Meatballs are one of my favorite comfort foods. I love how versatile they are. You can eat them with homemade spaghetti sauce, as an appetizer with a tangy Asian Chili sauce or in a sub.

I love this recipe for Turkey Zucchini Meatballs because they are a more healthy version of the traditional meatball. Lean ground turkey replaces the higher fat ground beef. Fresh grated zucchini acts as a binder for the meatballs instead of the traditional breadcrumbs and cheese.

You will not miss any of the higher fat ingredients with all of the flavor from the fresh garlic, onion and parsley.

Recently I found a recipe on Instagram for Meatball Subs on a Stick. Watching the video, I knew I had to make these…they looked like so much fun! This recipe seemed like the perfect opportunity to use my go-to recipe for Turkey Zucchini Meatballs. I also swapped out the regular pizza dough with whole wheat pizza dough.

These were a big hit! All 3 boys, my husband AND my in-laws loved them…I consider that a success! I served them with a Greek salad and Marinara sauce to dip them in.

If you are pressed for time, I would go ahead and prepare the meatball mixture ahead of time. You can also roll out the meatballs on a plate and cover them tightly with either Saran Wrap or aluminum foil until you are ready to bake them.

I hope that you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Ground Turkey – 2 Lbs.

Fresh Zucchini – 4 Small (Finely Grated & Drained WELL)

Eggs – 2 (Beaten)

Olive Oil – 1 Tbsp.

Fresh Garlic – 3 Cloves Minced

Italian Seasoning – 2 Tbsp.

Fresh Parsley – 1/8 Cup (Rinsed, Dried & Chopped)

Purple Onion – 1/4 Cup (Chopped Finely or Grated)

Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS

Mix together ground turkey and zucchini. The biggest trick to making great meatballs is to make sure that you squeeze every last bit of liquid out of the zucchini. The best way to do this is to take your grated zucchini and place it in the middle of a clean dish towel. Grab all 4 sides of the dishtowel around the zucchini, twist until grated zucchini forms a ball, then SQUEEZE! Keep squeezing until there is no more liquid.

Add the next 8 ingredients and mix well. Take about 2 Tbsp. of mixture and form into a ball. The meatballs will be somewhat firm…not quite as firm as a ground beef meatball though. This recipe will make about 42 – 44 meatballs.

Place meatballs on a lined baking sheet…you can use either foil or parchment paper. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. They will not be completely cooked at this point as they will continue to cook in a homemade spaghetti sauce or if you try the Meatball Subs on a Stick.

If you are eating them straight out of the oven (Meatball Sub) then cook for an additional 5 – 10 minutes.