Veggie "Meatballs"

I had some vegetables in my refrigerator that needed to be used up and I wanted to make my husband something hearty, but healthy. He definitely loves any kind of meat, so I wanted to see if I could win him over with a really kick-butt, vegetable dish. EUREKA!!! Veggie Meatballs. I was going to serve these with pasta, but whole house was filled with an amazing smell and he couldn't wait any longer. They start to smell like a supreme-style pizza and it makes your mouth water. I hope that my younger brother gets the chance to make these for his girlfriend.

WARNING!! These meatballs DO NOT simmer well in pasta sauce, so they must be baked, plated and then sauced. 

Tips:

Use a grater -  By using a hand or box grater, you save yourself a lot of time, a lot less chopping and the flavors really get the chance to melt together. I shredded all of the vegetable, even the peppers.
Hold the fungus - Make sure you clean the mushrooms. Mushrooms absorb water, so DO NOT run them under the faucet; all they need is a damp paper towel to clean any viable dirt. I also add the mushrooms in very last so that they don't absorb all the other juices from the vegetables.
Whole wheat - I used whole-wheat breadcrumbs in this recipe because it adds a deep, rich flavor that white breadcrumbs cannot. You can use plain breadcrumbs if that is all that you have. 

Oven Temperature: 350 degrees

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 35-40 minutes

Servings: 25 1-inch meatballs

1 cup zucchini, shredded

1 green bell pepper, shredded or finely chopped

1 red bell pepper,  shredded or finely chopped

1 medium carrot, shredded

1 medium onion, shredded

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced (6 cloves)

3 ounces mushrooms, shredded or finely chopped

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 

1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

2 cups of whole-wheat breadcrumbs 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Shred or finely chop the zucchini, red pepper, green pepper, carrot, onion and garlic. Place into a large bowl.

3) Shred or chop the mushrooms and set them aside until last.

4) Add the egg, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and parsley flakes to the large bowl of shredded vegetables and mix thoroughly.

5) In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese. Add the mixture into the shredded vegetables. Mix again until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.

6) Stir in the shredded or chopped mushrooms.

7) In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.

8) Shape the vegetable mixture into one-inch balls. Place the balls into the preheated skillet.

9) Cook and turn the meatballs until golden brown on all sides (about 1 minute per side).

10) Transfer the browned meatballs onto a foil-lined sheet or cake pan. 

11) Cover the meatballs with aluminum foil and bake them for 30 minutes.

12) Uncover and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

13) Serve the meatballs with your favorite sauce and pasta.