Juicy, tender, and delicious beef meatballs with zucchini and Parmesan - this is one of our favorite meatball recipes.
I am starting with a big statement today: these beef meatballs with zucchini are the juiciest, most delicious meatballs I have made in a long time!!! No kidding!!!
I make lots of meatballs like these Beef Koftas or Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce. Make sure to check this Meatball Recipe collection, too.
And to tell you the truth, I can get pretty enthusiastic with most of them, and I would praise them as well, but these ones... Ah, they were so good, I can't even find the words anymore...
Ingredients: 8 + oil, salt & pepper | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 35 meatballs | Difficulty: Easy
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Why should I put zucchini in meatballs?
They make the meatballs super juicy! You cannot really taste them, they are so mild, and their taste gets easily covered by the beef, dill, and Parmesan taste, but you can feel those zucchini; that is the juiciness they add to the meatballs.
Tips for making good meatballs
- Fat content: Choose meat that contains some fat, about 15-20 %. Regular ground beef usually has 20% fat, while ground pork has about 35%. My favorite meatballs are made with a mixture of beef and pork. However, these meatballs with zucchini are made with ground beef only.
- Moisture: To impart the meatballs' extra juiciness, we add grated zucchini, eggs, fresh breadcrumbs, and grated Parmesan. These ingredients add moisture, which helps loosen the meat.
- Shred the zucchini on a box grater and squeeze it in your hand (in batches) to remove the excess moisture. Don't squeeze it completely dry; just enough to remove the extra water.
- Chop the onion as finely as possible; you don't want to bite on large bits of onion in the meatballs. Grate them (if you can stand it), and definitely grate the garlic.
- Use fresh or frozen dill; dried dill won't work in this dish. Fresh dill is bursting with flavor, while dried dill tastes dusty.
- Flatten the meatballs lightly after forming them; that helps them cook more evenly. It is not mandatory, though; you can give the meatballs a round form, especially if you want to serve them as part of a cold buffet.
- Use a good non-stick or cast-iron pan to reduce the amount of oil needed for browning the zucchini meatballs (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
- Brown the meatballs shortly in the pan and finish cooking them in the hot oven. Don't overcook them; check after 5-6 minutes in the oven. They should not be red in the middle anymore, yet still moist and juicy.
- Use this excellent Homemade Ground Beef Seasoning to season the zucchini beef meatballs.
Beef Meatballs with Zucchini
Equipment
- Non stick pan or skillet
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs ground beef Note 1
- 7 oz zucchini not too large
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- a handful fresh dill
- 1.5 oz white bread
- 1.5 oz Parmesan freshly grated
- 2 eggs
- fine sea salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Line one or two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Grate the zucchini finely and squeeze out excess liquid. Don't overdo it; you still want to have some moisture, just squeeze lightly to remove what is too much.7 oz zucchini
- Prepare the ingredients: Grate the onion and the garlic cloves finely as well. Grate the Parmesan. Chop the dill finely. Remove the crust from the bread slice and crumble the bread with your fingers to obtain crumbs. Beat the eggs lightly.1 onion + 2 garlic cloves+ 1.5 oz Parmesan+ a handful fresh dill+ 1.5 oz white bread + 2 eggs
- Meatball mixture: Place the beef, zucchini, onion, garlic, Parmesan, dill, breadcrumbs, and eggs in a bowl. Add salt and pepper generously and mix everything with your hand. Add some more salt and pepper to taste.fine sea salt and pepper
- Shape the meatballs; I had 35 medium ones. Press them a little flat with your hand.
- Sear zucchini meatballs: Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet and start frying the meatballs, about 2 minutes on each side, in batches. As they are ready, transfer them to the prepared trays. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet, if necessary, and continue the process with the rest of the meatballs.2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Bake the meatballs for 7 or 8 minutes. Serve as suggested above.
Jean says
I was looking for a recipe like this (beef zucchini meatballs) because I have a Hungarian friend who makes them. But there seems to be a mistake in the quantities: it should probably be 1/2 Kg of meat for 1.1 lb.
Adina says
You are right, Jean. 1 kg are 2.2 lbs and that is the amount you need. I will correct that. Thank you.
mikha angela says
I think I should try this recipe cause it different from the others
Sissi says
What a clever idea! I love it and will certainly try one day too (I also like your meatballs on a purée plate; why haven't I thought about it???).
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
Meatballs are one of my favorite comfort foods! And I love how they are endlessly versatile 🙂 Normally I don't much if any red meat, but you've got me convinced that I need these in my life! And you know I love that you added some zucchini in there for extra veggie goodness! Pinned!
grace says
this is a use for zucchini that i haven't seen--it's brilliant!
Chris Scheuer says
Yum! I'm with the kids. I know I would eat more than my fair share of these wonderful meatballs. And how wonderful that you can source everything locally!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
That's a nice way to get veggie hating kids or husband to eat more greens :-))