Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles and Chimichurri Sauce

With the cleanse winding down last week I’ve happily been back in the kitchen playing with new recipes.

My family eats a ton of meatballs but frankly they’re all too often of the organic store-bought, pre-cooked variety. Not the best, but easy for a busy working mama in a pinch. For that reason, I’ve wanted to come up with my own homemade version and so this recipe was born.

Filled with robust flavors of fresh herbs, lemon and garlic, these meatballs are the perfect anecdote to the mild flavors of turkey and zucchini. If you’re new to the idea of making noodles from zucchini welcome to a whole new world! Be sure to check out my post on how to make them here.

Chimichurri is traditionally a green sauce from Argentina primarily used as a marinade for grilling steak. It’s another name for pesto, made with herbs, garlic, oil and vinegar that also pairs well with veggies, chicken and fish. It’s quite tangy so drizzle slowly at first to make sure you get the right amount to your liking.

Read on for the recipe and be sure to leave me a comment below.

With love and tangy turkey meatballs,

PS – If you’re the vegetarian among a bunch of meat eaters, serve yourself zucchini noodles with steamed veggies and kalamata olives drizzled with chimichurri. Yum!

Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles and Chimichurri Sauce

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients for chimichurri:

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 small shallot, minced (about 1 TB.)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• Handful fresh basil
• 2 TB chives, chopped
• 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Ingredients for meatballs and noodles:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 3 small cloves fresh garlic, minced
• Zest of 1 small lemon (about 1 TB.)
• ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 TB. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 TB. fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 small shallot, minced (about 1 ½ TB.)
• 3 large zucchini, spiralized to make noodles
• 2 TB. olive oil, divided
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions for chimichurri:
In high-speed blender, combine vinegar, olive oil, honey, shallot, garlic, herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour or refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Instructions for meatballs:
In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, garlic, lemon zest, herbs and shallot. Use your hands to combine then add a big pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Mix just until everything is combined, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the fridge. Pinching off about 2 tablespoonfuls at a time, roll into meatballs.

Cook the meatballs until browned, flipping once (about 2 minutes per side.)

Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, then bake in the oven for 5 minutes to cook through.

Remove from the oven, and serve with the zucchini noodles and chimichurri sauce.

Instructions for zucchini noodles:
In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add zucchini noodles and stir for 3 to 5 minutes until warm and tender. Drizzle with chimichurri sauce.