How to prepare the tastiest Zucchini & Carrot Meatballs for your kids

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The tastiest Zucchini and Carrots meatballs can make the kids happy and mama happy in only one bite.

These meatballs are juicy, tender and with a 50:50 veggie to meat ratio, a great way to offer vegetables to your kids. They are a big hit at our table. The sauce is new too: I mixed tomato sauce with milk, almost equal parts. The milk eliminates the tomato acidity creating a very creamy and naturally sweet sauce.

Get ready with some ciabatta bread to enjoy the sauce once the meatballs are gone, the bread soaked with the sauce is simply delicious!

The suggested quantities will give you enough meatballs for two meals for 4. I usually cook half of the meatballs and freeze the rest before cooking them.

For the zucchini I used a very special Italian variety called “trombette” (aka trumpets). They are famous for their trumpet shape and sweet taste, no seeds at all. They are in season now and easy to find here in Italy, but any zucchini you can find will work.

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients for the meatballs: the grated carrots and zucchini, ground beef and sausage (remove the skin), egg, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley and sea salt. Mix everything to combine well. Roll with your hands small meatballs with 1 Tbsp of the mix. You can now cook the needed quantity for your meal and freeze the remaining meatballs. I usually consider 2 meatballs for the kids and 3 for adults.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Cook for 1/2 minutes at medium heat up until golden. Add the meatballs and sear them nicely all around for 2/3 minutes. Mix the tomato sauce with the milk, season with sea salt and add them all around the meatballs. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 min up until the sauce thickens.

Serve warm and enjoy!