After Trevor requested this meal again this week I decided I would share my meatball recipe since my family can’t enough of them. Half the battle with most Italian food is preparation time and these can be whipped up quickly and bake in the oven in under 30 minutes. I kept the meatball recipe Paleo & Whole 30 but added fresh pasta for lunch and passed on the carbs for dinner the next night.

I know when I would share about our Whole 30 experience I would frequently talk about ’emergency meals’ being so crucial. This is one of those that is so easy to whip up in large batches and freeze whatever you don’t need to keep on hand. Italian meatballs are one of my favorite indulgences and this recipe allows us to feel little guilt. I keep the meat lean (usually 85%) so they don’t get dry and add a bit of spice to them!

You can make fresh pasta, snag some at the store or even use zucchini noodles if you are staying low carb or paleo. A little trick I just found on zoodle preparation I think I was missing before was the draining. I was never able to make my zoodles crispy and while watching the Food Network I saw the chef strain all her zoodles post spiralizing in a cheese cloth so when she tossed them on the oil they didn’t feel soggy.

Just mix everything together and roll into fairy large balls. Don’t worry, even without breadcrumbs these will stay together. Do make sure you rub olive oil on the pan before placing the meatballs down. Throw those in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees and in that time you can prepare your sauce and pasta.

I like to make my pasta a little spicy too so I add a few chili flakes – if you are making your own that’s perfect and if not I love the spicy tomato and garlic at Whole Foods! Toss everything together and top with some fresh basil and you have an easy dinner and perfect leftovers.

Looking at these photos is making me crave them all over again! TGIT!