17 Dec Paleo & Whole30 Italian Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash
I have a confession to make. Until now, I’ve never tried spaghetti squash. Even with all hype out there about how wonderful it is, I remained skeptical and never tried it. I’ve made oodles of zucchini noodles and even some cauliflower rice once or twice. (See what I did there?) But no spaghetti squash. Man, have I been missing out. Beth at Budget Bytes recently wrote a great post on how to make spaghetti squash in the slow cooker, and I decided to try it. Go there to read her writeup if you want the details on the whole process, and then come back here for the Paleo & Whole30 Italian Meatballs recipe. These Italian meatballs are da bomb (dot com)!
My spaghetti squash was about three pounds. I washed it well, poked it 10-15 times with a fork and cooked it in the slow cooker for about 4 hours until it gave slightly when I pressed on it. You can use two slow cookers at a time to make the spaghetti squash and meatballs (which I did), or you can make the spaghetti squash ahead of time. Make sure to halve your spaghetti squash on the “equator.” You’ll have longer “noodles” that way. Remove the seeds and use a spoon to scoop out the insides once it’s done.
Paleo & Whole30 Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 48 oz. Whole30-compliant marinara sauce
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl.
- Roll into balls using about 3 tablespoons of the mixture per meatball.
- Broil meatballs 3 minutes per side, using tongs to turn them.
- Place into the slow cooker.
- Cover with Whole30-compliant marinara sauce.
- Cook 6-8 hours on low.
These Paleo & Whole30 Italian Meatballs are giant-sized, and the recipe makes enough to save for later. You can freeze them before you cook them or afterwards. I’ll be making an even bigger batch next time because they’re so darned tasty and can be used in so many different dishes.
Don’t forget to Pin this Paleo & Whole30 Italian Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash recipe for later! I had mine with a Non-Alcoholic Cranberry Thyme Spritzer.
Lindsay fisher
Posted at 17:13h, 26 FebruaryI am currently on day 26 of my second whole 30. My first was a hit, i stuck with it for 7 months. then i got pregnant and had a baby! Needless to say prego me didnt care about whole 30 just whatever i was craving. But this happened to me as well with the eggs. Its the eggs that have a big negative affect for me and i also had my galbladder removed which means that pork and to rich beef is also a problem in big amounts. So maybe try just eggs 1 time a week and it may help i realized that with whole 30 eggs are in almkst 2/3 of the meals i made and that was the issue. Sad j also love eggs in many ways.
Victoria Tegg
Posted at 05:16h, 04 JuneI m0ade this last night for my 16 yo twins and husband – and they loved it. So easy and perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Alisha Ross
Posted at 05:38h, 11 JuneI’ve been a meatball love my whole life! I’ll take ’em any way I can get them, and I love this simple, turkey version — classic with a twist!