Greek Zucchini Meatballs

Yield: 20 "meatballs"

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

This meatless, healthy dinner recipe will satisfy even your hungriest and pickest eaters. These vegetarian Greek Zucchini Meatballs are packed with flavor, and even the texture is perfect. Serve them up with a side of homemade tzatziki sauce and pita bread!

Ingredients

For the "meatballs":

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
4 cups shredded zucchini
½ teaspoon kosher salt
several cranks of black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons greek seasoning
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 large egg
¼ cup parmesan cheese

For the tzatziki sauce:

1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 ½ cup diced cucumber (about 1 cucumber)
½ cup onion, diced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon greek seasoning

Instructions

Prepare the tzatziki sauce first, ahead of time. I prefer to make my sauce in morning, and allowing it to sit in the fridge all day until dinner. The longer time it has to sit, the better the flavor. But don't worry, if you forgot to make it ahead of time, it will still taste amazing.
For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Be sure to dice your onions and cucumbers SMALL.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with non stick foil. Set aside.
In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add in shredded zucchini.
Cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the water in the skillet has evaporated. Transfer to a colander and press out remaining liquid.
In a large bowl combine bread crumbs, egg, seasonings, and parmesan cheese. Mix with the zucchini until fully blended.
Using a 2Tbsp scoop, form 20 balls, rolling tightly, and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until firm and lightly browned.
Serve meatballs with tzatziki sauce on a pita! ENJOY!

Notes

Greek seasoning. This blend of herbs and spices usually includes oregano, paprika, garlic and pepper. We like Cavender's brand for these meatballs.

The less liquid in the zucchini the better. Cook your zucchini first then use a mesh strainer or clean kitchen towel to wring out the excess water.

Make sure "meatballs" are evenly sized and shaped. I use a 2 tbsp cookie scoop to evenly portion out the zucchini mixture to ensure they bake evenly.

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not skip this part, as these do tend to STICK. Reynold's non-stick foil is amazing too!

Eat immediately or freeze. Greek zucchini meatballs taste best hot and fresh. If you won't eat all of them right away, freeze the remaining "meatballs" in a gallon freezer bag.

Make the tzatziki sauce ahead of time. Plan ahead and mix together the sauce in the morning or the night before you plan to eat it. The longer the flavors mingle, the better it tastes.

Make sure you dice your onion and cucumber SMALL. You want them to smoothly integrate into the yogurt sauce with no big chunks. Smaller chopping also releases even more flavor!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 meatball
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 55Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 394mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g

*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.