Veggie Meatballs (with meat)
Posted: | Categories: Recipes | Tags:dinner inspo
Veggie Meatballs (with meat)
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Savory Recipes
Author:
Melissa Ben-Ishay
I don’t feel fulfilled from a meal unless there are substantial vegetables involved. I understand the importance of veggies in every meal, and at the same time, I love a plate of meatballs and spaghetti. This recipe allows me to have my cake and eat it too—and results in light, fluffy meatballs.
Grated vegetables in this recipe add extra moisture to the meatballs (similar to what ricotta would give), and make the meat tender. I only had half a jar of marinara sauce left when I made this, so I added bone broth to the jar and shook it up. Feel free to use a whole jar of sauce if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled
- 1 zucchini, trimmed
- 1 red onion
- ¼ cup avocado oil (or another neutral oil), divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 lb. 85/15 ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Fresh black pepper
- ½ - 24 oz. jar marinara sauce
- 1½ cups bone broth
Directions
Using the wide holes of a box grater, shred the eggplant and zucchini in a large bowl.
- Chop the red onion. Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil over medium heat in a frying pan and add the onion. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the grated eggplant and zucchini to the pan and stir. Turn the heat up to medium and stir in ½ teaspoon salt and a few turns of black pepper.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has reduced and the vegetables are very soft (you should be able to break them easily with your spatula). Remove the pan from heat.
- Grate the garlic using a microplane and stir it into the veggies.
- Transfer the veggie mixture to a large bowl and let cool slightly.
- Add the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, oregano, garlic powder, and a few more turns of black pepper to the veggies. Use your hand to mix until everything is well combined.
- Refrigerate the mixture for at least 10 minutes (up to 24 hours—the longer it rests the better it will be), then form into 1” balls (you can use a scoop for this, I just use my hands).
- While the mixture is in the fridge, get the sauce ready.
- Shake together the marinara and bone broth (I use the sauce jar, if you don’t have space you can whisk them together in a measuring cup).
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons avocado oil in a high-walled pan and add the meatballs. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side to sear until golden brown.
- Pour in the sauce and bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and let cook for an hour or until ready to eat—I like to cook mine for 2-3 hours when I have the time.
- Serve with pasta, rice, or on its own. These are great to eat for lunch the next day as leftovers.
Recipe Note
What You’ll Need
Looking for more kitchen finds? Visit my Amazon storefront here.
We selected these products because we love them, and hope you do too. Baked by Melissa has an affiliate relationship, so we may get a commission if you purchase something through our links. Items are sold by the retailer, not Baked by Melissa.
Get to know our one-of-a-kind founder & CEO, Melissa Ben-Ishay, right from the source.