy Kale Pesto Zoodles with Turkey Meatballs packed with veggies and protein!
So I’m not a hugeeee fan of cooking meat. I don’t mind eating it if someone makes it for me, but the actual act of cooking it- not my fave. That’s where Lou comes in. 🙂
Although I do most of the cooking, for meals that involve chicken, turkey or beef I usually let him handle that area while I cook the veggies. Plus, when it comes to things like the Italian classics he’s like basically like “let me handle this, you are definitely not going to put in enough parmesan.”
So below is a recipe for Kale Pesto Zoodles with Turkey Meatballs that’s half from me and half from Lou. Please note the turkey meatballs from Lou are a guesstimate. He doesn’t measure; everything is “made with love.” 😉 So when I asked him how much parmesan he was like “you know, a few good shakes.” I on the other hand love a good measuring cup. This pesto is delicious (made and measured by muah), and adding kale is a great way to get some extra greens in!
- 4 organic zucchinis
- 1 pound of organic ground turkey
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- dash of salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
- 2 cups packed torn kale leaves, stems removed.
- 1 cup packed fresh basil
- dash of sea salt and pepper
- 1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- combine the ground turkey, onion, breadcrumbs, garlic, egg, parmesan, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning until well combined.
- using your hands, form meatballs
- add olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat
- add the meatballs and sear on all sides until browned
- carefully place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- while the meatballs are baking, add the kale, basil and sea salt to a food processor or high perf blender and pulse to break down.
- drizzle in the 1/4 cup of olive oil while processing, scraping down the sides when needed
- add the walnuts and garlic and process again until desired consistency is reached. add more oil if needed.
- spiralize as many zucchinis as servings you are making, squeeze any excess water from the zoodles (as much as you can)
- flash fry the zoodles in a pan with a portion of the pesto until heated through and tender (not soggy)
- place the zoodles on a plate, top with meatballs and an additional dollop of pesto