Photo of Turkey meatballs with pasta and zucchini by WW

Turkey meatballs with pasta and zucchini

3
Points®
Total Time
35 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
A great way to extend a small amount of pasta is to combine it with spiralized vegetables. Here, zucchini spirals intertwine with whole-wheat spaghetti for a satisfying, veggie-rich meal. To cook the spirals, you can either add them to the pasta in the pot during the last minute of cooking, or to retain more texture you can simply place them in a colander and drain the pasta over them so they’re warmed by the pasta cooking water but still remain firm.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

6 spray(s)

Uncooked onion

½ cup(s), chopped, coarsely

Fresh parsley

¼ cup(s), coarsely chopped

Garlic

1 clove(s), chopped

Uncooked zucchini

1 cup(s), chopped, coarsely

Panko breadcrumbs

cup(s)

Kosher salt

½ tsp

Black pepper

½ tsp

Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

¼ cup(s)

Uncooked ground turkey breast

1 pound(s)

Egg

1 large egg(s)

Cooked whole-wheat spaghetti

2 cup(s)

Fresh zucchini spirals

2 cup(s), cooked

No sugar added fat free marinara sauce

2 cup(s), warmed

Fresh parsley

2 Tbsp, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a food processor or mini food processor, place the onion, parsley, and garlic; pulse until finely chopped. Add the chopped zucchini; pulse until the texture is almost paste-like. Spoon the mixture into a large bowl. Add the panko, salt, pepper, cheese, turkey, and egg. Mix with hands until very well combined. Shape into twenty 1 ½-inch meatballs.
  2. Preheat an air fryer, if necessary, to 400°F. Lightly coat the air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Add 10 meatballs to the basket in a single layer; lightly coat with nonstick spray. Air-fry at 400°F for 5 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the air fryer (they will not be fully cooked). Repeat the process with the remaining 10 meatballs. Return all meatballs to the air fryer basket. Air-fry 5 minutes or until cooked through.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the spaghetti, cooked (or warmed; see note above) zucchini spirals, and marinara sauce in a large bowl. Add the meatballs and toss gently to combine. Garnish with finely chopped parsley, if desired.
  4. Serving size: 1 cup noodle mixture and 5 meatballs