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Chicken Mushroom and Zucchini Meatballs

By January 25, 2016March 12th, 2022Chicken & Turkey, Main Dish, Paleo, Recipes

This is a warm comforting dish of chicken meatballs filled with zucchini and mushrooms served over spaghetti squash. It’s full of nutrition and has lots of flavor.chicken meatballs 1

The snowstorm this weekend kept us home.  We had plenty of food and lots of wood to keep us warm even if the electric went out.  The wind howled and the water pounded the bulkhead but we were cozy inside.

Even though the sun came out on Sunday there was 12 inches of water on the ground.  We had another day at home.  It was time for a little comfort food.  Chicken Meatballs with Mushrooms and Zucchini sounded perfect.

These meatballs are easy to prepare and full of flavor. They are baked in the oven which is a lot easier than sautéing them.  I added in mushrooms and zucchini for additional nutrition.  They are flavored with garlic, onions, dried basil and thyme.  Nothing fancy but incredibly tasty.

Instead of ground chicken I prefer skinless, boneless chicken breast and grind it myself in the food processor.  It is fresher and cleaner that way. They can also be made with chicken thighs if you like dark meat.

This whole recipe is made in the food processor with a minimum amount of  hand chopping.  Once you prepare the meatball mixture use a one tablespoon scoop  to scoop out the filling, roll them a little in your hands and place on a baking sheet.

Chicken Meatballs processor

Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.  They will only be a little brown but since I add them to my favorite pasta sauce it doesn’t matter.   If I were serving meatballs as an appetizer without pasta sauce I would saute them.

This is a great dish to prepare ahead of time.  I bake the meatballs, let cool and store in the refrigerator.  The next day, I heat them in a large saute pan with my favorite pasta sauce.  In just a few minutes they are ready to go.

I usually buy a tomato sauce from the health food store, there are many delicious ones to choose from.  Get one in a glass jar made with olive oil, no other oils, no sugar, no preservatives, fresh garlic and fresh onions. Since tomatoes are on the “dirty dozen list” organic is important. 

My favorite way to serve them is over spaghetti squash, but spiralized zucchini is good too! If you like gluten free pasta Andean Dream Quinoa Pasta is fantastic.

Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash

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Chicken Mushroom Zucchini Meatballs

Chicken Mushroom Zucchini Meatballs


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  • Author: Ingrid DeHart
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x

Description

A delicious nutrient dense chicken meatball dish filled with zucchini and mushrooms served over spaghetti squash.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup zucchini, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 pound antibiotic free boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • ¼ cup blanched almond flour
  • 1 large organic egg or 1 tablespoon ground flax seed soaked in 2 tablespoons water for 5 minutes
  • ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ tsp dried thyme
  • 24 ounces organic tomato sauce 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°
  2. In a food processor, pulse together the zucchini, mushrooms, onion, parsley and garlic until coarsely chopped.
  3. Add chicken, almond flour, egg, salt, pepper and herbs. Process until thoroughly combined. Since you can’t taste it here (you don’t want to eat raw chicken), if you find you need more or less seasonings make a note of it for next time.
  4. Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, scoop and roll the meatballs and place onto a parchment lined or oiled baking sheet.
  5. Bake meatballs for about 20 minutes until cooked through. They will be lightly brown.
  6. Heat tomato sauce and add cooked meatballs.
  7. Serve alone or over spaghetti squash, spiralized zucchini or quinoa pasta

Notes

Click here to learn how to cook spaghetti squash.

Nutrition information is for the meatballs only.

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: Italian, Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

 

4 Comments

  • Mary Jo Campisi says:

    This recipe sounds absolutely scrumptious! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much, Ingrid. Blessings for your trip to Sri Lanka!

  • Joann Ianniello says:

    Ingrid, tomatoes ARE on the dirty dozen list! They are pictured as number 9 on the link you posted! I wonder if these meatballs can be just made with mushrooms and zucchini as I don’t eat chicken. Many blessings wished for you and your family in 2017. Very grateful for all you so generously share.

    • Ingrid says:

      Hi Joann,

      Thank you for pointing out that the tomatoes are on the list. I will change it in the blog post. It is important to buy organic. I haven’t tried it with only vegetables but it should work. Use double the amount of vegetables and leave out the chicken. Let us know how it comes out.
      Ingrid

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