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