Gluten-free Asian Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini Linguine

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini Linguine

Ever since I read Karina Allrich's recipe for raw zucchini pasta, it has been on my "To Make" list. Sunday is a day for traditions and Mr. Henderson and I have come up with some goodies. We begin our day either blogging or reading the New York Times, eating a late breakfast and if weather prevails we take a stroll. Today was no exception, we wandered down to Church Street. With Zucchini Pasta on my mind, I made it my goal to find a spiral slicer. We went to all the cooking stores and couldn't find what I was looking for until we stopped at William Sonoma.

I scavenged the store until I found it. A cool, lime green, dual-edged julienne peeler. Rather than spend the money on one that would only end up taking up space on our counter, I bought a delightful little handheld gadget. It worked better than I could have ever hoped for!

Pasta. I love pasta. Anything Italian and gluten-free is heaven for me. Rice pasta, corn pasta, quinoa pasta, buckwheat pasta, you name it. Pasta is always good.

But now thanks to the Gluten Free Goddess, I have a new favorite. Raw zucchini pasta. With my new trusty peeler, I now can have pasta whenever I'd like! I no longer have to wait for water to boil, the spaghetti is ready almost instantly. Truly a revelation for my Italian palette.

As any good Italian cook knows, you aren't a true chef until you have mastered the art meatballs. Each cuoco has their own flare and flavor for this staple. Our family recipe combines parmigiano or pecorino romano cheese, basil, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes. And of course, breadcrumbs.

Breadcrumbs. The bane of a gluten-free girl's pantry (unless of course you want to spend $6 for a pint - not for me!). I tried toasting bread in the oven and breaking it down in my food processor. It works for the most part, but usually doesn't get as crumbly as I would like. But I've suffered through it so I can enjoy my Spaghetti and Gravy.

Today I was struck with another dilemma. I wanted to make meatballs, turkey meatballs actually, but since I'm still on Clean I can't eat gluten-free bread or breadcrumbs. So what's a girl to do? Improvise of course! And what ingredient should I improvise with? Quinoa. Yes, you read that correctly, quinoa.

Now here goes it. My spin on traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs. Gluten-free Asian Turkey Meatballs served over raw Zucchini Pasta. So very tasty.

My very own spaghetti and meatballs

Asian Turkey Meatballs

• 1 lb organic ground turkey
• 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 green onions (scallions) minced
• 1/2 medium carrot, grated and chopped finely
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• Dash of Chinese 5 spice
• Juice of 1 medium lime
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Combine the turkey and quinoa in a large bowl. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. Food always tastes better with some added love.

Now add your green onion, carrots, herbs, ginger, lime juice and salt and pepper. Stir everything together with you hands until you can easily roll them into little balls. Roll out your turkey mixture into whatever size meatballs you like (I made mine on the small side, almost bite size).

Turkey quinoa meatballs ready to be baked!

Place your meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them for 10 - 20 minutes, depending on the size, until they are no longer pink in the middle.

Now, for the fun part. Make your pasta! With your new fabulous peeler, peel down a raw zucchini lengthwise, creating linguine-like strips. Peel until you start to hit the seeds and flip the zucchini 90°. When you're done, you should have an almost square core of zucchini.


Arrange your zucchini pasta in a bowl like you would any other gluten-free spaghetti. Add your meatballs on top and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Baked Asian meatballs served over a bed of raw zucchini pasta

Relish in the tastes of summer. These little morsels are packed with flavor and deliciously gluten-free. Please enjoy my new found love!