My two-year old goes through shape phases and this week he's really into anything round. Last week it was anything bunny shaped aka cheddar bunnies. On a serious note though, I love making hearty meatballs because I can easily sneak in some veggies in there. These BBQ Turkey Zucchini Meatballs recipe is tasty and delicious and is quite simple to make. Just a few ingredients is all you need and you'll have a main dish on the table. This recipe is also grain free!
First you'll need to prep two vegetables. Peel your zucchini leaving a couple of strips of green. Depending on how picky your toddler is you may have to peel it all. I always serve the vegetable I'm hiding in its natural state, so they don't get used to not seeing it. Grate your zucchini and drain it with a cheese cloth or your hands. You'll then need to grate the onions as well. In a medium
You'll then whisk an egg and then mix in the rest of the ingredients until well incorporated. I like a little kick to my meatballs so I did add some chili powder to the recipe, but feel free to omit that if you'd like. You never know though, your kid may like the spice!
You'll then want to line a cookie sheet with aluminium foil and spoon 2" balls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Feel free to make the meatballs a little smaller, but your cooking time may vary. I like to plop in an internal thermometer to make sure it reaches 165F for turkey.
You can also use a cookie scooper to make it a little easier, but I know some of you don't have one, a spoon works just fine! Pop it the oven at 400F degrees and in 20 minutes it's done.
We top it with some barbecue sauce for an even tastier dish. It pairs great with some greens and mashed potatoes. If your kiddos won't eat greens, rest assured they have some vegetables inside the meatball already!
If you want to leave out the barbecue sauce you're more than welcome to, but I find giving something for kids to dip makes it more fun for them. It's also more enticing for them to want to try to eat something.
Recipe
BBQ Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup grated drained zucchini
- ⅓ cup grated onion
- 1 egg
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees
- Prepare vegetables, grate zucchini and drain
- Then grate onion and set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk eggs. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spoon 2” balls onto cookie sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Top with BBQ sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more meatball recipes? Try my Veggie Packed Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs Recipe
