Preview
Hidden Veggie Italian Meatballs
10 min
Prep Time35 min
Cook Time45 min
Total TimeAre you a picky eater? Do you dislike vegetables? These Italian meatballs are so juicy and delicious, you would never guess that there are secretly veggies hidden in them. Serve them as is or over your favorite pasta. They’re great for meal prep too!
Ingredients (2-3 servings)
MetricImperial
1 small carrot
1 small zucchini
1/2 onion
500g veal and pork mince
50g wholewheat bread crumbs
10g grated parmesan cheese
5g chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
450g marinara sauce
- Roughly chop carrot, zucchini and onion, then transfer to a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Alternatively, use a box grater to grate the vegetables.
- Place processed vegetables on a tea towel and wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer strained vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Save the liquid for the marinara sauce.
- Add the rest of the ingredients for the meatballs (except for marinara sauce) to the mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F / 180˚C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take a large spoonful of mixture and shape it into a ball with your hands, then transfer to lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. Try to keep all the meatballs the same size so they cook evenly.
- Bake meatballs for 15 minutes, flip, then bake fo 15 more minutes.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat up marinara sauce. Mix in the veggie liquid from before.
- Remove meatballs from the oven and carefully transfer them to the skillet. Stir to coat the meatballs in sauce evenly. Remove from heat and serve immediately with pasta or sides of choice.
Notes
- Serve these meatballs with spaghetti or eat them on their own with a side of veggies such as these Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts !
- I left the vegetables quite chunky for more texture but if you prefer them more “hidden” in the meatballs, simply process the vegetables for longer until they are chopped into smaller bits.
- Feel free to use gluten-free bread crumbs if you are sensitive to gluten.
- You may omit parmesan cheese if lactose-intolerant.
- You can use your favorite pasta sauce in place of marinara.
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