It is amazing how many zucchini one plant can produce but even more intriguing is how those dang things hide somehow so you don’t see them until they’re freakishly ginormous. I swear, I check almost every day to see what’s ready in the garden and I didn’t see any zucchini and then one day, 3 beasts like the one I’m holding below. How did I miss THREE that big. Ughh! Well, the good news is these are still definitely useable, so if you have sneaky zucchini like I do, don’t fret and don’t toss ’em away.
Zucchini this big aren’t good for eating plain; the insides are very soft, stringy and seedy, but once you scoop all that out, opportunities abound. Scooped out zucchini makes a perfect boat to stuff and bake. Cube it up and it will be great in a stir fry or veggie bake. Grated it can be used in cakes, breads and muffins. My favorite use for zucchini like this is to grate it and make Neat Balls: the vegan alternative to meat balls and so much yummier & healthier.
This month’s theme from The Recipe Redux is freezer meals and while these Neat Balls don’t make an entire meal, they are a great start or addition to many meals. You can serve them with pasta & sauce, added to a soup or stew, smothered in gravy or just straight up. They freeze beautifully and can be ready quickly when you need them!
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 pounds grated zucchini
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- pinch ground cayenne (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray lightly with oil.
- Mix together the chia seed and warm water and then set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large saute pan and then add the garlic and onions. Cook for 5-7 minutes until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the zucchini, salt and pepper and cook for another 5-8 minutes until zucchini is soft and has released most its water.
- Strain the zucchini over the sink with a colander to get all the moisture out.
- In a large bowl, combine the chia seed, zucchini mixture and all other ingredients and then stir thoroughly until it is a uniform mixture.
- Roll into 1" balls and place on baking sheet.
- Spray tops of neat balls lightly with oil and then bake for 15 minutes. Carefully flip neat balls over and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy :).
- TO FREEZE: Instead of preparing to bake these, after rolling the balls, place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic. After they are individually frozen, combine them in freezer safe bags for later use.
Shared on Healthy Vegan Fridays!
See what the other awesome Reduxers are making this month!
I love zucchini “meat” balls and your recipe looks amazing! Plus…that zucchini! WOW!
Haha, I know and somehow I missed three that size … may be time for glasses! I hate wasting and couldn’t bear to toss them, thank goodness they’re still good for grating :-).
I’ve been tempted by the zucchini meatball concept, but have yet to try them out. I do happen to have some zucchini waiting in the fridge though….
:-). Let me know if you give ’em a try. I had so much zucchini (just in the one zucchini!) and this was a great simple use for it.
Oh boy, I really like the flavor combination. Bet these would be great as a burger, too. 🙂
That’s an awesome idea! Gotta try that next time :-).
Ha! Those sneaky little zucchini can hide under the plants! I have discovered some hiding too. These look yummy!
Thanks! Oh, I was so irritated haha. Glad I’m not the only one those zuchs play tricks on!
Such a great use of leftover zucchini! I love anything with nutritional yeast 🙂
Thanks! Everything is better with a healthy dose of nutritional yeast! 🙂
Well this is a super creative use of zucchini. It sounds so good! I like the idea of balls in my spaghetti, but am not a huge fan of the storebought vegan ones, I love the sound of these =)
I would love it if you share this at Healthy Vegan Fridays!
http://rockmyvegansocks.com/healthy-vegan-fridays-65/
Thanks! I will definitely share them on HVF :-).
I had a few of those sneaky baseball bat sized zucchinis this summer. These sound so good, I can’t wait to try this recipe
These look ~so~ good and I just happen to have two lonely zucchini sitting in the refrigerator so it is the perfect recipe to use them in. Thanks!! 😉
Oh poor lonely zucchini haha. Hope you like them :-).
Thanks for sharing at HVF! I’m realising I forgot to bookmark the recipe last time I saw it, so this was a good reminder. I can’t wait to try it out – I’ve been seeing the giant zucchinis at the market recently.
Yum!
Pinning this =)
Thanks 🙂 I swear zucchini will grow as big as a house if you let it, it’s crazy!