Everything you want to know about these baked zucchini balls are in the title itself.
These are :
Vegan.
Baked.
Loaded with zucchini and carrots.
And you can enjoy them as meatless meatballs.
Believe me, these tastes much better than the real meatballs.
On one side, it’s hard for me to even think of going meatless. But when I discovered a recipe as good as these zucchini carrot bites, I just couldn’t stop making them again and again.
When I first came across the recipe, I thought the idea of turning zucchinis
into vegan meatballs is an incredibly clever idea. As zucchinis are very high in moisture content, breadcrumbs are the only binding agent you will need to hold the shape while baking. Moreover, the spices add a whole new level of flavor.
These vegan baked zucchini balls are easy to make and extra delicious. My favorite part is that these are super healthy. For that little extra touch, I served them with chipotle aoili.
When you are craving for something healthy and spicy, make them and serve with your favorite sauce.I bet this will be your new favorite way of enjoying zucchinis.
The first step is to remove as much moisture as you can from the zucchinis. To do this, sprinkle zucchinis with a generous amount of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes. Then squeeze out all the water using your hands. Set aside.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add zucchini and carrots. Cook until the veggies are tender.
Now add all the spices. Minced ginger, minced garlic, ground turmeric, ground cumin, garam masala, red chili powder. Mix well. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Leave to cool slightly.
Place cooled zucchini mixture, dried rosemary, and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Make small balls out of the mixture. I used a little more than 1 tablespoon for each ball. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes.
After baking, place them under a preheated grill for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 ½ cups grated zucchini
- ▢ 1 ½ cups grated carrot
- ▢ 3 teaspoon oil
- ▢ 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ▢ ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ▢ ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ▢ Oil
- ▢ Rice flour
- ▢ Salt and pepper to season
- ▢ Chipotle aioli or any sauce of your choice, to serve
Instructions
- Place grated zucchini in a colander. Sprinkle with generous amount of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes. Squeeze out water from zucchinis. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 190C.
- Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and carrots. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
- Stir in minced ginger, minced garlic, ground cumin, garam masala, red chili powder, ground turmeric and salt. Saute, stirring, for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine together zucchini carrot mixture, dried rosemary and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Take a little more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture in your hand and roll into a ball. Repeat until the mixture is used up. I made around 12 balls from the mixture.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the balls on it. Spray with good quality oil and sprinkle with a little rice flour.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. Place the tray in a preheated grill for about 5 minutes, or until browned.
- Serve zucchini balls with chipotle aioli or any sauce of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Food
Like zucchini? Check out Zucchini Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 ½ cups grated zucchini
- ▢ 1 ½ cups grated carrot
- ▢ 3 teaspoon oil
- ▢ 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ▢ ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ▢ ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ▢ Oil
- ▢ Rice flour
- ▢ Salt and pepper to season
- ▢ Chipotle aioli or any sauce of your choice, to serve
Instructions
- Place grated zucchini in a colander. Sprinkle with generous amount of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes. Squeeze out water from zucchinis. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 190C.
- Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and carrots. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
- Stir in minced ginger, minced garlic, ground cumin, garam masala, red chili powder, ground turmeric and salt. Saute, stirring, for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine together zucchini carrot mixture, dried rosemary and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Take a little more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture in your hand and roll into a ball. Repeat until the mixture is used up. I made around 12 balls from the mixture.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the balls on it. Spray with good quality oil and sprinkle with a little rice flour.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. Place the tray in a preheated grill for about 5 minutes, or until browned.
- Serve zucchini balls with chipotle aioli or any sauce of your choice.
