This plant-based spaghetti and “meatball” dish is a lighter, vegetarian-friendly take on the classic dinnertime favorite.

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups diced onion
• ¼ cup chopped garlic
• 16 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 slices of toasted, whole-grain bread
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 cups walnuts
• ¼ cup milled flax seed
• 2 teaspoons parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Zucchini Noodles

• 3⁄4 teaspoon iodized salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 large zucchini, spiralized
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 3⁄4 cups marinara pasta sauce

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. For the meatballs: In a medium sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions, garlic and mushrooms until golden and pan is dry. Remove from heat.
3. In a food processor, add the toasted bread and pulse until finely ground.
4. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until consistency of ground beef. Form 28 balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. In batches, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Sauté 1/3 of the zucchini for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Remove from pan and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and 2/3 zucchini. Plate zucchini, top with sauce and meatballs.

TIP: To make this a gluten free recipe, replace the bread with whole grain gluten-free bread.

Recipe courtesy of the ALDI test kitchen. Visit ALDI.us for more kid-friendly recipes!