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 which is great because he’s getting fiber, whole grains & protein in every bite.
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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veggie-loaded baked chicken meatballs
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 30 meatballs (depending on size you roll them) 1x
- Category: dinner
- Method: baked
Description
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, roughly chopped
- 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, beaten
- 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. Remove and set aside.
- To the same food processor, add breadcrumbs, parmesan and spices, pulsing until well combined.
- Place ground chicken into a large mixing bowl and add pulsed veggies, breadcrumb mixture, beaten egg and olive oil. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon (I just use my hands) to combine well.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop meatballs and roll into a ball then place on the baking sheet (they may be sticky, so if you don’t care if they have a flat bottom, skip the rolling step and simply scoop directly onto the prepared 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, freezer-safe container or bag in the freezer for 3-4 months. Pull out as needed and defrost in the microwave to serve.
Keywords: meatballs, chicken, dinner, kid-friendly, quick, easy, veggie-loaded
recipe adapted from pinch of yum’s baked chicken meatballs
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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! 🙂
These are delicious! My nearly 2 year old devoured them! Thanks so much for the great recipe x
Oh wonderful! I’m so glad to hear that!! You’re so welcome – thank you for letting me know! 🙂
My kids love the kidfresh chicken meatballs, but they are so hard to find right now. I figured they had to be easy to make, and started to hunt for a recipe. Yours was PERFECT! My kids LOVED them (my husband and I loved them, too). We couldn’t stop eating them! The fact that it can make up to 90 meatballs….talk about a steal compared to buying them pre-made! Thanks for this recipe! It’s certainly a keeper!!
★★★★★
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear!! So glad they were a hit 🙂 And totally, you can’t beat the price comparison right??
wow, different meatballs chicken + vegetable, so yummy.
🤗🤗🤗
Made these tonight. They came out great!
★★★★★
Oh wonderful! So glad to hear it – thank you for letting me know 🙂
Hi! I cannot seem to find the nutrition facts on this, do you mind posting the link please? Thanks in advance.
★★★★★
Hi Marinella! I actually don’t post (or even generate) nutrition facts on my recipes, but you should be able to plug this one into any app or site that calculates that information if you need it 🙂
Any advice on how to make these egg free? (And without using flax?)
Hmm, good question! You could try aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas) which can act as a good binder. 3 tablespoons liquid aquafaba = 1 egg. I have never tried, so let me know how it turns out!