Zucchini Turkey Meatballs: A quick and simple dinner recipe for you!
Got Zucchini?
If you have a garden or you’re part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), you most likely are looking for new ways use up your zucchini. I know I am! These Whole30 friendly Zucchini Turkey Meatballs are fast-and-easy to make, made with just 6 ingredients, delicious and freezer-friendly. I recommend you double the recipe so that you’ll have yourself a quick and easy meal stocked away for the future.
Got Zucchini? Try our @Whole30 friendly Zucchini Turkey Meatballs! #freezerfriendly Click To TweetThis recipe is AIP friendly, too!
If you follow the autoimmune protocol, this recipe can easily be made for you by omitting the crushed red pepper, black pepper and skipping the marinara sauce. They taste delicious on their own, too!
Adding shredded zucchini to these meatballs is an easy way to sneak in veggies, especially with picky eaters (my husband, Shane, included). You could also add shredded carrots or spinach to this recipe and sneak in even more veggies…they’ll never know. These meatballs are tasty as is but you can also toss them with your favorite marinara sauce, serve over spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles and top with a little parmesan cheese (not Whole30). So good!
Add this recipe to your weekend meal prep!
Hungry for More? Subscribe to get our newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Zucchini Turkey Popper Meatballs
A simple recipe that is easy to make ahead of time and is freezer-friendly. Feel free to add your favorite spices and dried herbs. These meatball are tasty as is or you can toss them with your favorite marinara sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 16 mins
- Total Time: 26 mins
- Yield: 12 meatballs (4 servings) 1x
- Category: Entree
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (lightly squeezed to remove some of the liquid)
- 1 tsp. dried Italian Seasoning
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (omit for AIP)
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper (omit for AIP)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix with hands.
- Form into 12 golf ball-sized meatballs and place on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and insides are no longer pink.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 22g
Comment below to share with us your favorite way to cook or bake with zucchini. We’d love to hear!
Pin now to make later!
April Kalis says
September 11, 2015 at 1:49 pmMade these last week and I will be making them again! So easy and tasteful.
Stacie Hassing says
September 20, 2015 at 8:25 amThanks for the feedback April! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Lois says
May 21, 2016 at 11:29 amMade these today for a friend who had a baby and they turned out DELICIOUSLY!! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Jessica Beacom says
May 22, 2016 at 8:49 pmThat’s great news! And how sweet of you to deliver such a nourishing and thoughtful food gift to your new mama friend!
Mandy says
November 24, 2017 at 5:03 pmHi there! Can you tell me …do I skin the zucchini before baking? Also…did you cook the zucchini at all first before baking??
Thanks so much
Jessica Beacom says
November 27, 2017 at 3:07 pmHey Mandy,
You don’t have to peel the zucchini before shredding it and you add it raw to the meat mixture.
Lulu says
June 13, 2016 at 6:43 pmJust made a test batch and I love it! Going to make a larger batch to freeze for emergency meals!
Thanks for this lovely recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
June 13, 2016 at 8:51 pmThanks, Lulu! We love to hear when readers find a recipe they love and can stock their freezers with for easy ‘reheat & eat’ meals later on!
Shari says
July 21, 2016 at 8:17 pmWould you bake them before freezing them? I’d looking forward to trying this recipe soon! Looks great!
Jessica Beacom says
July 22, 2016 at 5:17 pmHi Shari,
I usually bake them first before freezing that way I can place them in the fridge to thaw overnight then quickly reheat them i a covered skillet with a little water for a 5-minute meal.
Kathy says
August 19, 2016 at 3:17 amDo u use 99% lean turkey or 93%?
Jessica Beacom says
August 19, 2016 at 8:46 amHi Kathy,
We generally use 93% lean turkey for all of our recipes. Though the 99% would work it tends to be a bit dry when not cooked into a soup or sauce.
cheryl says
August 21, 2016 at 12:33 pmOh my just starting to put everything together and i have NO Rosemary 🙁
very upset… what can I use to replace it…
help
Jessica Beacom says
August 22, 2016 at 7:24 amHi Cheryl,
Do not despair! You can substitute dried thyme, basil or oregano (or even Italian seasoning) for the rosemary and they’ll be absolutely delicious.
Brooke says
September 7, 2016 at 8:19 pmMade my 2nd batch of these a couple of nights ago. I’m really happy with them. The first batch I followed directions and cooked in the oven only they were lovely and juicy. The 2nd batch i pan fried first to brown the outsides and then stuck them in the oven to cook the inside. Came out a little more dry but more like rissoles. Happy either way. Thank you!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
September 8, 2016 at 10:29 amWe love hearing this kind of feedback! Thank you 🙂
Andrea Brown says
August 8, 2017 at 7:25 amI can’t have zucchini. Is there another vegetable that I could substitute for the zucchini?
