Baked zucchini meatballs are a tasty and flavorful dish that can be easily made. For an intense flavor, I add Pecorino Toscano and a basil leaf (or mint) to the mixture. Unlike classic meatballs, these are not fried but baked for a crunchy and light result.
If you like zucchini recipes, don’t forget to also read:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 1 Minute
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 221.04 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 13.78 (g) of which sugars 1.40 (g)
- Proteins 14.11 (g)
- Fat 12.50 (g) of which saturated 6.25 (g)of which unsaturated 3.48 (g)
- Fibers 1.53 (g)
- Sodium 1,172.22 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 people
- 5.3 oz zucchini
- 0.9 oz Pecorino Toscano
- 1.4 oz fresh cheeses
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 leaves basil
- as needed breadcrumbs
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Chopper
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Parchment paper
Procedure
To get good meatballs, I recommend using fresh seasonal zucchini. For a fresh flavor, you can use basil or mint depending on your personal taste. I recommend basil because it covers the taste of zucchini and cheese less.
Slice the zucchini into thin and even rounds and cook them in a pan with a drizzle of oil. There is no need to add water which would make the zucchini moist and mushy.
Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. At the end of cooking, add the basil (or mint) to delicately flavor them.
Put the zucchini, aged Pecorino, egg, breadcrumbs, salt in a food processor, and blend until you get a granular and compact mixture that you can shape into meatballs.
With the help of a spoon or your hands, create meatballs until the mixture is used up.
For even cooking, I recommend making them the size of walnuts and slightly flattened.
Roll the obtained meatballs in breadcrumbs and bake in the oven at 392°F for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook the meatballs in a pan with a drizzle of oil until golden brown, taking about 5-6 minutes per side.
The zucchini is already partially cooked; this step is to compact them and make the outer crust crunchy.
Your baked zucchini meatballs are ready!
Plating Tips:
Meatballs are simple and complete dishes; I recommend serving them elegantly with some accompanying sauces, my favorite is basil mayonnaise or a Greek yogurt and mint sauce.
How to pair zucchini meatballs:
I recommend serving this recipe with an aromatic white wine that can enhance the flavor of the zucchini and the fried food, for example, you can use a white wine like Pinot Noir or a Sauvignon Blanc.
