these meatballs are loaded with 3 different kinds of veggies and are baked, not fried. they’re quick to pull together and they freeze well!
I’ve mentioned this before, but Owen loves those KidFresh chicken meatballs where they sneak veggies into them and I’ve been determined to make my own at home.
I love a good meatball recipe (like these turkey meatloaf meatballs, these baked lentil meatballs and these zucchini parmesan chicken meatballs) so I knew it would be easy enough to do.
And you know what? I was totally right.
It was so simple and totally something I should’ve been doing all along!
I managed to get 3 different kinds of veggies into these babies – zucchini, cauliflower and carrots. If you have a picky eater on your hands, these are a great vehicle for getting those veggies in that they’re particularly bad about eating.
Owen has absolutely devoured these every single time I’ve put them in front of him and it just makes me so happy.
He’s getting fiber, whole grains and protein plus THREE kinds of veggies with every bite which is amazing. Especially since he’s getting his molars so eating has been kind of hit or miss for us lately!
You can serve these straight up or add a little marinara sauce to them. I like to give them to Owen with a little whole wheat pasta and a steamed veggie or fruit.
And fun little fact, I love them too so you can absolutely make them for the whole family!
These are my current favorite products for feeding Owen:
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these meatballs are loaded with 3 different kinds of veggies and are baked, not fried. they’re quick to pull together and they freeze well!
Ingredients
- 1/2 large zucchini
- 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cauliflower florets, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound ground chicken
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place zucchini, carrot and cauliflower into a food processor and pulse until all the veggies are well-minced
- Add breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan, olive oil and spices and pulse several times until all ingredients are combined.
- Place ground chicken into a large mixing bowl and add all pulsed ingredients and use a wooden spoon (or your hands!) to combine.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop meatballs and roll into a ball then place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Store in an air-tight container or bag for 3-4 months. Pull out as needed and defrost in the microwave to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 160 calories
- Sugar: 1.2 grams
- Sodium: 224 miligrams
- Fat: 10.8 grams
- Carbohydrates: 2.4 grams
- Fiber: 0.8 grams
- Protein: 14 grams
recipe adapted from pinch of yum’s baked chicken meatballs
8
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Just to clarify, in your nutrition facts – it says the serving size is 4 meatballs and that it’s 40 calories per serving. Is it really only 10 calories a meatball?
Thanks!
Hi there! Yay, so glad you’re excited! And haha, I was actually just looking at that and realized it’s super confusing – the nutrition information is for 1 meatball. I’ll update the label so it’s clear!
Hi!
Very excited to make these. Is the parm cheese required? Could I replace with nutritional yeast do you think?
Thanks!
Oh yay! So glad you are! And yes, I think you can definitely replace with nutritional yeast (or just omit)! I’ve never done it, so if it works out, let me know! 🙂