Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp Meatballs topped with a spicy Thai pesto sauce is a delicious and healthy meal that will have you licking your plate! This recipe will be on repeat!
The shrimp meatballs are from an appetizer dish on my blog that I repurposed for this dish. But you can top the zucchini noodles with your own meatballs. Get creative, get inspired in your kitchen!
Beautiful zucchini are the star in this Asian-inspired dish. They're perfect for turning into healthy noodles (a.k.a. "zoodles")!
Spiralizing zucchini has never been easier with this awesome spiralizer gadget! I used to make veggie noodles the hard way, using the small, manual veggie gizmo that made your hand cramp up! No more of that!
This spiralizer has inspired so many dishes in my kitchen, like this one! I've used it for beets, carrots, cucumbers, you name it!
This delicious Thai pesto sauce can be used for so many dishes, tossed or topped!
Spicy baked shrimp meatballs top off this healthy, easy noodle dish!
Print Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp Meatballs
Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp Meatballs topped with a spicy Thai pesto sauce is a delicious and healthy meal that will have you licking your plate! This recipe will be on repeat!
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchinis
For the pesto:
- 1 cup fresh Thai (or regular) basil
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 cup fresh mint
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons green curry paste
- Juice from 1 lime
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the shrimp meatballs:
- 1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 Thai chili peppers, seeded and chopped
- Juice of one lime
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 green onions, chopped (green parts only)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Cut off the ends of the zucchinis and make zucchini noodles in a vegetable spiralizer. Pat the zucchini noodles dry and set aside in a large bowl.
To make the pesto:
- In a food processor, pulse the basil, cilantro, mint, garlic, walnuts, fish sauce, green curry paste, and lime juice. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until smooth. Taste for seasoning.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Quickly toss the zucchini noodles into the oil, cooking briefly until al dente. Coat the zucchini with several tablespoons of the pesto sauce (to your liking), remove from wok or pan as soon as zucchini is fully coated. Place the noodles in a bowl topped with several of the shrimp balls and serve immediately.
To make the shrimp meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place shrimp in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat and sauté garlic, shallots, and peppers until translucent, about 3 minutes. Transfer veggies to a bowl to cool.
- Meanwhile, add to the shrimp the egg whites, bread crumbs, green onion, cilantro, salt, chili peppers, and lime juice. When veggies have cooled, add to the mixture and combine all ingredients well.
- Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Working in batches, form 1-inch balls with the shrimp mixture and place in rows on the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Spray tops of the shrimp balls with cooking spray before putting in the oven. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Set oven to broil and brown the tops of the shrimp balls, about 2 minutes.
To assemble: Toss the zucchini noodles with the Thai pesto to thoroughly coat. Place the noodles on a plate and top with the shrimp meatballs. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro if desired. Serve while warm.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
- Diet: Low Fat
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 517
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 939.5 mg
- Fat: 28.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.8 g
- Protein: 43.6 g
- Cholesterol: 273.7 mg
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