Sneak some veggies into your meatballs, use up some abundance from the garden, stretch your meat a little further and revel in the flavor of these garlic and herb seasoned parmesan zucchini meatballs. What type of noodles you serve them on is up to you, but you might be pleasantly surprised if you give zucchini noodles (zoodles) a chance. Double zucchini win!
Zoodles: A surprising kid pleaser
I went to visit my parents a couple weekends ago. My sister and her four kids (plus one friend and two dogs) all did the same. Mom had been lamenting to me on the phone about the over abundance of zucchini they had, so I arrived with a mission to help put some of those lovely green summer squash to good use, complete with spiralizer.
I wasn’t sure how receptive my sister’s kids would be to eating zoodles, but when I pulled out my spiralizer and started making them, my youngest nephew and niece looked intrigued. I let my young nephew try his hand at it and he had great fun cranking out the zoodles.
I didn’t tell any of them that I put zucchini IN the meatballs as well … one of my nieces noticed (because she’s observant like that), but she smiled and said she wouldn’t tell the others.
I did want to offer another option to the zoodles, though, so I cooked up some organic spaghetti as well. Most of the crew lined their plate with spaghetti and then topped it off with zoodles, meatballs and sauce. We had spiralized 4 zucchini and, by the time everyone had grabbed their food, we had lots of leftover spaghetti, but just a few zoodles.
I was SO surprised, but hey, zoodles are just fun. Just turn the crank and out come these lovely long, curly noodle-looking things from a big green veggie? It feels a little magical even to me, so I can imagine as a kid it must seem like a magic trick.
Everyone (except the young zoodle maker) loved the meatballs, so I present to you my Parmesan Zucchini Meatballs. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
What sauce to use?
A good tomato-based sauce is probably best, although a creamy parmesan sauce might be nice too. For these meatballs, you can definitely use a store-bought sauce, but if you want to make your own sauce, here are a few of my favorite recipes that would complement these meatballs very nicely:
- Copycat Ragu Pasta Sauce
- Creamy Good Vodka Sauce
- Ratatouille Pasta Sauce
- Easy 20-minute Skillet Pizza Sauce
- Smoky Spanish Romesco Sauce
Parmesan Zucchini Meatballs
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 20 – 25 meatballs 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Sneak some veggies into your meatballs, use up some abundance from the garden, stretch your meat a little further and revel in the flavor of these garlic and herb seasoned parmesan zucchini meatballs.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped zucchini (about 1 small/medium zucchini)
- 3 – 5 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped fine
- 1 lb. ground beef or venison
- A few leaves EACH of basil & parsley
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (the powdered kind) … or 2/3 – 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to your liking
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium frying pan, saute the chopped zucchini, onions & garlic until the onions are soft and translucent. Sprinkle with salt & a bit of Trader Joe’s 21 Salute seasoning or your favorite no-salt seasoning.
- Pour the sauteed veggies into a strainer and, using a clean towel, press down to squeeze any excess water out of the zucchini.
- Pour the flattened zucchini mix into a bowl, then mix together with the meat and all the rest of ingredients. Form into balls, set on a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat (or sprayed with cooking spray) and bake at 350 F. for about 20 minutes or until browned on top and cooked all the way through.
- Serve with your favorite pasta sauce over spaghetti and/or zoodles and enjoy! An extra sprinkling of parmesan on top is the perfect topping. Fresh basil leaves make a nice garnish.
Notes
To cook the zoodles, I sauteed in a bit of olive oil with onion and garlic, sprinkling with salt & 21-Seasoning Salute. They were delish before we even added sauce or meatballs!
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Keywords: Italian, Parmesan, Meatballs
4 comments
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
I am so glad your family liked the meatballs, Helan! Thanks for your kind comment. 🙂
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