These savory Turkey Zucchini Meatballs are a weeknight lifesaver. Easy to make, and a great way to get more veggies in your meal!
I love pairing these meatballs with simply steamed vegetables and some homemade garlic bread.
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I’ve been making turkey burgers with zucchini for years, and finally decided to try them in meatball form. Spoiler alert: they are a new family favorite!
Why Make This Recipe
- Shredded zucchini in the meatballs means they are super tender
- Easy to make in advance
- Pairs with many different sauces
- Lower calorie and lower fat than traditional beef meatballs
🥗 Ingredients
- Zucchini: Look for squash with smooth, dark green skin. Try replacing with yellow summer squash if you can’t find zucchini.
- Shallot: A shallot is the perfect amount of onion flavor for these meatballs, but you can replace with a few tablespoons of chopped red onion or white onion.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: I love using panko crumbs in my recipes, but you can replace these with regular breadcrumbs. Or soak some stale bread in a little bit of milk and add that instead?
- Dijon Mustard: Replace with whatever mustard you prefer, just note that yellow mustard is a bit harsher than a Dijon mustard.
- Ground Turkey: I use ground turkey breast for this recipe since the zucchini adds enough moisture that these turkey meatballs are not at all dry! But you can use whatever ground turkey you prefer. Or, change it up and use ground chicken instead.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Cut off the ends from a medium zucchini, and grate the rest of it using the large holes on a box grater.
Press zucchini with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture.
Peel and mince 1 shallot. In a large bowl, combine minced shallot and grated zucchini with the 1 egg, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
Gently stir in 1 pound ground turkey breast, just until well-mixed.
Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form the mixture into 1 ½-inch meatballs.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and brown on each side, about 10 minutes total.
Transfer to an 8x8-inch baking dish. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Now add remaining meatballs and repeat the process. Transfer meatballs to the baking dish when browned.
Put the baking dish in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. They should read 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
Turkey meatballs will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
Yes! These meatballs freeze beautifully. Just put them in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating in a microwave, air fryer, or a 350-degree oven. If you are serving them in a sauce, just pop them in there to heat up.
Yes, definitely. You can make these meatballs ahead of time, then put them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also just brown the meatballs without baking in the oven, then finishing the baking step right before you are ready to serve.
The two biggest culprits behind rubbery meatballs are (1) overmixing the meatball mixture and (2) overbaking your meatballs. Gently stir together the meatball ingredients and mix just until they are evenly combined.
And use an instant-read thermometer to bake your meatballs just until they hit 165 degrees. The great thing about this recipe is that the shredded zucchini adds so much moisture that these meatballs really never get rubbery.
Yes. Just use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of the panko breadcrumbs in the recipe. Or, just leave out the breadcrumbs. In that case, you may want to chill the meatballs before browning them, to help them hold their shape.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
If you use ground turkey with a higher fat content than ground turkey breast, just be aware that the meatballs will release more oil as you brown them. You may need to use a spoon to scoop out the extra liquid so that the meatballs will brown and not steam.
Watch your heat carefully as you brown the meatballs. You want them to brown evenly and just begin to cook through. Don’t have the heat so high you burn the outside before any of the inside is cooked. The amount of the inside that is cooked will determine how long the meatballs need in the oven.
Now that you’ve made these turkey meatballs with zucchini, how should you serve them? Of course you can throw them in your favorite marinara sauce. But honestly, these meatballs have so much flavor on their own, we love just tossing them in a butter-garlic sauce. Just mince garlic cloves, then toast them gently in a few tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Then toss in the meatballs.
You can serve these ground turkey zucchini meatballs as an appetizer, perhaps with a yogurt dip. Or serve them for a main course next to some Oven-Roasted Peppers, Roasted Red Onions, and Rice Cooker Cilantro Lime Rice.
Try these with a big green salad like this Pear Gorgonzola salad or a zesty Chipotle Cole Slaw. And you can't go wrong by pairing them with this Sourdough Cornbread or this savory Squash Casserole.
These meatballs are also delicious on top of spaghetti—or you can go the low-carb route and serve with zoodles.
Want another great everyday recipe featuring ground turkey? Try these Turkey Meatloaf Muffins next!
Other Zucchini Recipes
Got more zucchini than you know what to do with? How about trying one of these recipes that also make zucchini shine? These Zucchini Lasagna Rolls are another easy, family-friendly main course. Or check these out:
If you try this Turkey Zucchini Meatball recipe, we would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to us.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter. We’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini about 8 ounces
- 1 shallot
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey breast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Cut off the zucchini ends, and grate the rest of it using the large holes on a box grater. Press zucchini with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture.
- Peel and mince shallot.
- In a large bowl, combine minced shallot and grated zucchini with the remaining ingredients except for the turkey and olive oil.
- Gently stir in ground turkey, just until well-mixed.
- Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form the mixture into 1 ½-inch meatballs.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add half of the meatballs and brown on each side, about 10 minutes total.
- Transfer to an 8x8-inch baking dish.
- Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
- Add remaining meatballs and repeat the process. Transfer meatballs to the baking dish when browned.
- Put the baking dish in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. They should read 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
Notes
If you use ground turkey with a higher fat content than ground turkey breast, just be aware that the meatballs will release more oil as you brown them. You may need to use a spoon to scoop out the extra liquid so that the meatballs will brown and not steam. Watch your heat carefully as your brown the meatballs. You want them to brown evenly and just begin to cook through. Don’t have the heat so high you burn the outside before any of the inside is cooked. The amount of the inside that is cooked will determine how long the meatballs need in the oven. Storage Tips:
Turkey meatballs will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
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