Sneaky Veggie Meatballs

Name: Sneaky Veggie Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1lb ground meat; 1 shredded carrot; 1 stalk chopped celery; 1/4 - 1/2 chopped onion; 1 clove minced garlic; 2 chopped radishes; 1/4 c bread crumbs; 1 egg; seasoning (cumin seed, salt, pepper, cajun seasoning); 1/4 c flour; 1 c water

by N'Ckyola

6 Servings

30 min

My family LOVES meatballs. Doesn’t matter what’s in them as long as they are GOOD. And have gravy or some sort of sauce.

When I make meatballs, I take the opportunity to sneak in some colorful goodness with any veg I happen to have on hand. Most recently, I made this exact recipe over in my Instagram stories & since so many people asked about them, I thought I’d share the recipe & technique.

I hope you enjoy!

Servings will vary depending on how the meatballs are served. As appetizers they will go very quickly.I used Italian sausage veggie meatballs in the dish pictured. I mixed it with pasta & it made about 6-8 servings. If serving with a side dish, it would be even more - this is great for a crowd!

Use any veg you have on hand for this recipe. Just make sure it's not a "wet" vegetable like tomatoes, cucumber, or lettuce.Chop the vegetables as small as you can but do not pulverize them (you can use a chopper but you don't want the them like juice or a smoothie). We're going for small bits of veg throughout the meatballs.Watch the video below to see me make them, then head over to the blog for more serving suggestions & tips.

Watch this video to see my technique for making sneaky veggie meatballs & for some fun commentary.

Sneaky Veggie Meatballs

You can do it! Saved to your recipes

Recipe details

Yield 6 Servings
Time spent: Prep time: 10 Minutes Cook time: 20 Minutes Total time: 30 min

Show Nutrition Info

Per serving

% Daily value

Ingredients

1lb ground meat
1 shredded carrot
1 stalk chopped celery
1/4 - 1/2 chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
2 chopped radishes
1/4 c bread crumbs
1 egg
seasoning (cumin seed, salt, pepper, cajun seasoning)

For the gravy

1/4 c flour
1 c water

Instructions

Hand mix everything in a medium/large mixing bowl. DO NOT OVER MIX.
Coat the bottom of a high sided pan with oil – EVOO is my oil of choice & I like to use a cast iron skillet or an everything pan.
Drop into the COLD pan of oil in 1 layer leaving some space in between each meatball.
Form the meat mixture into balls with a melon baller, small ice cream scoop, or with your hands.
Brown the meatballs on medium heat for about 7-10 minutes per side. Don’t flip them before they are ready!
After the meatballs are all browned, move them over to a plate & start the gravy.

For the gravy

Add a little flour to the pan of meatball "drippings" – no more than 1/4 cup. Brown the flour on medium low heat
Slowly add water starting with 1/2 cup whisking as you add. Bring that to a bubble then taste for seasoning. Add salt & pepper as needed.
Put the meatballs back into the pan with the gravy, add more water as needed – up to a full cup – and stir to coat the meatballs. At this point you can taste & adjust the seasoning as needed.
Let the meatballs simmer in the gravy until it thickens, about 10-15 minutes.

Tips

Use any ground meat you like – beef, turkey, chicken, pork, Italian sausage. And use any combination of veggies you like. Anything works with the exception of “wet veg” like cucumbers, lettuce, or tomatoes - this is a great time to use up any veg that might be close to expiring.
To make them completely vegetarian, skip the meat & use lentils (or any bean you like). Want a vegan option? Use beans in place of the meat and an egg substitute like ground flaxseeds mixed with a bit of water.

Comments

Bobbie Kolberg Collamore on Apr 22, 2023

Meatballs sound good

Like Reply
Ru_9649127 on Sep 01, 2023

What about the recipe pictured above with your meatballs, pasta & what appears to be tomatoes…possibly peppers??

3 Reply
- See 1 previous
- N'Ckyola on Sep 01, 2023
  
  Yes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, green bell peppers. I will find a way to get in as much veg as possible!
  
  Like
- Barbara on Jan 18, 2024
  
  This is one of those recipes that you can do anything you want with it so I’m using my meatballs in spaghetti sauce and serving it with the pasta… So use your imagination and have fun with it.
  
  Like