These great spicy chicken zucchini meatballs begin with hot Italian sausage from the grocery; if your family prefers less spicy meatballs, look for “sweet Italian” chicken sausage. These are low-carb, too, since shredded zucchini replaces bread crumbs. You can use these meatballs in a main dish, with pasta or zoodles and a sauce of your choice, or use picks to dip in marinara sauce as an appetizer.
Ingredients
- packed shredded zucchini: 1 cup
- salt: 0.5 tsp
- 1/2 pounds bulk hot Italian chicken sausage: 1 piece
- onion: 0.5 cup (minced)
- Pecorino Romano cheese: 0.5 cup (grated)
- garlic: 2 tsp (minced)
- egg, lightly: 1 piece (beaten)
- olive oil cooking spray:
- prepared marinara sauce: 1 cup (optional)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Make a bed of clean kitchen towels or paper towels, and spread out the zucchini shreds on it. Lightly sprinkle with salt, and allow to sit while preparing the other ingredients, about 15 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and line a 12x18-inch sheet pan with parchment or foil.
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În a large mixing bowl, combine chicken sausage, onion, pecorino Romano cheese, and garlic.
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Roll up the towel bed with grated zucchini like a jelly roll, pressing as you go, to squeeze out excess liquid. Unroll, and add zucchini shreds to the other ingredients. Add egg and stir until all meatball ingredients are mixed well.
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Form mixture into 18 to 20 2-inch meatballs and place on the prepared pan. Spray lightly with olive oil spray.
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Bake meatballs in the center of the preheated oven until lightly browned, and an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) inserted near the center of meatballs, 25 to 30 minutes.
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Serve with purchased marinara as a dipping sauce, if desired.
