Summer Veggie Spaghetti and Meatballs

Today, when I was perusing the produce section at the grocery store, I passed some pretty yellow summer squash and zucchinis. I Couldn’t resist taking some home because squash and zucchini are some of my favorite veggies.

I eat them year round, raw, sauteed, boiled, fried, baked… you name it, and I probably cook them that way!

After my shopping trip, I decided I would make something Italian for dinner tonight but I also wanted to include some of these veggies. So, I came up with an idea. Why not add them to a plate of spaghetti and meatballs? And that’s exactly what I did!

This recipe is very simple and easy to make – anyone can do it. It doesn’t take very long, either. If you double the recipe you can put your meatballs, completely uncooked, in a Ziploc bag or a freezer-safe container and freeze them until a later date.

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 lb ground chuck (78-84% lean)
1½ C breadcrumbs, Italian style seasoned
1 T dried Italian herbs seasoning
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 eggs
½ C milk
1 T salt
1 T pepper

Makes about 20 (depending on how big you make them)

Other Ingredients

1 C yellow squash
1 C zucchini
1 C yellow salad tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 lb angel hair pasta
1 handful fresh spinach, chopped
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3-5 fresh basil leaves
1 C spaghetti sauce
1 T olive oil

Method

• Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• In a large bowl, mix together all meatball ingredients. Once well combined, shape into small balls, about 1 ½ inches in diameter. (Do not make them too large because they will take longer to cook.)
• Place the meatballs on a baking pan and bake about 25 minutes. Turn them one time after about 12 minutes.

Now it's time to prep the veggies.

• Cut up your veggies into bite-sized pieces like this:

Next, finely chop the onion:

And then, finely chop the garlic:

In a skillet, add about 1 T olive oil and sauté all veggie ingredients, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat.

Cook pasta al dente, according to package instructions. Be sure to add a few dashes of salt to the water once boiling.

Toss the sautéed veggies with the pasta and add the spaghetti sauce. Chop the basil sprigs and add to the pasta.

Now you’re ready to serve! Simple plate the pasta and then top with about 4 meatballs per servings. Yum!

Servings: about 6

Hope you enjoy this recipe!