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    Home > Dinner

    Hidden Veg Meatballs

    Published: Sep 28, 2015 · Modified: Mar 22, 2021 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Print Recipe
    Juicy meatballs with hidden veg, served in a tomato and pepper sauce with gooey melted cheese.

    Juicy meatballs with hidden veg served in a tomato and pepper sauce with gooey melted cheese. These Hidden Veg Meatballs are a great way to get the kids eating more veg without them knowing (or at least complaining too much)!

    a meatball with hidden veg, served in a tomato and pepper sauce with gooey melted cheese being lifted on a spoon from a pan

    My kids claim they don’t like courgette, mushrooms and onion, but that doesn’t stop them from eating these meatballs with sighs of pleasure.

    If there’s one thing I love in life, it’s fooling my kids into eating their veg.

    I don’t know why getting one over on them is so much fun, but now I think about it, I do seem to spend a fair amount of my time either fooling, fibbing or bribing them.

    Kids: ‘These meatballs are yummy mummy, what’re they made of?’

    Me:‘erm, I’ll tell you later – eat them all up first’.

    Kids: ‘What’re those green speckles in them?’ (the courgette)

    Me: ‘Just a few herbs to give them flavour’

    Kids: ‘Can I have another meatball mummy?’

    Me: ‘Yes of course, I’ll pay you a meatball for emptying the dishwasher for me’.

    Kids: ‘two meatballs’

    Me: ‘Deal’

    Oh dear, that was fooling, fibbing and bribery all in the same conversation.

    I’m expecting my mother of the year award very soon….

    Process of making the hidden veg meatball mixture

    Coming back to the meatballs, they feel like hearty, not-very-good-for-you comfort food.  But they're healthy! Yes, there’s cheese in there, but I use reduced fat cheese (the low fat mozzarella still stretches nicely).

    Ovehead shot of a pan full of hidden veg meatballs on a blue background

    I’ll sometimes serve it with a mix of courgette spaghetti and regular spaghetti to make it even lighter, and it still goes down just as well (I could never forego my regular pasta completely, courgette spaghetti is great, but it is NOT real spaghetti).

    Close up photo of meatballs with hidden veg in a white pan

    Do you fib to your kids to get them to eat things they say they don't like?

    Anything I can use? 😀

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    If you’ve tried my recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!
    You can also follow me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and TWITTERto see what I’m up to in the kitchen, what recipes I’m loving, and of course YOUTUBE to see our latest recipe videos!

    Hidden Veg Meatballs

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Juicy meatballs with hidden veg, served in a tomato and pepper sauce with gooey melted cheese.
    5 from 2 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 50 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6
    Calories 778 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    Meatballs:

    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 250 g (8.8 oz) pork mince
    • 500 g (17.5 oz) lean minced beef/ground beef
    • 1 small grated courgette/zucchini
    • 4 mushrooms - finely chopped
    • 4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
    • 1 small onion - finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
    • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
    • ½ tsp ground cumin
    • 1 egg
    • 1 egg yolk
    • ¼ tsp of salt and pepper

    Sauce:

    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 large onion - finely chopped
    • 3 cloves of garlic - peeled and minced
    • 1 red pepper - finely chopped
    • 800 g (28 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes
    • 1 heaped tbsp of tomato puree - check for gluten-free if required
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • pinch of salt and pepper
    • 140 g (5oz) mozzarella, roughly torn - I used reduced-fat
    • 75 g (2.5oz) cheddar, grated/shredded - I used reduced-fat

    Also:

    • 450 g (15.8 oz) dry weight - of spaghetti (75g per person)
    • 3 tbsp grated parmesan and a bit of parsley or basil to serve

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Preheat the over to 200C/400F (fan).
    • Mix all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl with your hands. Squash it all together but don’t overmix as this will make the meatballs tough. Shape the meatballs into little balls – the size of a golf ball – and place them on a baking tray.
      1 tbsp olive oil, 250 g (8.8 oz) pork mince, 500 g (17.5 oz) lean minced beef/ground beef, 1 small grated courgette/zucchini, 4 mushrooms, 4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan, 1 small onion, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, ¼ tsp of salt and pepper
    • Put in the oven for about 20-25 mins. Keep an eye on them toward the end of the cooking time and turn the oven down a little if they start going too dark. They will seep a little in the oven due to the moisture in the courgette (but they’ll still taste great).
    • Whilst the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. Fry the onions in the olive oil on a low heat for about 5 mins. Add the garlic, and red pepper and cook for another couple of mins.
      1 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 red pepper
    • Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, sugar, and salt and pepper to the sauce and let it bubble until the meatballs are ready, then take the cooked meatballs out of the oven and add them to the tomato sauce (leave the oven on). Sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar on top and place back in the oven for 15-20 mins until the cheese is melted and golden (you can put your spaghetti on to cook at this point).
      800 g (28 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes, 1 heaped tbsp of tomato puree, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp sugar, pinch of salt and pepper, 140 g (5oz) mozzarella, roughly torn, 75 g (2.5oz) cheddar, grated/shredded
    • Drain the spaghetti and serve with the pan of meatballs (I usually serve 4 meatballs per adult and 2-3 for children) and garnish with some grated parmesan and parsley or basil.
      450 g (15.8 oz) dry weight - of spaghetti (75g per person), 3 tbsp grated parmesan and a bit of parsley or basil to serve

