Skip to Content

Vegetarian Zucchini Meatballs Recipe

Vegetarian Zucchini Meatballs Recipe

This Zucchini Meatballs Recipe will become a family favorite. They’re meatless and made with zucchini, herbs and cheese and served with your favorite marinara sauce. Make it for dinner tonight!

These Zucchini Meatballs are the perfect dish for Meatless Monday. If you are a vegetarian and looking for meatless meatballs, I hope you will give these tender meatballs a try!

My whole family gobbled these flavorful meatballs up, including the kids who had no idea they were jam packed with veggies and thought they were beef meatballs. I think as parents, we are always struggling to find new ways to get our children to eat their veggies. 

I love the versatility of zucchini. Some of my favorite zucchini recipes include zucchini noodles to zucchini bread and zucchini muffins and more.

Once the farm stands open, the kids and I love to visit and pick out our own seasonal produce. I love to buy the biggest Zucchini we can find! Of course, grocery stores have them year round.

I don’t often make a lot of vegetarian recipes, but these zucchini meatballs are now on our list of our favorite easy recipes to make on a regular basis. Next time you need some new healthy recipes, I hope you will give these a try!

zucchini meatballs

How to Make Vegetarian Meatballs Using Shredded Zucchini:

This recipe calls for:

First wash and dry a large zucchini and then grate it. I use a box grater and gently grate the zucchini just like I would a block of cheese or you could use a food processor or cheese grater. Grate all the way to the end of the zucchini.

Add paper towels or a dish towel to the bottom of a large bowl, add the grated zucchini.

Sprinkle salt over the zucchini and with the towel, Squeeze zucchini, wringing out the excess liquid. The kosher salt helps to draw out the excess water.

zucchini meatballs

Add the zucchini to a new large mixing bowl.

Then add in bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings, minced garlic cloves, salt and black pepper and eggs.

Mix your zucchini mixture well.

Using your hands or a small cookie scoop, make 12 zucchini balls. You want small meatballs, about the size of a golf ball.

Add your Zucchini Meatballs to an oven-proof large nonstick skillet or a prepared baking sheet (cookie sheet lined with parchment paper).

Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 350 until they are golden brown.

How to Serve

I like to serve these just like I would any classic Italian dish – pasta and regular meatballs. I let them simmer in pasta sauce and then serve over pasta. For a low carb option, you can try whole wheat spaghetti. Garnish with fresh parsley and romano cheese.

This is an easy recipe to meal prep. Keep your zucchini meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days (after they cool to room temperature) or in the freezer for 3 months.

zucchini meatballs

Zucchini Meatballs Recipe

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This Zucchini Meatballs Recipe will become a family favorite. It's meatless and made with zucchini, herbs and cheese and served with your favorite marinara sauce. 

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups grated zucchini
  • salt, pepper, basil and italian seasoning to taste
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

    1. First things first, you need to grate a zucchini. Wash and dry a large zucchini.
    2. I use a cheese grater and gently grate the zucchini just like I would a block of cheese. 
    3. Add a paper towel or kitchen towel to a medium sized bowl. Add the grated zucchini to the lined bowl. 
    4. Season the zucchini with some salt and with the towel, wring out the moisture. 
    5. Add the zucchini to a new bowl.
    6. Then add in bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper and eggs.
    7. Mix well.
    8. Scoop out 1 dozen golf-ball sized Zucchini "Meatballs" using our hands or I like to use a scooper to make sure they are all evenly sized. 
    9. Add your Zucchini Meatballs to an oven-proof skillet or a baking sheet greased with the olive oil.
    10. Bake the zucchini meatballs for about 20-25 minutes at 350.
    11. Serve your Zucchini Meatballs with your favorite sauce and pasta (or for more zucchini goodness, try zoodles!)

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Sharing is caring!

Sally

Thursday 30th of March 2023

Thanks for all the yummy recipes, getting ready for Easter w/ my family! These veggie meatballs are the bomb.com! Love 'em! :D

Nancy

Friday 16th of September 2022

Should I Cooke before freezing? Or freeze raw?

momma lew

Sunday 18th of September 2022

I think they will freeze better cooked.

Barbara L

Monday 1st of August 2022

Can you freeze the zucchini meatballs?

momma lew

Monday 1st of August 2022

Absolutely!

Crystal

Saturday 12th of September 2020

It doesn’t say what temp to bake the meatballs at and it doesn’t say when to add the olive oil.

momma lew

Saturday 12th of September 2020

I updated it. Thank you!

100+ Meatless Meals for Meatless Mondays or Any Day of the Week - Sand and Snow

Friday 17th of April 2020

[…] Zuccini Meatballs – Mama Lew […]

Skip to Recipe