Description
Delicious and nutritious zucchini meatballs made with ground beef, zucchini, and flavorful seasonings. A perfect way to sneak some veggies into a classic dish!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup zucchini (grated and excess moisture squeezed out)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for pan-frying or baking sheet prep)
For Serving:
- Marinara sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly brush with olive oil, or prepare a skillet with oil if pan-frying.
- Prepare the meatball mixture: In a large bowl, combine ground beef, grated zucchini, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until just combined—do not overmix.
- Form the meatballs: Shape the mixture into 1½-inch meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet or plate for pan-frying.
- Bake or pan-fry: Bake meatballs for 18–20 minutes in the oven. Or, pan-fry in batches for 8–10 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Serve: Enjoy warm meatballs with marinara sauce over pasta, zoodles, or rice, or as a tasty appetizer.
Notes
- You can freeze the raw meatballs for later—adjust cooking time accordingly.
- For a low-carb version, use almond flour instead of breadcrumbs.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking or Pan-Frying
- Cuisine: American, Italian-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 320mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
