Zucchini balls with Spaghetti

I have always been obsessed with Spaghetti and meatballs and how people rave about it and describe it as one of the best comfort Italian food. I just wanted to try out my take on a vegetarian version of it, so I and can enjoy it too. These zucchini balls can also be served as an appetizer, topped marinara sauce and cheese. The secret to the success of the recipe is to squeeze out as much as liquid from the grated zucchini. Place the grated zucchini is a kitchen towel and twist several times to get as much as liquid out as possible. Enjoy these as a appetizer topped with marinara and cheese or toss it with spaghetti for a satisfying meal.

Ingredients

Zucchini Balls

• 2 medium sized zucchini
• 1 tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (or more as needed to remove moisture)
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 egg (see notes for egg substitute)
• Salt and pepper as required

Spaghetti

• 1 pkg spaghetti
• 1 jar of store-bought pasta sauce

Instructions

1. Grate the zucchini along with the skin, place it in a kitchen cloth and squeeze out the water as much as possible. This is very important, otherwise the balls will become flat while baking.
2. Place zucchini and all the other ingredients listed for the balls in a large container and mix it up. Make bite-sized balls out of it.
3. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the zucchini balls on a baking sheet and bake them for about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to get a nice brown color on top.
4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, drain, and toss it with 3/4 of the pasta sauce.
5. Toss the spaghetti with the remaining pasta sauce and serve it over the zucchini balls for a delicious meal!
6. To serve the zucchini balls as an appetizer, just top them with a spoonful of marinara/pasta sauce and some cheese.