I bet you never thought you’d be craving zucchini noodles…
I am though. I have been craving zoodles every day since I made these little nests and I don’t see the cravings going away any time soon. Good thing I stocked up on zucchini because I’ll just be eating these everyday. Cool? Thanks.
Good news is that I also stocked up on the Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs. Have you tried them yet? OH MY WOW. (not sponsored) I’m just obsessed with how they taste. I mean if vegan meat substitutes could be perfect, they would all be Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs. Find them in the frozen section and thank me later!
You’ll notice in the ingredients list, I added some hummus & panko bread crumbs because zoodles can get a little soggy. Zucchini has a very high water content which is good for your health but bad for crispy nests. The hummus & bread crumbs really helped to bind these together without having to crack an egg. Although these still came out super saucy they held together nicely and served as a perfect vessel for those meatless meatballs.
Let’s get cooking good looking!! Grab your muffin tin and your spiralizer and meet me in the kitchen. It’s going to be an epic meal!
My husband even rated this Top 5 so you know I mean business!
Of course you could always just serve this family style in a big casserole dish and the recipe would be exactly the same but I thought it made a beautiful delicate dish this way and could also be served as a fancy appetizer at a cocktail party. Do people still have cocktail parties? Invite me, I bring fancy appetizers! …
Anywhoooo….
Meatball Marinara Zucchini Nests
Ingredients:
3 large zucchini
1 cup marinara sauce
1 tbsp hummus
12 meatless meatballs
1/2 cup vegan mozzarella
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
Crushed Red Pepper, Garlic Powder, & Dry Oregano to taste
*A muffin tin (or casserole dish, no judgement)
*A spiralizer
Directions:
- Spiralize all your zucchini and place in a bowl.
- Mix in bread crumbs, hummus, and 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Stir well to coat all the zucchini.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray your muffin tin with Olive oil
- Take small handfuls of zucchini noodles and place in muffin tin filling to the top. Zucchini will shrink by almost half so be generous in each muffin tin)
- Top each nest with 1/2 tsp marinara, then with one frozen meatball, then with another teaspoon of marinara. (basically sandwich the meatball with marinara so it’s good and covered)
- Top with a few shreds of mozz on each and a sprinkle more bread crumbs. You can also add the seasonings here to taste. I like it spicy so I added a generous amount of crushed red pepper.
- Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until cheese is melty and zucchini is soft and crispy around the edges.
Plate these bite size meatball nests and enjoy while warm.
Greens & Fries 
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