Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash

By Lisa VanWilliams

This is a healthy super tasty dish and it can be made with ground turkey or chicken. I have been making this for a client lately and the last time I made it for them, I wanted to keep it for myself. Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta. One cup of cooked white pasta has around 220 calories, 42 grams of carbs, and very few nutrients. Spaghetti squash has about 42 calories, 10 grams of carbs plus it has nutrients like vitamin A and potassium.

Coconut flour and almond flour are wonderful gluten free, grain free, low carb and great for cooking paleo meals, they are also high in fiber and protein. Taste and flavor are not sacrificed in this recipe, and you won't even miss the breadcrumbs. 

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash cut in half, seeds removed 

1 egg

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 small onion diced or grated

3 garlic cloves minced

1/4 cup parsley finely chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt & pepper

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tablespoon coconut flour

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

Directions:

Cut the squash in half and place flat side down in about 1/2 inch of water. Cook in preheated oven at 375 for about 1/2 hr to 45 mins. Remove from oven and cool. Take a fork and run it across the squash horizontally to break apart the squash into pieces..it will look like small pieces of spaghetti. Season it with salt and pepper if you prefer. 

While the squash is baking, making the chicken mix. Combine the egg, tomato paste, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, almond flour, and coconut flour and mix it well. It's a stickier mix than using beef, that's for sure.

Preheat a pan with some olive oil and make meatballs by hand or with a small ice cream scooper and drop them into the hot oil. I usually use two forks to turn these until they are nicely browned on all sides.

Then transfer them to a baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven. Cook them around 15-20 mins depending on the size of the meatballs. The juice will come out an caramelize them nicely.

Serve over sauce or they are fabulous plain. Enjoy!