When you need an easy family friendly dinner with a little extra nutrition, these zucchini meatballs are the answer! Adding shredded zucchini to the meatball mix adds so much moisture and tenderness. Your kids will eat them too fast to notice the hidden veggies in every bite!
You can mix these and bake them up in only 20 minutes, then serve them right away in your favorite sauce.
Even better, make a double batch on the weekend and freeze half for a future "crazy weeknight" meal. It'll fit perfectly in between soccer practice and music lessons. 😁
Ingredients Needed
How to Make these Ground Beef Meatballs with Zucchini
Our first step is to shred the zucchini. I start with 2 medium sized zucchinis and use my food processor to make short work of this job. You can shred with a box grater of course, but that will take longer. Then, put a food processor on your Christmas list!
Place the shredded zucchini in a colander with a little salt. Let this sit for 20 to 30 minutes. The salt will start pulling the water out of the zucchini.
Next, line the zucchini lengthwise on a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the zucchini to make a long "tube" shape. Then twist the towel and squeeze. You will probably want to do this over a sink, because a lot of water is going to come out of that zucchini!
What you will end up with is about a cup or a little more of zucchini. I've used up to a cup and a half in this recipe with great results.
Transfer the prepped zucchini to a mixing bowl and add the panko, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, and spices. Mix this together FIRST, then add in the ground beef. We do this to minimize the mixing time for the meat, in order to preserve the meatball tenderness.
Now, form the meatballs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. I use a small cookie scoop to measure, this helps ensure even sized balls. Then I use my hands to roll the meatballs into even shapes. You can place them pretty close to each other on the sheet, just not touching.
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Bake the meatballs in a 400°F oven for 20 minutes. The meatballs will be cooked through and ready to use.
Serving Suggestions
These are tailor-made for a good old fashioned spaghetti and meatballs meal! Just add the baked meatballs to a large skillet with your favorite marinara sauce. Heat and simmer while you make the pasta.
When the pasta is done, simply mix it with some of the sauce and serve.
Freezing Option
I have a whole post for making freezer meatballs, and I'll give you a synopsis here. Once the meatballs are baked, let them cool a bit. Then place them in the freezer on a baking sheet (use fresh parchment paper) for about an hour.
After an hour, the balls will be partially frozen. You can transfer them to a ziptop bag or other freezer-safe container, then label and return to the freezer. They will be ready and waiting for a future meal emergency!
📖 Recipe
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Zucchini Meatballs with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef grass-fed
- 2 medium zucchini shredded and squeezed (1 to 1½ cup)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg large
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning dried
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion (onion powder can substitute)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the prepared zucchini with the panko, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, and spices.2 medium zucchini, ½ cup grated Parmesan, ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1 clove garlic, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon dried minced onion, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the ground beef and gently mix to combine.1 pound ground beef
- Measure the meat with a small cookie scoop and roll into balls with your hands. Place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a small amount of space in between the meatballs.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet.
- Add to your favorite marinara sauce and serve with pasta, or cool and freeze for a future meal!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
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