Turkey Meatballs (with Spaghetti Squash)

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, grated (plus 2-3 Tbsp more for topping)
• ½ cup zucchini, shredded (about ½ of a large zucchini)
• ⅓ cup Italian breadcrumbs
• ⅓ cup carrot, finely shredded
• 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 2-3 garlic cloves, diced
• 2.5 cups pasta sauce (one small jar of Ragu Chunky Tomato, Garlic, & Onion is used for nutrition count)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients excpet pasta sauce. Fold ingredients together with hands, but be careful not to over-mix. Too much mixing can dry out your meatballs.
3. Pour sauce sauce into a 9x13 dish, and then grab your bowl of meat. Roll your meatballs into about one-inch thick balls and place evenly throughout casserole dish. (~33 meatballs are made).
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked all the way through. The internal temperature of the meatballs should be 165 degrees.

Nutritional Mumbo Jumbo Per Serving (serves 5):

Calories: 267
Fat: 6g
Carbohydrates: 23g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 29g

*For the spaghetti squash: 

1. Pierce squash several times with a knife before microwaving to release steam (like you do to prepare baked potatoes).
2. Place whole squash in a microwave safe dish (to catch juices) for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until soft. I read a few places a general rule of thumb is 5 minutes per pound. When it is done, the squash should be easily pierced with a butter knife.
3. Allow squash to cool slightly (or wear oven mitts if you are impatient like me because that sucker is hot).
4. Cut the top off the spaghetti squash then split the squash into two even halves.
5. Remove the seeds and discard. Let cool to the point where you can handle it.
6. Using a fork, loosen the ’spaghetti’ strands from the inside of the squash, scraping them into a bowl or plate 

Nutritional Mumbo Jumbo Per 1 cup of cooked squash:
Calories: 31
Fat: 1g
Carbohydrates: 7g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 1g