Anyone else C R A V E marinara? When I was pregnant, this was my GO-TO meal! I craved marina so much that when I finally had my baby, I needed a pretty serious break from it. But…now I’m ready for some savory goodness, especially during these cooler days.

This is a bit of a change up from my original turkey meatballs. These are especially delicious with marinara sauce. We had them with a doctored up store-bought marinara sauce and spaghetti squash lately!
Tips::

Doctored up marinara — I typically will saute minced onion and garlic and add my own fresh basil to the sauce. For a bit of spice, I’ll add red pepper flakes.

Baked spaghetti squash — cut squash lengthwise. Drizzle olive oil inside and generously salt. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees, cut side down. Bake for 40-50 minutes depending on how “cooked you want your pasta”. The squash should easily come out with a fork. Although the photo above is brown rice pasta, we do love this with spaghetti squash (which has very little calories and is MUCH more nutrient dense than any pasta).

Make a double or triple batch of the meatballs and store in the freezer. I like to meal prep on Sundays after church to get a jump start on the week.

Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 large egg
3 tablespoons minced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
2 strips bacon minced
1/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon fennel
Olive Oil

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spay a cookie sheet with a non-stick spray (I used coconut oil).
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients.
3. Use a cookie scoop (1 tablespoon in size) or using your hands to shape mixture into balls.
4. Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Enjoy with your favorite marinara sauce or store bought with my time saving tips suggested above.