Stacie Hassing says
August 8, 2017 at 9:16 amSpinach, kale, or shredded carrots would all be great substitutes!
Candace Thames says
August 8, 2017 at 8:11 amI did read the recipe….however because zucchini has a lot of water in it – I usually squeeze out the water before adding it to recipes; so for this recipe you leave the water content in, correct?
Stacie Hassing says
August 8, 2017 at 9:15 amGreat question! I don’t squeeze the water out as it helps prevent the meatballs from drying out especially of using lean ground meat.
Christine says
August 8, 2017 at 8:58 amHave you tried these with ground beef? I don’t have any ground turkey or chicken (it’s not easy to find ground turkey where I live so usually use ground chicken).
Stacie Hassing says
August 8, 2017 at 9:13 amYes, you can certainly use ground beef with this recipe. Enjoy!
Shera says
November 26, 2017 at 4:35 pmSince zucchini season has passed, could I substitute mashed sweet potato?
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
November 27, 2017 at 2:46 pmHi Shera
I don’t see why you couldn’t. I’d eyeball the amount of mashed sweet potato so that you’re adding just enough to add flavor and nutrition without changing the consistency (as adding too much may make them soggy when baked).
Katelyn Murphy says
March 28, 2018 at 9:56 pmCan I make these in a crockpot??
Stacie Hassing says
April 1, 2018 at 1:23 pmHi Katelyn, we have never tried this recipe in the slow cooker but I’d imagine they would turn out just fine. I would cook them on low for 4-6 hours or until cooked through. Let us know if you give them a try in the slow cooker.
diana says
April 17, 2018 at 3:57 pmIs there any way you could email me the recipe? All I see is the picture of the meatballs, but no recipe! I’ve tried different browsers and nothing 🙁
Jessica Beacom says
April 19, 2018 at 6:11 amHi Diana,
Please accept our apologies, our site is experiencing an intermittent technical issue that our team is working on. If you still aren’t able to access the recipe, please email us at info@therealfoodrds.com and we’ll happily assist you.
Diana says
April 19, 2018 at 8:18 amI just printed out a copy. I can’t wait to try these. Thank you!
Kimberly Mcandrews says
June 21, 2018 at 6:00 amCan you use ground chicken instead of turkey? If so what would be the temperature and cooking time? Love this recipe and so did my family however they are requesting to try it with chicken! Thank you
Stacie Hassing says
July 12, 2018 at 1:39 pmAbsolutely, you can use chicken in this recipe. The time will be the same. Enjoy!
Jody says
July 18, 2018 at 7:17 amI absolutely LOVE this recipe! They freeze beautifully, too! Just shared on my blog! Thank you!
Jessica Beacom says
July 19, 2018 at 7:42 amThank you, Jody! We appreciate the share!
Julia says
July 30, 2018 at 1:28 pmCan I put these in a pot with tomato sauce vs the oven
Jessica Beacom says
July 31, 2018 at 12:48 pmHi Julia,
I think you could. You may want to start them in a skillet first just to brown them and help them hold their shape better.
Pari says
August 21, 2018 at 9:41 amThese look yummy. Do you think you could cook them in an Instany Pot?
Stacie Hassing says
August 24, 2018 at 6:18 amYou could sure try! I have not tried that method of cooking them but if I were, I would start them on the sauté setting to brown them a bit and then cook them in the IP on manual for about 8 minutes. You’ll want to add a little bit of liquid to the IP before cooking them on manual. Let us know if you give it a try!
Julia T says
October 31, 2018 at 7:28 amDelicious!! Thank you for the simple recipe. I love not having to add all the “extras” (bread crumbs, egg, etc). We easily got 6 servings out of this. We each had 2 meatballs and 1 oz of pasta with it plus the veggie side.
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
November 1, 2018 at 8:34 amGreat! Glad you enjoyed this simple recipe!
Heather says
January 6, 2019 at 6:20 pmAny suggestions on another sauce to use with them that doesn’t include any nightshade vegetables?
Jessica Beacom says
January 8, 2019 at 6:20 amHi Heather,
We don’t have a ‘tomato’ sauce recipe that doesn’t include nightshades but if you do an Internet search of “AIP pasta sauce” you’ll find quite a few sauces. You could also serve them with pesto.
Emily says
January 27, 2019 at 5:20 amI am obsessed with these meatballs! They are so simple, yet so very delicious and satisfying. Thank you for the recipe! I make them pretty much on a weekly basis these days.
★★★★★