    ✎ Notes

    Any leftover meatballs and sauce should be cooled and then frozen (you can freeze the meatballs and sauce together). To reheat, simply defrost thoroughly and heat through in a pan for about 15 minutes until the meatballs are hot all the way through.
    Nutritional info is per serving (serves 6), including spaghetti

    Nutrition

    Serving: 422gCalories: 778kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 49gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 732mgPotassium: 1153mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1356IUVitamin C: 49mgCalcium: 376mgIron: 6mg
    Keywords Any Time Of the year
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Taz says

      November 07, 2023 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      Hi, this recipe looks good. Would it be okay to just use only beef mince in these or would they be slightly dry? I'm always looking to up my veg intake while still eating healthier versions of comfort food or fake-aways. Your recipes are always my go-to by the way.

      Reply
    2. Katy says

      October 02, 2018 at 8:49 am

      5 stars
      Little smile to myself last night - my son hates courgettes! What for it..... asked for seconds ' these meatballs are so yummy' . Result😘

      Reply
    3. Sabrina says

      November 12, 2016 at 2:55 pm

      These meatballs sound amazing! Love the addition of extra veggies 🙂

      Reply
    4. Heidi says

      January 09, 2016 at 8:17 pm

      Do you think this would pair well with parmesan risotto?

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        January 11, 2016 at 1:14 pm

        Hi Heidi, I think the meatballs work best with a tomato based sauce - rather than something creamy. I think it would work with a tomato risotto (maybe this one: https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/creamy-tomato-risotto-crispy-garlic-crumbs/). Thanks for stopping by 🙂

        Reply
    5. clairekim112 says

      October 05, 2015 at 3:49 am

      HI! I have a few questions about your recipe. I'm living in Asian so there is no way I can find Worcestershire sauce. Is there any other sauce I can use instead?? Also, will the meatballs be as delicious if I contain them in the freezer so I can use them later?

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        October 05, 2015 at 9:39 am

        Hi Claire, you can freeze the meatballs. I find it's better to cook them, then freeze them - just make sure you thoroughly defrost before reheating.

        Hmmm, worcestershire sauce has quite a tangy, salty taste to it. You only need a little, so I think i'd replace it with A1 steak sauce or HP brown sauce, or if you can't get those, then try a little bit of tamarind paste mixed with a couple of drops of soy sauce.

        Reply
    6. Amy says

      September 30, 2015 at 11:27 pm

      Ooooh so you're only supposed to lie to kids to get them to eat their veggies? Not 28 year old men....
      Can I use the same tricks on Chris because I'm pretty sure he's going to gobble down these meatballs like there is no tomorrow! I can't wait to make these for him! Just look at that cheese stretch!
      Also, I'm with you! I love my courgette spaghetti but I could never give up pasta entirely!

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        October 05, 2015 at 9:41 am

        oh yes, you've absolutely got to fib to Chris too 🙂
        I didn't tell my Chris before he ate his......

        Reply
    7. Angie@Angie's Recipes says

      September 30, 2015 at 9:11 am

      What a great way to enjoy more veggies! These meatballs look sensational, Nicky.

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        October 05, 2015 at 9:39 am

        Thanks Angie 🙂

        Reply
    8. cupcakes says

      September 28, 2015 at 8:10 pm

      I love what is hidden inside this delicious meal

      Reply
    9. Joshua Hampton says

      September 28, 2015 at 2:39 pm

      What you call fooling, fibbing and bribery, I call smart parenting. And yes, I try to trick mine into eating more veggies as much as I can, but those wee devils are becoming too clever. Thanks for this clever recipe - a great way to fool the kids.

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        September 28, 2015 at 6:05 pm

        Smart parenting? Yeah I'm definately going with that 😉
        Hope you manage to fool your kids with the meatballs 😀

        Reply

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