carrot spaghetti with italian meatballs

I've been seeing recipes for a while now that have substituted carrots and zucchini for regular pasta and i've wanted to try to see how this would turn out. It turned out very tasty but it's not like pasta at all. Very different! But what did i expect? The texture and taste of carrots and zucchini is so different then that of pasta. I did like it enough to want to make it again and my discerning husband also gave it a thumbs up, so here is the recipe!

I recently also tried this same recipe with zucchini and it was a big hit. I've added info & pictures for substituting zucchini below.

Ingredients for the zucchini/ carrot spaghetti:
6-7 peeled carrots or 3 peeled zucchinis
1/2 onion (chopped finely)
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of salt
pepper to taste
5-6 mushrooms
1 cup of tomato sauce or marinara sauce
parsley flakes or Italian seasoning to top

TIP: You can also add 1 red pepper - chopped fine in step 5

1) Wash and peel carrots/zucchini.

2) Using a juilienne tool, shred the carrots/zucchini to make your spaghetti. I used one from the oxo brand (http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Julienne-Peeler/dp/B0000CCY1S)

3) Heat oil in pot/pan and then add garlic and onions.
4) Saute until golden brown.

5) Add mushrooms and saute for another few mins until here is no liquid left.
6) Add salt and pepper.

picture of zucchini version above

7) Add julienne carrots/zucchini and saute for another 5-6 mins.
8) Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer on low for another 5-6 mins.

picture of the carrots and sauce above

picture of the zucchini and sauce above

9) Top with parsley flakes and enjoy!
Servings: 4
Calories per serving: 110, Carbs: 18. Fat: 4, Protein: 4, Sodium: 192, Sugar:8

Recently i purchased a spiralizer that makes spaghetti shaped noodles out of vegetables like zucchini and carrots. Here are the pictures below. For the zucchini i simply blanched the noodles in hot water with a bit of salt for about an hour and then washed the zucchini noodles well before serving.

Italian Meatballs
Ingredients:

• .5 kg of extra lean ground chicken or turkey. (You can also use lean or extra lean ground beef. If you do, just omit the oil in the recipe)
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 an onion (chopped fine)
• 2 tablespoons of dill (i really like dill, so this is what i've used but you can use blend of italian herbs like oregano, parsley, basil)
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (you can also use feta instead and this along with the dill will give you a greek flavoured meatball instead)
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper or more according to taste.
  

1) Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl.
2) Mix well.

3) Form into meatballs.
4) Grill for about 15-20 mins until there is no pink visible and these have browned well. (I use my T-Fal Acti-Fry).

Makes approx; 15-17 meatballs
Calories per meatball: 58, Carbs: 0, Fat: 4, Protein: 6, Sodium: 44, Sugar: 0