Sunday, January 3, 2016

Spaghetti Nests and Zucchini Balls


My kids love spaghetti. Like, Lily loses her mind when I tell her we are having spaghetti for dinner. Anytime I see an opportunity to get creative with a meal that I already know they will like, I jump on it! So, when I saw Zucchini Balls on a blog that I follow and Spaghetti Nests on Tasty...I immediately took notice and added it to the plan! These dishes aren't hard but they do require a bit more preparation than most weekly dinners, so we did this during holiday to ensure it was done properly! This will be a future fun weekend dish! Just keep that in mind if you want to add this to your rotation! Enjoy!



Zucchini Balls Ingredients

Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium zucchinis
1 cup Italian-Seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of dried basil
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 jar of quick marinara sauce
Salt and Pepper
Cooking Spray

Spaghetti Nests Ingredients

Cooked Spaghetti Noodles
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/4 quick marinara sauce

Directions

First, start on your zucchini balls by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and grating your zucchinis (skin on). Go ahead and spraying a baking sheet with your cooking spray.


Next, heat your olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and toss in your garlic. Saute until golden (about 30 seconds) and then toss in your zucchini with a dash of salt and pepper. You want to cook out as much of the water in the zucchini as possible for about 5-7 minutes. Then toss in a colander and attempt to squeeze out more.


Once you have squeezed and pressed, toss your zucchini into a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, cheese, egg, and basil. 


Mix well!


Now, it's time to get your hands dirty! Mold the mixture into little one inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Spray the top with the cooking spray once more and then toss in the oven to bake until firm and brown, approximately 20-25 minutes.


Heat your sauce in a deep skillet and place your cooked balls in the sauce to simmer until ready to serve!


Now, let's move over to your Spaghetti Nests! First, whipped your egg in a large bowl.


Next, toss in your cooked spaghetti, cheese, and some of the sauce from your zucchini balls. Mix well! I cooked an entire package of spaghetti noodles and only tossed in half. 


Spray a  large muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each section with your spaghetti mixture.


Take a rounded spoon (I used a tablespoon) and press the center of each to create a little indention.


Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.


Once cooled, they are easy to remove for plating!


Place one of your zucchini balls into each spaghetti nest and then sprinkle extra sauce and a little cheese over each.


So pretty on the plate! Am I right!?!?!?! Served with a little salad, it's a gorgeous plate!


And seriously tasty!


Chris and I tore these up! And the kids...well, the kids LOVED it! They were a big hit! And, they tasted great the next day for lunch! Look at Lily's sweet little spaghetti filled grin! Harrison was too busy eating to smile! ;)


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