Chicken-Zucchini Meatballs With Feta
Published August 2, 2020
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
3 large zucchini (about 1 ½ pounds)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 large shallot, halved
½ cup panko
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, basil, parsley or dill, plus more for serving
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
4 ounces feta
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
17 grams carbs; 123 milligrams cholesterol; 436 calories; 15 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 859 milligrams sodium; 27 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut 2 of the zucchini into ½-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a plate, season with salt, and set aside.
- Step 2
Working over a large bowl, using the large holes of a box grater, grate the remaining zucchini. Grate 1 shallot half into the bowl as well. Add the panko, cumin, ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon salt, and use your hands to toss until combined. Add the chicken and herbs and toss gently until combined.
- Step 3
Lightly grease a baking sheet. With wet hands, form the chicken mixture into 16 meatballs (around 2 to 3 tablespoons each) and place them on one side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 minutes.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, pat the sliced zucchini dry, then lightly coat with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with pepper.
- Step 5
Coarsely chop the remaining shallot half and transfer to a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, season with salt, and stir to combine.
- Step 6
Add the sliced zucchini to the other half of the baking sheet, moving the meatballs over, if necessary. Bake until the meatballs are cooked through and the zucchini is golden on the underside, another 15 to 20 minutes. For more browned meatballs, broil for a few minutes, if desired.
- Step 7
Meanwhile, crumble the feta into the shallot mixture. Add the ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil and the remaining ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes. Stir, breaking up the feta a bit, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 8
Eat the meatballs and zucchini with a drizzle of the feta sauce and more fresh herbs.
Private Notes
Comments
This looks to be a close reworking of Ottolenghi's Turkey Zucchini meatballs. (You can find the recipe with a Google search - made it many times and it's terrific.) He also offers a more complex yogurt sauce to accompany the meatballs. Slagle's version leaves out the scallions, but adds panko. I found with the Ottolenghi version that unless you can get the all the water out of the shredded zucchini, you need the bread crumbs to allow the meatballs to hold their shape.
Easy, healthy and tasty! Cooked this tonight and followed the recipe except that I used regular bread crumbs instead of panko and thinly sliced a full large shallot in the turkey mixture (used a smaller one for the feta drizzle). I used basil; fresh mint would go better with cumin and with feta, or fresh oregano (basil is too subtle for cumin). I cut the zucchinis in thin long slices on one sheet and roasted the meatballs in another one, I also roasted 2 tomatoes cut in half with the zucchinis.
Moist but bland. Need to amp up the seasoning. I even added some coriander in addition to the cumin and used cilantro. Used some ground almonds in place of the panko, some flax seed to get a fiber boost and an egg to bind it together.
During the summer I make this a few times a month. I like it best w. Feta added to the meatball mixture. I also always add a can of chickpeas and toss them with the zucchini ( no need to salt) and a bit more olive oil than the recipe calls for. I always cook everything on one sheet pan at the same time. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe exactly.- however this way seems to have more flavor.
My family liked it enough to try it one more time, with modifications to address a few issues: The meatballs are significantly bland/under-spiced. I'm going to up the cumin and herbs (I went with basil and quite liked that), and add paprika and garlic powder. The meatballs bake up a bit dry (take less time than the 1/2" slices of zucchini), so I will pair them with tzatziki instead of the specified feta sauce, which no one liked. Lastly, I'll bake the meatballs and the zucchini separately.
Sounded great, so I doubled the quantity. Used ground chicken. Also fresh mint, parsley, and basil from our garden. I roasted some chickpeas. After only one I batch, as the meatballs seemed ado about nothing (to me), the remaining will be for meatloaf. I wouldn't make it again.