Zoodles with Turkey Meatballs in a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

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Last Updated on March 2, 2020

Zoodles with turkey meatballs in a creamy roasted red pepper sauce is light, healthy and so delicious! Gluten-free and dairy-free, this meal is even great for a Whole 30 diet! The turkey meatballs are full of garlic and spinach, which is balanced so well by the creamy red pepper sauce. 

I’ve hopped aboard the zoodle train! Choo Choo!

These zucchini noodles with turkey meatballs are tossed in a roasted red pepper sauce for an easy gluten-free meal that is perfect for an easy weeknight meal. You can even make the components ahead for meal prep or to serve dinner guests.

What are zoodles?

In case you’ve been living under a rock (who am I kidding.. it took me forever to make zoodles), a zoodle is a zucchini noodle, hence the name zoodle.

The zucchini is cut into long thin strips and then cooked. Looks like pasta, twirls like pasta, and somewhat sort of tastes like pasta…

Let’s be real, are we going to fool anyone into thinking we are actually eating pasta? That’s a big NO.

But! Does it still satisfy a hankering for pasta since we can twirl it around our forks and smother it in delicious roasted red pepper sauce? Yes! Indeed it does!

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How to Make Zoodles

There are a few ways to turn your zucchini into zoodles. You can use a vegetable peeler, a mandolin, or a vegetable spiralizer (my favorite!).

I own three different spiralizers, but my current favorite, the OXO Handheld Spiralizer, is the simplest of them all! It is a little more manual than other spiralizers, but it’s small and fits in your utensil drawer. I’m also a big fan of the Paderno Vegetable Spiralizer and use that one often, too!

From zucchini to beets to sweet potatoes, you can spiralize ANYTHING! If you’re new to spiralizing, zucchini is a great option to start with.

Steps for making zoodles:

1. Cut the zucchini in half or thirds to make it more manageable to spiralize. You’ll also want to cut off the ends, too.
2. Spiralize the zucchini with your spiralizer of choice.
3. Cook the zucchini noodles with a little oil and salt and pepper for just a few minutes.
4. Toss the zoodles with a sauce and serve!

This zoodle with turkey meatballs in a roasted red pepper sauce recipe is seriously my new favorite meal. It’s gluten-free and dairy-free, of course, but also great for those following a Whole 30 or paleo diet.

Gluten-Free Turkey Spinach Meatballs

The turkey spinach meatballs are moist, even without the addition of any eggs or breadcrumbs. I literally was eating them off the pan while I was trying to take pictures of them.

If you want more tips and tricks for making them, read all about it at my post for making gluten-free turkey spinach meatballs! They’re baked in the oven and so easy to make!

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

The roasted red pepper sauce is honestly the best part of this meal – it’s simple, light, and indulgent all at the same time if that’s even possible.

All you have to do is roast some red bell peppers in the oven while you prep the meatballs, then throw it in a food processor or blender with some garlic, onions, non-dairy milk, spices and oil.

Easy squeezey, roasted bell pepper peasy. That’s how that saying goes right?

The roasted red pepper sauce is great on so many other meals too. It’s fabulous on some roasted salmon with a side of quinoa, or served in a grain bowl (try it in my Curried Chickpea and Sweet Potato Power Bowl instead of the tahini sauce for a change of pace), or even slathered on my Spinach Garlic Turkey Burgers!

When you combine the zoodles, roasted red bell pepper sauce and turkey meatballs together it’s just pure MAGIC and a pretty healthy gluten-free dinner too! It’s delicious for an easy weeknight meal or to serve guests for a dinner party.

Substitutions

• You can make any part of this meal or just make the zoodles, the turkey meatballs or the roasted red pepper sauce. Mix and match with sauces and proteins for a customizable meal!
• Use any unsweetened non-dairy milk for the roasted red pepper sauce. Do make sure it is not sweetened or flavored. Vanilla almond milk does not taste good in this sauce so don’t even try it.
• Yellow squash is another good option if zucchini is not available to you.

Looking for more spiralized recipes? Try these!

• Sweet Potato Noodles in a Creamy Cashew Sauce
• Mango and Shrimp Cucumber Noodles
• Pecan Pesto Zoodles with Bacon and Roasted Tomatoes

Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Zoodles with Turkey Meatballs in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

These zucchini noodles with turkey meatballs are tossed in a roasted red pepper sauce for an easy gluten-free meal that is perfect for an easy weeknight meal.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 393kcal

Author: Megan

Ingredients

For the Zoodles

• 4 zucchini
• 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

• 2 red bell peppers cut into 4 pieces (seeds removed)
• 4 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil divided
• 1/4 cup diced onion about 1/2 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

For the Meatballs

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 cup packed fresh spinach chopped
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• On a baking sheet, toss red bell peppers and 1 tablespoon of oil together and lay in a single layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the bell peppers are tender and there are some black char marks.
• In the meantime, start making your turkey meatballs. In a large bowl combine ground turkey, spinach, coconut flour, salt, thyme, oregano, garlic, 1 tablespoon of oil and black pepper. Mix until combined well. Roll into small meatballs – you’ll get about 15 out of a batch. Line a baking sheet with foil and place meatballs on the sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until baked through.
• While the meatballs are cooking, in a small skillet, combine 1/4 cup diced onion and 1 clove of garlic in 1 tbsp of oil. Saute for 5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add to a food processor with the bell pepper when it’s ready. Then also add almond milk, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt, black pepper, 2 tbsp of avocado oil or olive oil. Process until combined and smooth.
• Use a vegetable spiralizer to turn the zucchini into noodles. In a skillet (can be the same one we used before), add the zucchini with the oil and saute for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• To assemble, top the zucchini with the roasted red pepper sauce and 3-4 meatballs.

Notes

*I use this spiralizer (affiliate link)

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 1124mg | Potassium: 1007mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2635IU | Vitamin C: 113.4mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2.7mg

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