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Zucchini ‘Meatballs’ with San Marzano Tomatoes

If you want a twist on your regular meatballs, these meatless Zucchini “Meatballs” are for you. They look just like traditional meatballs (OK; with green flecks), and they are hearty and satisfying.

zucchini meatballs on plate with tomato sauce and cheese on table.

We first tasted these meatballs at this year’s Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy Food Show, at the San Marzano DOP display (of course). The meatballs were created by Chef Gerson Jossue Rivas Saravia and sampled by enthusiastic crowds at the show. The highlight of the meatballs, of course, is serving them with a rich and rustic sauce made with authentic San Marzano tomatoes.

We enjoyed these meatballs so much, we adapted the chef’s recipe for home use.

Why San Marzano DOP Tomatoes?

Why is it important to use San Marzano DOP tomatoes? The San Marzano region of Italy, with its fertile volcanic soil, is particularly rich in potassium carbonate, which boosts fruit ripening and sugar levels. Plus it has that perfect Mediterranean weather.

These factors add up to the ideal conditions for growing tomatoes, especially the elongated cylindrical variety used in canned whole peeled tomatoes. The tomatoes are so flavorful that they don’t require the additives or flavoring ingredients that other canned tomatoes might need.

True, there are other places in the world that claim to produce “San Marzano style” tomatoes. But these tomatoes are the real deal (and many people say they can instantly tell the difference.)

(You won’t see tomatoes at the store that look exactly like this promotional can, but you should look for “San Marzano DOP” on the label.)

In fact, there’s a Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO, or DOP using the Italian abbreviation) label for the San Marzano tomato. It’s called the San Marzano DOP dell’agro sarnese-nocerino (Agro Sarnese-Nocerino San Marzano Tomato). Yes, that’s a mouthful, but it’s used to show that your tomatoes have grown exclusively in this area. If you’re looking for these special tomatoes, make sure that no matter what the brand name, it says “San Marzano DOP.”

How Do You Make Zucchini Meatballs?

To make these zucchini meatballs, you need ricotta cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and grated zucchini. The ricotta cheese give the meatballs a delightful fluffiness, and the eggs and breadcrumbs hold it all together.

One note on the breadcrumbs – We tried them with panko and they didn’t hold together so well. The consistency with regular breadcrumbs (which absorb more liquid) seemed to work much better with these meatballs.

Frozen zucchini meatballs on a tray.

Also the recipe calls for freezing the meatballs before you cook them. This freezing step definitely helps them hold their shape. We’ve tried freezing them for both shorter and longer amounts of time, but 30 minutes of freezing time seems to be the sweet spot.

This recipe makes approximately 32 meatballs (2 1/2 dozen). It’ll be just enough to serve about 8 people with four meatballs each, or fewer people with some leftover meatballs. (More about what to do with those leftovers below.)

When you eat them, you won’t confuse them for meat. But you will be enjoying them so much, you’ll think, “Why did I ever make meatballs with meat again?”

Meatless Zucchini “Meatballs” with San Marzano Tomatoes

Meatless Zucchini "Meatballs"

Hearty meatless meatballs made with zucchini and ricotta cheese, served with a San Marzano tomato sauce.

Course Appetizer/Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword meatballs, vegetarian, zucchini
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8
Author Adapted from Chef Gerson Jossue Rivas Saravia

Ingredients

For the Zucchini Meatballs

  • 14 ounces fresh zucchini
  • 7 ounces fresh ricotta
  • 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Sunflower oil for frying

For the San Marzano Tomato Sauce

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pinch dried red chili pepper
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 28 ounces San Marzano DOP tomatoes (canned)

Instructions

For the Zucchini Meatballs

  1. Grate the zucchini using a grater with large holes. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and let it sit for 15-20 minutes to drain the excess liquid. Then squeeze the excess liquid out.

  2. Combined the (squeezed) grated zucchini with the ricotta, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and salt and pepper.

  3. Form the mixture into golf ball-sized balls, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer and freeze the meatballs for about 30 minutes.

  4. Remove the semi-frozen meatballs and heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Cook the meatballs until they are evenly golden brown and crispy; then remove and drain on a paper towel before serving with the sauce.

For the San Marzano Tomato Sauce

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and chili pepper, and saute until the onion is translucent.

  2. Crush the San Marzano tomatoes with a fork or by hand, then add to the saucepan. Cook for about 20 minutes, adding a little water if needed. Serve with hot zucchini meatballs.

How Do You Serve Zucchini Meatballs?

These meatballs are designed to be served with this delicious San Marzano tomato sauce. The bread-y, cheesy morsels are the perfect match for the tangy and just slightly sweet tomatoes. It’s best to serve the meatballs when they are just-cooked and still hot and crispy.

Dinner table with plates of zucchini meatballs and sauce.

How else can you serve them? Well, we made these for dinner one night and had quite a few left over the next day. So our dad (Grandpa) decided to make himself a zucchini meatball sub, which he declared to be delicious.

Man holding up zucchini meatball sub.

Did you make them? Let us know in the comments!

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