Try these tasty ground beef meatballs with veggies hidden right inside! They’re gluten free and packed with fresh veggies in each bite. They’re a lighter comfort food dish that’s great for family pasta night. Let’s make ‘em.
Make super easy meatballs in as little as 15 minutes of browning time, then 20 minutes of simmering in pasta sauce.
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Why meatballs with veggies in them are so good…
- Great way to get the family and kids to eat more veggies at dinner.
- This is a no bread meatball recipe, and you won’t miss bread crumbs with all the satisfying vegetables inside them.
- Same great comfort-food taste.
- Like a bite of salad in each one!
- Save time on the veggies that need to be finely chopped by prepping them in the food processor.
- New to cooking meatball recipes? See my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
Also see these tasty recipes using ground beef including hamburger patties and onion smashed burgers…
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this meatball recipe with hidden veggies.
For the half veggie half beef meatballs
- Veggies: broccoli (or use cauliflower rice), onion, carrots
- Egg
- Ground beef
- Season with garlic powder, Italian herbs, salt and pepper
To sear and serve meatballs in marinara sauce
- Olive oil
- Tomato sauce
Note on the meat used in veggie meatballs
You can turn these into ground turkey or ground chicken meatballs with veggies instead of using ground beef. You can also use half ground pork.
How to make beef and veggie meatballs
Now I’ll walk you through it…
- Combine all the meatball ingredients together. Form 2” round meatballs and set aside.
- Sear veggie beef meatballs. Heat a large pan on the stove (brushed with olive oil on the bottom), to medium high heat. Once hot, add meatballs. Brown on all sides for a few minutes, flipping regularly with tongs. Sometimes I cover them with a lid so the grease doesn’t splatter, and to help keep the heat near the meatballs. This takes about 10-15 minutes.
- Simmer beef and vegetable meatballs in marinara sauce. Once meatballs are browned, add in jar of sauce (I used homemade pasta sauce from Sip Bite Go which is very easy to make). Simmer covered, on low heat, until meatballs are cooked through ~20-30 min. Stir regularly.
Did you know: you can make pellet smoker meatballs… they’re so tasty!
Here’s a similar recipe to make cauliflower rice meatballs instead of broccoli filled meatballs.
FAQs
Yes, the bake time will vary depending on the size of your meatball. But you can arrange these meatballs stuffed with veggies on a baking sheet or baking dish and bake them at 375 degrees F for 20-40 minutes or until done. Baked meatballs can dry out a little more in my opinion than simmered ones.
Yes, there are no panko crumbs or breadcrumbs. However, they are not egg free (there is a whisked egg to bind them together). And you’d have to make sure the marinara sauce has no gluten as well.
Yes, assemble and ball up the meatball filling. Then freeze on parchment paper in the freezer until solid and transfer to a plastic bag to store for a month or so. Thaw overnight in the fridge when it’s time to brown and simmer them.
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Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about how to use broccoli and carrots and other healthy ingredients in this meatball recipe with veggies.
Connect…
- Instagram / TikTok / YouTube
- Browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection
BEST meatballs with veggies hidden in them | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
For the half veggie half beef meatballs
- ½ cup broccoli small chopped or cauliflower rice
- ½ cup onion small diced
- 1 medium carrots shredded
- 1 medium egg whisked
- 1 lb ground beef grass fed
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning dried
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp pepper
To sear and serve meatballs in marinara sauce
- 1 tsp olive oil for browning in a pan
- 16 oz tomato sauce
Instructions
- Combine all the meatball ingredients together. Form 2” round meatballs and set aside.
- Sear veggie beef meatballs. Heat a large pan on the stove (brushed with olive oil on the bottom), to medium high heat. Once hot, add meatballs. Brown on all sides for a few minutes, flipping regularly with tongs. Sometimes I cover them with a lid so the grease doesn’t splatter, and to help keep the heat near the meatballs. This takes about 10-15 minutes. (this is a good time to make any pasta you're serving with them)
- Simmer beef and vegetable meatballs in marinara sauce. Once meatballs are browned, add in jar of sauce (I used homemade pasta sauce from Sip Bite Go which is very easy to make). Simmer covered, on low heat, until meatballs are cooked through ~20-30 min. Stir regularly. Enjoy when cool enough to eat.
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