These Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls are the perfect easy dinner to encourage (or smuggle!) your kids to eat more vegetables!

Chicken Parma is one of my all time favourite meals and it’s my go to meal whenever we eat out and it’s on the menu.  These Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls are a great way of combining my love for Chicken Parma while eating vegetables at the same time – a win win!

These Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls have received a big tick of approval from everyone in our house, with the boys even going back for seconds – which is unheard of!  This recipe makes a HUGE amount of Parma Balls and for us it’s enough for three full meals (when served with some steamed veggies and roasted pumpkin on the side) so if you are looking to make it for just a couple of people or don’t want any leftovers, simply halve the recipe.

As well as serving these with even more vegetables, you can also enjoy them on top of your favourite pasta and I think they’d also be yummy served with rice.  I’ve been making a big batch of these every couple of weeks and freezing the extras for those nights I just can’t be bothered cooking.  Regardless of whether you make these Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls conventionally or using a Thermomix, they are an easy midweek meal and I can guarantee they will quickly become a regular on your dinner table.

Print Recipe

3.8 from 5 votes

Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dinner

Servings: 8

Author: Lauren

Ingredients

• 1 kg of chicken mince
• 1 large zucchini finely grated
• 2 carrots finely grated
• 1 small sweet potato approx 100g finely grated
• 50 g of finely grated parmesan cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons of mixed italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons of onion flakes
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 x 400g tins of crushed tomatoes
• 140 g of tomato paste
• 200 g of water
• 1 tablespoon of mixed italian herbs
• 1 tablespoon of onion flakes
• 1/2 cup of mozzarella

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a large baking dish.
• In a large bowl, combine the chicken mince, grated zucchini/sweet potato and carrot, parmesan cheese, crushed garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of mixed italian herbs, 2 tablespoons of onion flakes, 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs and add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
• Use a dessertspoon to scoop up the mixture and roll into 24 even sized balls and place into your greased baking dish.
• Pop the baking dish into your preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes.
• While the Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls are cooking, combine the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, 1 tablespoon of mixed italian herbs and 1 tablespoon of onion flakes into a medium saucepan and cook over a medium /low heat until the sauce begins to simmer.
• Remove the Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls from the oven and carefully pour the tomato sauce over the top.
• Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top of the sauce and put the Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls back into the oven to cook for a further 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the chicken has cooked through.

Thermomix Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a large baking tray.
2. Place three slices of stale bread, 2 garlic cloves, 50g of parmesan cheese into your Thermomix bowl and blitz for 10 seconds on speed 9.
3. Add the zucchini, sweet potato and carrots (which have been cut into 3cm pieces) and blitz for 4 seconds on speed 6 or until the desired consistency is achieved.
4. Add the chicken mince, 2 tablespoons of mixed italian herbs, 2 tablespoons of onion flakes and salt and pepper to taste and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down the sides and mix for a further 10 seconds on speed 4 or until the mixture is well combined.
5. Use a dessertspoon to scoop up the mixture and roll into 24 even sized balls and place into your greased baking dish.
6. Pop the baking dish into your preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes.
7. While the Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls are cooking, place the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, 1 tablespoon of mixed italian herbs and 1 tablespoon of onion flakes into a clean Thermomix bowl and cook for 6 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 2.
8. Remove the Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls from the oven and carefully pour the tomato sauce over the top.
9. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top of the sauce and put the Chicken and Vegetable Parma Balls back into the oven to cook for a further 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the chicken has cooked through.

 If you are looking for more family friendly dinner ideas, check out this collection of 30 easy family dinners.

How do you encourage your kids to eat more vegetables?