These Veggie Packed Air Fryer Meatballs are made with zero egg and use plant foods as the binder to pack in a healthy protein and vegetable snack or meal!
Y’all know my love affair with the Instant Pot [1]is tried and true, and has lasted many years now. I have a small collection of those plug in pressure cookers, and I have no plans on turning my back on them.
And when the Air Fryer [2] storm started to form over the kitchen appliance gulf, I turned my head. I mean who needs another gadget, this is ridiculous people. So I held off for a long time, like probably a couple years. And then this bright shiny air fryer [2] caught my eye. It didn’t have a crappy nonstick basket. It was all stainless. It could dehydrate, toast, convection bake, fit a GF pizza in it, air fry, and toast. I put it off a little longer and then I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I actually tossed my toaster oven and threw caution to the wind.
So here’s why I caved:
- I was replacing my toaster oven not adding an additional appliance
- My air fryer [2] does WAY more than air fry so I knew I could use it for multi-purpose
- I wanted to embrace other ways to get dinner ready faster, and the air fryer seemed to promise that very thing
- I love experimenting and finally couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out some ideas I had
If you haven’t yet tried my Air Fryer Ranch Gnocchi [3], you should definitely start there. And then try these Veggie Packed Air Fryer Meatballs too!
Veggie Packed Air Fryer Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (omit for AIP)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika (omit for AIP)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, saute the butternut squash and onion in the ghee
- Once soft, remove from heat and mash gently by fork
- Combine the cooked veggies with the raw ground beef and shape them into meatballs
- Place the meatballs on your air fryer tray and insert into your air fryer
- Cook them on the air fryer setting at 350 for 10 minutes
- These meatballs are softer than meatballs using mostly meat (with egg/flour binder). They are very tender even when cooked through
Find it online: https://predominantlypaleo.com/veggie-packed-air-fryer-meatballs/ [5]
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