Enjoying Gluten-Free Life

 Grain-Free But Delicious 

While it’s probably a strange thing to crave, I’d been craving meatballs. I’m on a grain-free diet so making them brings some challenges. I could have used almond flour in them but I’ve been eating so many almond flour baked goods that I wanted to use something else for these.

I wondered if shredded zucchini could take the place of flour. Turns out it can. That and one egg held together a pound of hamburger. You can see tiny bits of green so, if you’re cooking for a veggie hater, you might want to peel them and make smaller bits by running a knife through it once it’s shredded. I prefer to bake meatballs over cooking them in a pan – I put them in the oven and they cook themselves.

We’d tried spaghetti squash as a substitute for regular pasta in the past and not been overly impressed. This time I made sure it was well cooked so not crunchy and I seasoned it well. Both my husband and I loved it.

As to the sauce, I’ve quite frankly always been a fan of jarred spaghetti sauce but can’t have sweeteners other than honey right now and that leaves out every sauce I’ve looked at. I found a brand of Italian tomato sauce and paste that I felt like I could trust for the ingredients. (SCD – their website says no sugar added.) This recipe works well if you’re like me or just want to make it from scratch.

My husband declared this as good as a restaurant. High praise in our home. I made this twice in the last week to test it for you. So I’ve had enough meatballs. For a little while

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs
1 pound hamburger (mine was fairly lean)
1/2 cup shredded zucchini, packed
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (two if large)
1 egg

Sauce
24-ounce bottle Bionaturae Organic Strained Tomatoes
1 heaping Tablespoon Bionaturae Organic Tomato Paste
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (two if large)
1/4 onion

Pasta (aka Spaghetti Squash)
1 spaghetti squash
dried basil
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin by by making the meatballs. Beat the egg then mix it in a bowl with the other meatball ingredients (I use clean hands for something like this), and form into 10 evenly sized balls, placing them on a baking sheet. The meatball mixture may seem soft now but bakes up firm. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until done. They may have liquid come out of them while baking, just scrape it from around the edges when they’re done. (I assume that bread would have soaked this up. It does not effect taste.)

If making the sauce, prepare it while the meatballs bake. Combine all ingredients including the 1/4 onion cut it half. It melts into the sauce.  Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook for about an hour, adding the meatballs once they’re come out of the oven. Everything needs to cook together for a while so the flavors can meld.

The spaghetti squash can be cooked in either a microwave or oven. I’ve cooked mine in the microwave the last couple of times. You cut it in half (carefully), take out the seeds and bake. Here are some directions for cooking spaghetti squash. I do cook mine longer in the microwave than she says to because I’ve learned that for our tastes a fork must easily pierce the skin, not just go in but easily go in. Once it’s cooked, take out the “spaghetti” and pull it apart with a couple of forks. Sprinkle on basil, salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with olive oil. Then mix together.

Linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Whole Food Fridays,