Zoodles & Cauli Gnocchi with Meatballs

Okay....this is literally one of THE BEST meals I have EVER cooked...It is literally sooo good and pretty simple! There's also so many variations you can do such as using real noodles if you aren't trying to do low carb, or switching out the meatballs for another meat like grilled chicken, adding other veggies, etc., the possibilities are endless! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!

What you need:

• 2 or 3 medium sized zucchini spiralized (can buy pre-spiralized for ease)

• meatballs of your choice*

• Trader Joe's cauli gnocchi

• 1/2 small sweet onion

• a few sliced mushrooms

• pasta sauce of choice (i use TJ's creamy tomato basil pasta sauce)

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• tbsp butter (optional)

• olive oil

• salt & pepper

• optional: fresh burrata cheese**, parmesan, red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. heat a large non-stick oven-safe pan over medium heat; while it's getting hot cut up veggies

2. once hot, splash a little olive oil and put a tbsp of butter in skillet; once about melted add in frozen gnocci and cover to thaw out...uncover after a few minutes and toss around to coat all sides

3. turn up the heat a little to brown all sides of the gnocchi to crisp it up, then set aside

4. in same pan, reduce heat back to medium or even a little less if pan seems too hot, add a little more olive oil and throw in minced garlic and chopped onions and saute for about 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally.

5. next add in the mushrooms and zucchini, add some salt and pepper, and mix into the onions with your utensil and saute for a few minutes until zoodles shrink down a little (if you don't like onions/mushrooms skip to the zucchini after sauteeing garlic in oil for a minute or so until fragrant)

6. pour in your sauce and mix into the zoodles, nestle in your meatballs and gnocchi that you set aside earlier and let simmer for a minute or so and you can serve like this...OR do a couple more steps to really take it to the next level (which is literally soo worth it!!!)

7. set your oven to the broil setting and then using a knife (or your fingers like me) and slice up little pieces of the burrata ball and equally distribute them on top; place in oven for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted a little

8. take out of the oven (use gloves..i may have made this mistake) and serve! i like to top with a little parmesan and red pepper flakes

* i love Trader Joes frozen turkey meatballs

** fresh mozzarella will work but burrata is definitely to die for; it's just a ball of fresh mozz with gooey mozz in the middle..comes in a container filled with liquid usually in the specialty cheese section (i usually find it at sprouts)

RECIPE TIPS:

- if you're spiralizing your own zucchini do it about ten minutes before you're going to use them and sprinkle with salt because it takes out some of the water! then either squeeze or press out excess water with a paper towel

- if you use frozen meatballs, like the Trader Joes ones i use, have them out thawing while you cook or even defrost them in the microwave to where they aren't totally frozen before you put them in