Description
Chicken zucchini meatballs with feta are a great way to use up any surplus zucchini in your fridge, and they’re pretty healthy too. They’re absolutely packed with delicious flavor from the chicken mince, with plenty of aroma and flavor thanks to the inclusion of garlic, quinoa, feta cheese, parmesan, and seasonings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups coarsely grated zucchini, about 2 medium zucchinis
- 1 pound ( 500 grams) ground chicken or turkey
- 2 cups cooked red or white quinoa
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and cracked pepper, as needed
- 5 ounces ( 150 grams) feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Vegetable oil, for brushing
Serving
- Basil Pesto
- Basil leaves to garnish
- Tomato sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F | 200°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the zucchini, chicken, quinoa, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Don't overmix!
- Fold in feta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Mix until just combined.
- Roll the mixture into balls ( about 2 tablespoons per ball), place on the prepared baking sheets, brush with oil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Garnish with basil leaves. Serve with basil pesto, tomato sauce or pasta of your choice.
- Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Be sure to choose the right ingredients. Quality ingredients make such a huge difference to how your food turns out. Use 93% lean ground chicken or turkey for the best flavor. Use fresh basil to garnish, rather than dried, for a fresher flavor. All your aromatics, including the garlic, should be fresh, not dried, for the best flavor.
- You’ll want to mince your garlic. This not only helps maximize its flavor in the meatball, but it helps prevent the dreaded moment where you bite into a solid chunk within your tender, juicy meatball. We recommend using a microplane for your garlic.
- Be careful not to overmix. Overmixing your meatballs will give you tougher, chewier meatballs. You want to mimize the amount of time you spend handling your meatball mixture.
- Bake your meatballs. Although pan frying is a popular cooking method, they sometimes get tougher than you want. Baked meatballs taste great and don’t toughen up as much. They also cook more evenly, staying tender throughout. You can try broiling for a nice golden brown sear if you like.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Chicken recipes
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 261kcal
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 506mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 26g
- Protein: 19g
- Cholesterol: 70mg