Whole30 compliant spaghetti and meatballs? Yes, please! These are made with squash noodles and tons of fresh veggies. Gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, Whole30, Paleo.
Whole30 compliant spaghetti and meatballs?? Yes, please! The delicious noodles are made with yellow squash, although you can certainly substitute zucchini or even sweet potato noodles, if you’d like. I like the yellow squash because it looks similar to actual pasta, has a nice mellow flavor, and does not seem to get as soggy as zucchini when cooked.
To make the meatballs for these Whole30 compliant spaghetti and meatballs, it’s fairly straightforward. You’ll need some ground meat of your choice, I used turkey. You’ll add that to a bowl along with onion, salt, egg, seasoning of your choice and coconut flour to thicken.
In case you are curious, I love this brand of Himalayan pink salt. The mixture will likely still be kind of wet, but don’t add too much coconut flour, or the meatballs will dry out. I recommend adding no more than 2-3 Tbsp of coconut flour.
To make the squash noodles, I used my mandoline slicer. I really like the way these Whole30 compliant spaghetti and meatballs turned out. I find that when I make zucchini noodles, they get soggier and seem to almost disintegrate as I eat them.
What I like about the yellow squash is that it seems to hold it’s own a bit better than the zucchini. But also forming it into larger noodles makes it more forgiving. The thinner you make the noodles, the more carefully you should watch them while they cook. There is definitely a fine line between firm-textured and inedible mush, and no one wants spaghetti mush.
Watch that you don’t overcook the squash, because it will get soggy and mushy. I cooked mine for roughly 7-8 minutes, along with the spinach, and it still had a nice bite to it. You can easily cut through it, but it doesn’t fall apart when you pick it up. That is what you want. The squash lends a perfect noodle texture to this Whole30 compliant spaghetti and meatballs.
I hope you are having a super-fantastic Whole30, and that this Whole30 compliant spaghetti and meatballs gives you some more recipe inspiration. There are so many fun and exciting ways to keep your meals interesting while making your way through the 30 days. If you tried these Whole30 compliant spaghetti and meatballs, leave a comment below!
Oh, and if you’re wondering, I love this mandoline slicer
Whole30 Compliant Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken, turkey or beef
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2-3 Tbsp coconut flour
Spaghetti
- 2-3 yellow squash
- 8 oz. spinach
Tomato Sauce
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt I love this Himalayan pink salt
- 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
Instructions
Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add all ingredients for meatballs to a bowl except for the coconut flour. Mix with a spoon until well-incorporated.
- Add in coconut flour by the tablespoon to thicken meatballs. Do not add more than 3 tbsp, or the meatballs will be dry.
- Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, form into balls and drop onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Be sure to check the internal temperature before consuming.
Spaghetti:
- While the meatballs are baking, use a spiralizer or mandoline slicer to make spaghetti out of your yellow squashes. You can create whatever thickness or shape you like.
- Add the squash and fresh spinach to a pan over medium heat with a bit of coconut oil or ghee, and saute for 7-8 minutes. You want the squash to be fork-tender, but not so soft that it disintegrates in the pan.
Tomato Sauce:
- In a small saucepan, add in tomato sauce and all seasoning ingredients. Stir until combined and the sauce begins to bubble, approximately 5 minutes. Turn temperature down to low until meatballs are finished cooking.
- Assemble all ingredients together and enjoy!
