Chicken Meatballs
These healthy Chicken Meatballs are delicious and fiber-rich. Plus, they’re versatile enough to meal prep and use in all sorts of ways throughout the week!
Servings: 8
Calories: 155kcal
Ingredients
- 6 white button mushrooms
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 2 cups grated pumpkin (carrot, sweet potato, or butternut squash)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 pound ground chicken (or ground turkey)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried or fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon oregano (or Italian seasoning blend)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with foil and parchment. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Finely chop the button mushrooms and the onion. Grate the pumpkin, carrot or sweet potato using the coarse side of a box grater or the grating attachment of a food processor. Finely chop the garlic and parsley. Transfer everything to a large mixing bowl. Add the ground chicken, the breadcrumbs, milk, and 2 large eggs. Season with salt, black pepper, rosemary, oregano, and garlic powder. Using clean hands or a wooden spoon, mix everything thoroughly until you have a cohesive meatball mixture.
- Because the meatballs are 50% vegetables, these meatballs aren’t as easy to roll out by hand and are best scooped out with an ice cream scoop. You can also use two spoons to shape the meatballs. You may need to pack the filling a little bit to form more of a “ball.” Scoop heaping mounds onto the parchment paper, spacing the meatballs about a ½-inch (1cm) apart. You should be able to fit about 5 meatballs in a row, with 6 rows, give or take a meatball.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. These are great for meal prep, freezer storage, and packed lunches!
Notes
Serving Suggestions
- To give meatballs more of a meatloaf flavor, brush with ketchup before baking. Serve with a side of veggies and mashed potatoes!
- If serving the meatballs in a marinara, transfer baked meatballs to a simmering pot of your favorite jarred marinara sauce (24 ounces will do it), and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom and burn. Serve over pasta, or with a side of rice or salad.
- Make a pesto meatball pasta: toss freshly cooked pasta with prepared pesto, some pasta water, and cooked meatballs.
- Serve baked meatballs on top of a nice green salad, or with a side of roasted potatoes and sauteed vegetables.
Nutrition
Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3958IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg