Zucchini Turkey Meatballs with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
We’re making some turkey meatballs today, but with a twist: the meatballs are so tender and soft thanks to all the grated zucchini that’s mixed in with the meat and breadcrumbs. And the red pepper tomato sauce is a nice change from regular old tomato sauce. It’s all easy to do!
I like these meatballs over rice, potatoes, cauliflower rice, or with pasta – it’s a versatile main dish! Plus, the meatballs and sauce are freezer-friendly if you’re into planning ahead.
Ingredients
- Ground turkey
- Zucchini
- Egg
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper
- Roasted red peppers
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Garlic
- Onion
- Parsley
How to Make the Meatballs
☑️ Prepare the Meatball Mixture
First, grate the zucchini. You don’t need to squeeze out the extra moisture – just grate it all into a bowl.
Add the ground meat, zucchini, egg, breadcrumbs, and seasonings and then mix it all together.
☑️ Roll the Meatballs
Scoop a couple of generous tablespoons of the mixture for each meatball and place them on a plate or baking sheet.
☑️ Brown the Meatballs
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the meatballs and brown them, turning them every so often. Once they’re browned, lower the heat to low and cover the pan.
☑️ Make the Sauce
Place the red peppers, diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, parsley, and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
☑️ Simmer
Pour the sauce into the pan with meatballs. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer the meatballs for 10 minutes or so.
☑️ Garnish and Serve
Garnish with a little chopped parsley and serve the sauce and meatballs with rice, potatoes, or pasta. I like to add a little crumble feta cheese, too.
Or, cool and transfer it all to an air tight container. The meatballs and sauce will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days or in the freezer for a couple of months.
More Recipes with Ground Turkey
Zucchini Turkey Meatballs with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
Tender zucchini turkey meatballs simmered in a delicious roasted red pepper tomato sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ground turkey
- 16 ounces zucchini, grated
- ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish (the same amount of fresh basil is great, too!)
Instructions
- Mix the turkey, zucchini, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
- Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture to form each meatball (you should end up with about 20). Place the meatballs on a plate.
- Heat the oil over in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and adjust the heat to medium and cook them, turning them every few minutes, until they are browned. Adjust the heat to low while you make the sauce.
- Place the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onion, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and parsley in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into the pan with the meatballs and adjust the heat to medium. Stir to coat the meatballs and simmer them for about 10 minutes or so uncovered or until the meatballs are cooked through. Garnish with the extra chopped parsley for serving.
Notes
Make Ahead: You can mix and roll the meatballs a day ahead. Place the meatballs on a plate or sheet pan and cover them with plastic wrap. You can blend the sauce, too, and store it in an airtight container. The next day, just brown the meatballs and simmer them in the sauce.
Baking: If you prefer to bake the meatballs, place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake them at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Simmer them in the sauce for a few minutes on the stove after they’re done baking.
Storage: Leftover meatballs and sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. You can freeze them for a couple of months, too.
I like these meatballs over rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, pasta, or potatoes. Crumbled feta cheese, goat cheese, or grated Parmesan goes really well with the sauce, too.
Nutrition
- Calories: 351
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 726.4mg
- Fat: 15.2g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 25.4g
- Fiber: 6.3g
- Protein: 31.2g
- Cholesterol: 124.9mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Homemade Meatballs
- Ricotta Meatballs
- Chicken Spinach Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Roll and Simmer Italian Meatballs
- BBQ Chicken Meatballs
Happy cooking,
The post, recipe, and photos have been updated from the archives. The post was first published in May 2018.
This was delicious! What brand of roasted red peppers did you use?
Hi Julie – I used Mt. Olive roasted red peppers!