Meatballs in zucchini and tomato sauce

Name: Meatballs in zucchini and tomato sauce - Ludovica E.
Ingredients: 2 raw zucchinis; 2 yellow onions; 5 cloves of garlic; 3 tablespoons of tomato paste; 20 meat and vegetable meatballs; salt to taste; 100 ml oil; 300 ml water; 2 bay leaves; spices: pepper; thyme; oregano

Children - Meatballs in zucchini and tomato sauce by Ludovica E. - Recipia

Zucchini and Tomato Sauce Meatballs When I have meatballs ready, this sauce is one of the simple options for a hearty meal. The zucchini is cooked together with the onion and tomato paste, then blended during preparation, resulting in a smooth and cohesive sauce. The tomato paste with roasted peppers adds a slightly sweet and spicy flavor, but plain tomato paste can also be used. The recipe is made in a multicooker, and the meatballs are added after the sauce base has softened. Quick Info Preparation time: not specified exactly; includes cleaning and chopping vegetables Cooking time: approximately 45 minutes Total time: approximately 45 minutes, plus the time for preparing the ingredients Servings: number not specified; the recipe contains 20 meatballs Difficulty: easy Recipe type: main dish, prepared in a multicooker Ingredients 2 raw zucchinis 2 yellow onions 5 garlic cloves 3 tablespoons tomato paste 20 meatballs made of meat and vegetables 100 ml oil 300 ml warm water 2 bay leaves Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste Thyme, to taste Oregano, to taste Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish For the sauce, you can use plain tomato paste or tomato paste with roasted peppers. In the version with roasted peppers, the sauce has a slightly sweeter and more aromatic taste. The meatballs and tomato paste are already seasoned, so add salt carefully after the sauce begins to boil. Preparation Method 1. Peel the zucchinis and grate them or chop them in a food processor. It's not necessary to achieve a perfectly uniform texture, as the zucchini will soften and be blended during cooking. 2. Peel the onion and slice it thinly. Peel the garlic cloves and set them aside for when the sauce is nearly ready. 3. Pour the oil into the multicooker pot and set the FRY program for 15 minutes. 4. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook until it becomes translucent, stirring occasionally to ensure it softens evenly and doesn’t stick to the pot. 5. Add the chopped zucchini and stir a few times. Allow it to cook with the onion until it begins to soften. 6. Towards the end of the FRY program, add the tomato paste. Mix well so that the paste is evenly distributed in the zucchini and onion mixture. 7. After the FRY program ends, place the meatballs in the pot. Pour in the warm water and add the bay leaves. The amount of water should be enough to cover the meatballs. 8. Set the STEW program for 30 minutes and let the dish simmer. 9. Halfway through the cooking time, taste the sauce. Only then adjust the salt and add pepper, thyme, and oregano, keeping in mind that both the meatballs and the tomato paste may already be seasoned. 10. Also halfway through cooking, add the pressed garlic. Gently stir without breaking the meatballs. 11. When the program is finished, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve the dish hot. The sauce will have a more homogeneous texture as the zucchini cooks and blends in the pot. If small pieces of zucchini remain, that's not a problem; this is the typical consistency achieved through cooking. Why I Make This Recipe Often It's a practical option when I have meatballs ready and want to serve them with a sauce that's more substantial than a simple tomato sauce. The zucchini increases the sauce quantity and gives it a pleasant texture without the need for additional ingredients. Moreover, the base of onion, zucchini, and tomato paste can be prepared separately. In the summer, I make this sauce in the form of zacusca and jar it for winter. It preserves well, and the sauce recipe can later be used as a base for meatballs. For preservation, it's important to follow a proper procedure for preparing and sterilizing the jars. Tips Zucchini can be grated or chopped in a food processor. Since it cooks until soft, the difference between the two methods is not significant for the final result. Do not add all the salt at the beginning. The tomato paste and meatballs may already have enough salt, and the sauce's flavor changes as it simmers. The water should be warm and enough to cover the meatballs. If they are not covered, the top will cook more slowly, and the sauce won’t evenly reach around them. Garlic is added halfway through cooking, not during the onion sautéing stage. This way, it retains its aroma better in the sauce. Substitutions Tomato paste with roasted peppers can be replaced with plain tomato paste in the same amount. The flavor will be less sweet and less aromatic. If you don't have parsley at the end, it can be omitted. The basic recipe does not require an additional amount of greens. Variations The sauce can be prepared without meatballs and used as a base for other dishes. In this form, the zucchini, onion, garlic, and tomato paste are cooked until soft, and then the sauce can be preserved for winter as zacusca, following the proper preservation procedure. For a sweeter-spicy flavor, the tomato paste with roasted peppers mentioned in the original recipe can be used. If you prefer a simpler taste, classic tomato paste is sufficient. The spices can be adjusted at the end, depending on how seasoned the meatballs are. The base of the recipe remains the same: pepper, thyme, and oregano. Serving Ideas The meatballs are served hot, with the zucchini and tomato sauce. The sauce is thick enough to be served directly alongside the meatballs without needing a separate garnish mentioned in the basic recipe. Frequently Asked Questions Can I use larger zucchinis? Yes. The zucchinis are peeled and chopped, then cooked until soft. Since the sauce is blended during preparation, the shape they were cut into is not essential. Do I need to fry the meatballs first? No. In this recipe, the meatballs are added directly to the pot after the onion, zucchini, and tomato paste have been cooked on the FRY program. They are then cooked in the sauce on the STEW program. When should the spices be added? The spices and salt are added halfway through the STEW program, after the sauce has started to boil. This makes it easier to assess the final flavor, especially if the meatballs and tomato paste are already salty. Can I use frozen meatballs? The source recipe does not specify the use of frozen meatballs. For this variant, 20 meatballs made of meat and vegetables are indicated, added to the pot after preparing the sauce base. Can the sauce be made without meatballs? Yes. The sauce can be prepared separately and used later. During the summer, it can be made as zacusca and jarred for winter, following a proper preservation method. Nutritional Values The values are estimates and cannot be accurately calculated without the meatball recipe, the type of meat used, the amount of vegetables in their composition, and the exact number of servings. For a serving that includes some sauce and meatballs, the estimate can range from approximately 350 to 500 kcal. The protein content may be around 15-25 g, carbohydrates approximately 15-25 g, and fats about 20-35 g. Most of the fats come from the oil and the composition of the meatballs if they contain fattier meat. Actual values vary significantly depending on the size of the meatballs and the amount of oil used in the dish. Storage and Reheating The dish with meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container. When reheating, heat until the sauce and meatballs are thoroughly warm; if the sauce has thickened, it can be gently stirred during heating. The sauce without meatballs can be stored separately and used as a base for other dishes. For winter storage, the recipe mentions the zacusca variant jarred, but the jars and preservation method must be properly prepared.

Meatballs in zucchini and tomato sauce

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