The vegetarian potato, zucchini, and provola meatballs will surprise you with their taste and quick preparation. A complete dish that you can serve as a main course, but nothing prevents you from serving it as an appetizer to enrich your buffet or as a tasty side dish. An idea born from my recycling mania, from the combination of two leftovers from the day before, pan-cooked potatoes and sautéed zucchini with onion. Few ingredients that mix to form amazing meatballs that will certainly not disappoint you. The potato, zucchini, and provola meatballs are irresistible: crunchy on the outside, but with a soft, cheesy heart of provola.
Discover also the meatballs to make in sauce, like lemon-scented meatballs.
ALSO DISCOVER
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 15
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS FOR 15 LARGE MEATBALLS
- 14 oz potatoes
- 10.5 oz zucchini
- 1 clove garlic
- Half yellow onion
- 1.75 oz grated Grana Padano
- 2 eggs (110 g)
- 5.3 oz smoked provola cheese
- 3.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
- 2.1 oz breadcrumbs
- to taste pepper (freshly ground)
- 2 cups sunflower oil
Tools
What you need to prepare vegetarian potato, zucchini, and provola meatballs
- 1 Pan
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Deep plate
Steps
How to prepare vegetarian potato, zucchini, and provola meatballs
To prepare these delicious vegetarian meatballs, start by peeling the potatoes with a small knife or using a potato peeler. Rinse them under water to remove impurities and any residual dirt, then cut them in half; cut the halves into cubes of 1-1.5 inches.
In a separate pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil with the sliced onion, then add the potatoes. Season with salt and cook for about 15-20 minutes (or until soft) with a lid.
While the potatoes are cooking, clean the zucchini: remove the flower if present and rinse under running water. Then trim and cut them into small cubes and dry them. Place them in a non-stick pan with the extra virgin olive oil and garlic clove. Add salt and freshly ground pepper and cook for about 10 minutes.
Once the potatoes and zucchini are cooked, place everything in a large bowl and mash with a fork. Add the Grana Padano, eggs, a bit more pepper, and mix well. Cut the smoked provola into pieces and place it in a bowl.
Then start forming the meatballs. Take a small amount of the mixture, flatten it in the palm of your hand, insert a piece of provola, and close the meatball using your hands.
Then roll it in the breadcrumbs and place it on a plate.
Repeat the process until all the mixture is used up.
Heat the seed oil in a pan and when it reaches the right temperature, fry the potato and zucchini meatballs. Cook them on both sides and then place them on a plate with some absorbent paper.
Cooking in an air fryer:
After forming the meatballs and rolling them in breadcrumbs, spray or lightly brush the meatballs with olive oil. This step is crucial for the meatballs’ crunchiness.
Then place the meatballs in the basket spaced apart to allow air circulation and cook at 356°F-374°F for about 15 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway through.Serve and enjoy the vegetarian potato, zucchini, and provola meatballs. Bon appétit.
Tips and Storage
For a lighter and quicker version, you can cook the vegetarian meatballs in an air fryer for 10-15 minutes at 374°F. The exact time naturally depends on the size of the meatballs.
You can store the meatballs in the refrigerator for a couple of days in a glass container.
If you think you won’t be able to eat them all, I recommend freezing them raw. When you decide to consume them, you can fry them directly from frozen, being careful of splashes during cooking.
