Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Beef and zucchini meatballs.

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I promised you a recipe for the meatballs I made the other day (to use up yet another zucchini from our garden :). I realized that it was, probably, a little confusing, so I want to explain myself : the recipe does have quite a bit of ground beef in it, and not just zucchinis, so sorry to all of my vegetarian friends :) They do taste pretty good, even for those of you with some picky kids (like mine!)

So here's what you'll need:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • 1 medium zucchini, grated
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4-1/2 onion, nicely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 TB each of fresh parsley, oregano and basil ( or 1 tsp. each dry)
  • dash of red pepper flakes
  • 1 TB vegetable oil

HOW-TO:

  1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  2. Cook onions in 1 TB vegetable oil until soft and translucent 
  3. Chop herbs nicely, then set aside. I used fresh herbs from our garden (one of my favorite things about having a little garden) but you can definitely use dry herbs from your spice cabinet
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4. Turn oats into oat flour by pulsing it in a food processor a few times. Combine all the ingredients together

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5. Mix everything until evenly blended, then form 1 1/2 inch meatballs

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6. Bake for about 20-25 min. or until no longer pink inside. Cover with your favorite pasta, bbq or marinara sauce and serve with rice, pasta, in meatball subs or just some colorful veggies on the side

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Bon appetite :)

I shared this recipe with these awesome parties:
Blissful and Domestic, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  Frugal Foodie Mama  Homemaker on a Dime   I should be mopping the floor   By Stephanie Lynn  The Shabby Nest     My Turn (for us)  Tatertots and Jello  Love Bakes Good Cakes 
Fluster Buster's party   Frugal Follies 

24 comments:

  1. Oh they sound good, I will have to try them!
    Rhonda

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  2. Hi Lena, they do sound delicious! Great way to sneak in some vegetables too!

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  3. Hi Lena~ I can't wait to try these:) They look fantastic! Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines

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    Replies
    1. They taste "pretty good" (according to my kids ;)

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  4. Meatballs and meatloaf are great places to sneak in vegetables. I often put spinach in mine. I have never made oat flour out of the oats before you put them in. Do you think that makes a big texture difference? I've never noticed the oats once they are cooked.

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    1. I actually like the texture a little better with oat flour. I think, it makes it smoother but, honestly, I made meatballs with just oats before, and the difference is not very significant.

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  5. Lena, I hope you are all feeling better? YOU know how much I love zucchini. I think the first one has sprouted in my garden. xx

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    Replies
    1. Wohoo!!! Soon you'll have a ton of them :)

      I'm feeling a little better but not completely there yet. I just need more rest, I think, but I wish I could explain that to my kids :)

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  6. Hello lena
    Many thanks for your comments on my latest post.
    This looks really delicious i really must try it.
    Glad to hear you are feeling better. Are you low in iron perhaps?


    When you have a moment pop into my blog as i have a giveaway on the go :-)

    Amanda x

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  7. That looks super yummy!!!!! I love having a little garden. I think that you appreciate every little morsel more.
    Have a happy Sunday!

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  8. These look delicious! I like to make meatballs for spaghetti and subs, and this just might be a way to hide some extra veggies for my family. Plus, I can use up all that parsley I have, lol. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Lena,
    These look so yummy! I saw your thumbnail on Marvelous Monday and had to come check these out! I added them to my Zucchini board and am now following you on Pinterest, too.
    Happy Monday!
    Ang, Juggling Act Mama

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  10. I'm always looking for ways to sneak veggies into my meals, so this sounds delicious!

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  11. I'm really curious about these and just might have to try them!

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  12. Great idea! I have two huge zucchini sitting on my counter right now. I was thinking what else besides bread I should make with them...thanks!

    Over The Apple Tree

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  13. I made these tonight but I found them to be bland. I think I need to add more onion to make them taste right. The texture was great and I was thrilled to find another use for zucchini since I don't really love to eat it straight.

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    1. Hey, I'm so glad you tried them! And thank you for your feedback. I think, you are right. More onions will, probably, make them even tastier. But my husband really doesn't like onions, so I add very little if at all every time. What can I do with this man? :)

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  14. So far I have refused to use the word Z...ini on my shopping list...BUT since it's you and you are recommending this veggie...well I will try it, besides your meatballs look to darn delicious to pass! Thank you for sharing and linking to the Fluster Buster Party. I'm hosting today, Have a great week, Lena!, Lizy

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  15. These sound great, Lena! I'm your newest FB follower :) Thanks so much for linking up to All My Bloggy Friends last week - I hope you'll join us again tomorrow. I look forward to seeing what you've been working on this week! :)

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  16. Beef and zucchini meatballs are preeminent for health. I like to relish these on Sundays. Thanks for sharing an excellent post.

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