Veggie Sneak In Meatballs

Rating: 4.47 stars
19 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 11
  • 4 star values: 6
  • 3 star values: 2
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

These meatballs are delicious and filled with tons of veggies without your little one knowing! They can eat them on their own or with spaghetti and sauce.

By luvs2cook4fun

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Recipe Summary

prep:
20 mins
cook:
1 hr
total:
1 hr 20 mins
Servings:
4
Yield:
16 meatballs
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

4
Original recipe yields 4 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

Directions

  • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

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  • Beat the egg in a mixing bowl, then stir in the carrot, zucchini, onion, salt, basil, and oregano. Add the turkey and Parmesan cheese; mix until evenly blended. Form the turkey mixture into 16 meatballs, roll in bread crumbs, and place onto the prepared baking sheet.

  • Bake in the preheated oven until the turkey is no longer pink on the inside, and the meatballs are golden brown, about 1 hour.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
298 calories; protein 30.3g 61% DV; carbohydrates 14g 5% DV; fat 13.5g 21% DV; cholesterol 138.9mg 46% DV; sodium 825.1mg 33% DV. Full Nutrition

Reviews (16)

Read More Reviews

Most helpful positive review

Lisa - Recipe Diva
Rating: 4 stars
07/21/2014
I've made this two times and it is a hit with my kids!!! They are so good that they are my preferred meatball now. As far as modifications I followed the advice of many other reviewers and added my "breadcrumbs" to the mixture before cooking them. However I used quinoa flakes for some added protein for my growing boys. I also soak the quinoa flakes in milk first (until they are just soaked through but not enough milk to make them sopping wet. Most true Italian meatballs call for breadcrumbs soaked in milk which I think helps bind them better. This recipe is versatile. I've used broccoli and carrots or zucchini and carrots and both were excellent. You definitely need to squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini and onions. Also I recommend letting the whole mixture sit covered in the fridge overnight or all day before baking- the flavors meld and everything just tastes better. I like to make mini-meatballs and these freeze really well for quick kids dinners. Read More
Helpful
(5)

Most helpful critical review

D.E.
Rating: 3 stars
09/21/2009
Taste: nothing special. Needs something more. Recipe: didn't hold together. Most meatballs and meatloaves need bread crumbs added or oatmeal etc. So I had to add that to the mixture to get it to adhere properly. The simple breadcrumb coating was bland and tasteless and dried out in the oven. The cook needs to adjust this recipe to make it better. Read More
Helpful
(8)
19 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 11
  • 4 star values: 6
  • 3 star values: 2
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
D.E.
Rating: 3 stars
09/21/2009
Taste: nothing special. Needs something more. Recipe: didn't hold together. Most meatballs and meatloaves need bread crumbs added or oatmeal etc. So I had to add that to the mixture to get it to adhere properly. The simple breadcrumb coating was bland and tasteless and dried out in the oven. The cook needs to adjust this recipe to make it better. Read More
Helpful
(8)
Tammy Lynn
Rating: 3 stars
10/30/2009
Great idea to get veggies into meatballs; however I agreed with the other reviewer and went ahead and added the breadcrumbs right to the meatball mixture. They came out a bit watery--I think because of the zucchini. I will use this idea though again for meatballs--adding a little more breadcrumbs. They were very tasty and my son had no idea he was eating zucchini. I used them in a sweet and sour sauce and served with rice. Read More
Helpful
(6)
Lisa - Recipe Diva
Rating: 4 stars
07/21/2014
I've made this two times and it is a hit with my kids!!! They are so good that they are my preferred meatball now. As far as modifications I followed the advice of many other reviewers and added my "breadcrumbs" to the mixture before cooking them. However I used quinoa flakes for some added protein for my growing boys. I also soak the quinoa flakes in milk first (until they are just soaked through but not enough milk to make them sopping wet. Most true Italian meatballs call for breadcrumbs soaked in milk which I think helps bind them better. This recipe is versatile. I've used broccoli and carrots or zucchini and carrots and both were excellent. You definitely need to squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini and onions. Also I recommend letting the whole mixture sit covered in the fridge overnight or all day before baking- the flavors meld and everything just tastes better. I like to make mini-meatballs and these freeze really well for quick kids dinners. Read More
Helpful
(5)
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smk987
Rating: 5 stars
01/03/2013
These meatballs are delicious! Great way to get extra veggies in my one year old. Having read the other reviews first I did add a little bread crumb to the mixture before adding the turkey (maybe a tablespoon); just enough to soak up the liquid from the veggies. I served them with pasta and spaghetti sauce but they are so good I could eat them plain. Read More
Helpful
(3)
Renee
Rating: 4 stars
05/27/2014
I think the meatballs would hold together a lot better if you squeezed the moisture out of the veggies (or at least the onions) in a cheesecloth or towel. Probably a good flavor though. Read More
Helpful
(1)
Heather Cherry
Rating: 5 stars
10/26/2013
I was shocked at the taste! I loved them as did my 7 yo who knew there were veggies in them and most importantly my very picky 5 yo who I made them for loved them and has no idea what's in them! I did make them with meatball mix meat rather than turkey and I forgot the onion. They did not fall apart by not adding in the breadcrumbs which I was also surprised about. May be my new meatball recipe!!! Read More
Helpful
(1)
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Linda T
Rating: 4 stars
01/16/2014
I liked these a lot. I let the zucchini drain a bit in a colander to get rid of some of the moisture and it worked fine. I made half of the meatballs by adding the crumbs to the mixture.. and half as the recipe states.. rolling them in the crumbs. I liked the ones rolled in the crumbs a little better Read More
Helpful
(1)
luv2cook
Rating: 5 stars
11/01/2019
Wonderful meatballs. I made then with 99% lean turkey which helped the meatballs stay together after incorporating the zucchini and carrots. I also mixed in the bread crumbs rather than using the crumbs to coat the meatballs. After baking the meatballs I immersed them in marinara sauce and let them simmer for about 15 minutes before serving with pasta. Yum! Read More
Caroline Mills
Rating: 4 stars
05/16/2015
Very tasty! I substituted broccoli for the zucchini. My 15-month old granddaughter loves them! Read More
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