For the last two years you have probably gotten to know my roommate, Danielle, who I called Director Danielle because of her help with filming all my videos. Danielle and I met when we became leadership consultants for our sorority, Sigma Kappa. She came to live and work with me in Houston, Texas for several weeks when I lived there for a year. We did literally everything together in Houston, including eating almost every meal together.

I will never forget walking into our apartment one night after a meeting when Danielle cooked spaghetti squash for the first time. Much to Danielle’s dismay, we topped our squash with Trader Joe’s pre-made turkey meatballs. She had never been a fan of turkey, or so she thought, and actually enjoyed our easy, healthy dinner. Fast forward a few years and now Danielle regularly buys turkey meatballs. (I literally just saw them in the freezer two nights ago!)

A few months ago, I decided to try making turkey meatballs from scratch instead of buying the TJ’s frozen version. I was so excited how easy they were and how delicious they taste! Danielle looked at me making them very inquisitively, but I could tell she was thinking about how she could do them herself. I hope this post inspires her to make them!

Danielle and I moved out of our shared apartment a few weeks ago, but I am so grateful for our two plus years together. Danielle listened to me talk to Instagram and Snapchat in our kitchen day after day, she helped me taste test dozens of recipes, gave up her free time to “direct” Food Network Snapchat Discover videos and film Facebook lives and helped me wash a lot of dishes. It was so fun to watch her grow in kitchen while she was helping me grow Gourmet Gab.

As a tribute to Director Danielle, make these easy and healthy baked turkey meatballs. Serve them over noodles, spaghetti squash, farro or any grain. They would also be delicious alongside roasted veggies with your favorite marinara sauce. If you’re hesitant about the zucchini, don’t be! It is a great way to incorporate a vegetable, plus zucchini is so inexpensive and overflowing in the summer. You can hardly taste it and the zucchini helps create a really juicy, tender meatball. Grab a friend, pour a glass of wine, turn on some 2000s hip hop (our favorite Spotify choice) and catch up over dinner with these quick meatballs.

Thank you, Danielle, for being the best roomie I could have asked for! My adventures in Indy wouldn’t have been the same without you by my side. Gourmet Gab also sure wouldn’t have been the same without your support, encouragement and taste testing the last two years! I will think of you every time I make these easy baked turkey meatballs and hope you love them, too.

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela

Easy Turkey Zucchini Meatballs

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Recipe by Gabriela Rodiles Difficulty: Easy

Servings

2-3

servings

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

These are fast, healthy and versatile turkey meatballs with zucchini. Serve with pasta or veggies, marinara and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey

• 1 cup zucchini, diced or shredded

• 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs

• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 egg

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl mixing until just combined. Do not over mix the meat or it will become dense while cooking.
• Form mixture into about 15-18 small meatballs. Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with foil.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with marinara sauce and roasted vegetables or pasta.