love is... spaghetti + meatballs
As cheesy as it is, we love a good Valentine’s Day celebration. Whether with a lover (ooo la la) or friends, our preferred way to celebrate is a night in; comforting food, natural wine, great bar of chocolate, slinky dress (or more realistically, pair of sweats)… Have we set the mood yet?
Valentine’s Day or not, a cold February night-in calls for comforting food, and what’s more comforting, and romantic, than a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs? Now, there are about a million ways to make a meatball, many of which include, eggs, bread and dairy. Did you know you can also make meatballs without all those things, and, they can still be delicious. While there’s nothing wrong with a more traditional preparation, we love simplifying when we can and sneaking in some extra veggies when we can too. This months’ recipe does both.
Packed with herbs and veggies, we pair these super simple meatballs with brown rice spaghetti (Jovial), our favorite jarred tomato sauce (Rao’s) and a sprinkle of hemp seed “parmesan” for a perfectly satisfying dairy free and gluten free meal. Eat alongside a leafy salad, finish it off with a fancy bar of chocolate, and you’ve got yourself one comforting, delicious and pretty darn easy, Valentine’s Day dinner.
Like with all simple recipes, quality of ingredients matter. Reach for grass fed beef, and high quality vegetables and herbs.
1lb. ground beef
1 small zucchini / 1 cup - grated
1/2 cup fresh basil - chopped
1/4 cup parsley leaves - chopped
1 small clove garlic - grated
3/4 tsp. sea salt
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with a few teaspoons of olive oil, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, with your hands, combine ground beef, shredded zucchini, chopped parsley and basil and salt. With greased hands, roll into golfball sized balls and space evenly on baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes.
While meatballs are cooking, heat marinara in a medium sauce pan over low heat.
Transfer cooked meatballs to the marinara to finish cooking, other 10-15 minutes. Serve over hot pasta.
*if making meatballs in advance, store in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in sauce before serving.
We’re not big fans of fake cheese, but this “cheesy” hemp seed sprinkle replaces the grated parmesan you would traditionally find on a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. Hemp seeds are high in protein and iron and nutritional yeast packed with B vitamins.
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp sea salt
Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse a few times, just until combined. Sprinkle generously on spaghetti and meatballs just before serving.
