This is my sexy little end-of-summer crossover episode. We’ve still got zucchini, bursting cherry tomatoes and basil doing their summer thing, but we’re turning them into cheesy meatballs swimming in glossy tomato butter, so things are starting to feel decidedly cozier.
I actually tested a crispier, panko-coated version of these meatballs because obviously crispy = better… except this time it didn’t. They were heavier, fussier and distracted from the best part: super juicy zucchini chicken meatballs with Parmesan and little molten pockets of mozzarella. Pile them into the buttery tomatoes, tear over an irresponsible amount of basil and drag some crusty bread through everything.
cheesy zucchini meatballs with jammy tomato butter sauce
SERVES: 4
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
tools i use.
tips.
make it GF: ✅ use gluten-free panko and serve with gluten-free bread or pasta.
make it DF: ❌
Make it easier
simplify: skip the platter situation and toss the tomato butter and meatballs straight into cooked pasta. Add a splash of pasta water if needed and dinner is DONE.
riff: serve this over pasta for a bit more substantial meal, toss with pasta water to thin out the sauce.