Italian Meatballs with Zucchini

Today I have a fun recipe for you. I’m always trying to find ways to fit in Summer vegetables to make sure I use them before they go bad. I’ve made meatballs with spinach and wondered what zucchini would taste like.

They turned out really well. You couldn’t really even tell there was zucchini in them so it turned out to be more of a hidden ingredient. A great way to get in a serving of veggies.

I started out by chopping up 1/2 of a zucchini in the blender and laid it out on a paper towel to dry while I mixed the other ingredients together.

Add the Italian seasoning to 1/2 pound of lean ground beef. The Italian seasoning is a mix I brought from the locally grown market and consisted of basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, onion, rosemary, pepper, cayenne, and pepper.

Mix the rest of your ingredients in with your meat. I added bread crumbs, onion powder, zucchini, and freshly grated parmesan.

Mix all together using your hands.

Make into round meatballs. I made 9 out of this batch.

Place a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish to coat evenly.

Bake meatballs at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes until cooked all the way through.

I served them over rice.

I mixed up a little cheese sauce to put on top. I was just experimenting a little with what I had on hand (ricotta cheese, milk and salt and pepper). I’m not sure that I would make it again but it added a good flavor. You can serve these with marinara or a cheese sauce.

Italian Meatballs with Zucchini

1/2 Pound Lean ground beef

1/2 Cup Shredded zucchini (I used 1/2 of a zucchini)

2 Tablespoon Italian bread crumbs

1/2 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 Cup freshly grated parmesan

Shred your zucchini in the blender and lay flat on a paper towel to dry. While zucchini is drying mix the rest of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Roll into 9 round meatballs. Coat bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil and bake meatballs for 30 to 40 minute in 350 oven until cooked all the way through. Enjoy with marinara or cheese sauce.

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