Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely grated carrots
- 1 cup finely grated zucchini
- 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, coarsely ground in a food processor
- 1/2 onion, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, or to taste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup minced dino kale (stems removed)
- 2 lb extra lean ground beef
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoons cayenne powder
Directions
- Wash the zucchini and carrots and finely grate (or you can also grind in a food processor). Finely mince or grind the mushrooms in a food processor. Remember, the smaller you can get the veggies, the better you’ll be at disguising them!
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or skillet, and add your onion and carrots and sauté until the onions have softened. Add the salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until all the liquid has been reduced. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the zucchini and kale and heat until just softened. Let the mixture completely cool (this can be done faster by spreading the mixture out on a baking sheet).
- Next, combine the cooled vegetable mixture in a large mixing bowl with the ground beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, and cayenne powder. Mix thoroughly (gloves work great for this step!).
- After combining all of the ingredients together, roll the meatballs into even sizes (for bite-sized meatballs use 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture; if you’re after something a bit bigger, or want to flatten them out to burger patties, use 3 to 4 tablespoons per ball).
- Place the meatballs back on the baking sheets.
- Once all the meatballs have been prepared, bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
These meatballs can be served immediately or frozen for easy dinners during the week.
