Garlic Butter Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Zucchini Noodles
INGREDIENTS LIST FOR THE GARLIC BUTTER MEATBALLS WITH LEMON ZUCCHINI NOODLES
- 1/2 lb (220g) ground turkey meat
- 1/2 lb (220g) ground pork meat (optional, see recipe notes)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice (mozzarella, cheddar, provolone…)
- 4 cloves garlic, grated + 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red crushed chili pepper flakes, optional
- 1 crumbled bouillon cube, optional
- Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley), divided
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 medium zucchini, spiralized
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce of your choice (we used Sriracha)
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey and ground pork, cheese, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, bouillon cube, red chili pepper flakes, chopped cilantro and black pepper. Mix well with your hands or fork and form medium balls. Arrange on a plate and set aside.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the meatballs for 8 – 10 minutes on all sides, until browned and cooked through. While cooking, baste the meatballs with the mix of butter and juices. Remove to a clean plate and set aside.
3. In the same skillet melt remaining tablespoon butter; then add lemon juice, hot sauce, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes (if you want). Add the zucchini noodles and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring regularly, until zucchini is done but still crisp and juices have reduced a bit. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and garnish with more cilantro or parsley if you like.
4. Push zucchini on one side of the skillet and add the meatballs back to the pan and reheat for a minute or two. Serve immediately with a lemon slice on the side. Enjoy!
Note:
- Pork in this recipes allows the meatballs to be more juicy and tender. If you don’t eat pork, just double the amount of ground turkey, it’s delicious too!
- Zucchini tends to render some water when cooking, so you can sprinkle with salt after spiralizing and allow to sit for a couple of minutes to take off excess water. Rinse well to get rid of salt and drain thoroughly in a colander before cooking.
