Meatballs with hidden veggies :)

My oldest daughter used to eat any and everything we put down in front of her.  Her favorite veggies when she was 2  were mushrooms.  As soon as she turned 3, everything changed.  I can’t get her to eat a vegetable no matter how much I bribe.  I mean, she’ll eat corn on the cob, but does that really count as a veggie?!?!  So, I have started to experiment with different vegetables that don’t necessarily have a lot of flavor and adding them to our everyday meals.  Zucchini is great to add since it doesn’t add much flavor and can be hidden in the food with sauces.  I grate the zucchini and add it to the ground meat mix for this recipe.  It doesn’t change the flavor or the texture.  My hubby didn’t even realize that it was in there.  Of course, the ultimate goal is to get my oldest to eat vegetables without these tricks, but for now, this works.  Feel free to leave the zucchini out if you prefer.

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, cheese, zucchini, breadcrumbs, egg, pepper, salt, Italian seasoning and garlic powder and mix just until all the ingredients are combined.  If the mixture is very wet, add a little more breadcrumbs.

-Roll mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a greased baking sheet.  I like to line my sheet with foil for easy clean-up.

-Place in the oven and back for 30 minutes, turning the meatballs over after 15 minutes.

-Take out of the oven and place the meatballs in a saucepan with your favorite pasta sauce.  Cooking in the sauce for 10 minutes, or until the sauce is hot.

-Serve with pasta or on a hoagie bun with melted cheese.