Italian Chicken Meatballs for Babies
These Italian inspired chicken meatballs for babies are safe right at 6 months, low in sodium thanks to ricotta cheese, and can be puréed for younger babies starting solids. You'll love that they're full of flavor, freezer friendly and contain veggies!
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One family, one meal.
It's a simple phrase, but it's one we truly live by as dietitians and moms of young kids. Because feeding your baby or toddler shouldn't mean making separate meals or overcomplicating your already full day.
That's exactly why we love these Italian chicken meatballs for babies and toddlers. We designed them to feed everyone at the table - babies just starting solids, toddlers, older kids, and adults alike.
If you're familiar with our motto one family, one meal, then you'll know we have a supply of recipes that will work for everyone: roasted veggie loaded pasta (with seven different veggies!), cold sesame noodle bowls served "choose-your-own-adventure" style, and loubia, a traditional Moroccan beef stew.
These chicken meatballs are packed with flavour (like actually juicy and delicious - not just "kid food" delicious) and inside, you'll find wholesome ingredients (including two veggies to help deliver fibre), protein, and - drum roll - iron, a key nutrient for growing little ones.
Even better? They're a meal prep dream. Make a double batch, and you've got meals ready for the next few days - or stocked in the freezer for those nights when cooking just isn't happening.
What makes these chicken meatballs for babies dietitian-approved?
🍗 Ground chicken is a baby-friendly protein that's easy to chew and swallow
🧀 Ricotta cheese keeps sodium low (perfect for babies under 12 months)
🥒 Veggie exposure with shredded zucchini & sun-dried tomatoes
🍽️ Easy to adapt for the whole family
🧊 Freezer-friendly for stress-free meal prep on busy weeknights
👶 Baby led weaning friendly from 6 months+
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- What makes these chicken meatballs for babies dietitian-approved?
- Key ingredients
- Allergen information and substitutes
- How to make these chicken meatballs for your baby
- Serving suggestions for each age & stage
- Italian chicken meatballs for babies frequently asked questions:
- Play + books that match this recipe
- More baby led weaning chicken recipes
- Italian Chicken Meatballs for Babies
Key ingredients
Ground chicken
Ground meats are the perfect texture for babies - you can form them into shapes they can pick up, but once baby chomps down on them, they easily smush apart into easy-to-swallow pieces. For more on how to serve chicken to babies, check out this post for five different prep techniques.
If your home is full of chicken lovers, our indian-style chicken sheet pan dinner, and chicken fajitas are all recipes you can serve to your baby
Shredded zucchini
The zucchini in these meatballs is key to making them juicy and tender. It also adds some fibre and counts as an exposure to vegetables, which is a key strategy to helping babies love veggies!
Quick cooking oats
Oats are used as a binder and add to the fibre content. We don't recommend substituting other types of oats (i.e. steel cut or large flake) as their texture would be too coarse.
Don't worry about any of those leftover oats! We have lots of recipes that put quick cooking oats to good use including our peanut butter and jam bars that toddlers love and our banana porridge fingers (another toddler friendly recipe that's great for baby led weaning too).
Ricotta
Ricotta cheese not only adds to the tenderness of these meatballs, but also adds to the protein content. We also love that it's a lower-sodium cheese making it a great ingredient for babies under twelve months (more on babies and salt below).
Allergen information and substitutes
This recipe contains cows milk (via the ricotta cheese), which is a top priority allergen. The meatballs will still taste great without the ricotta, so feel free to omit it.
If you are looking to avoid dairy, we'd suggest trying other recipes as such as our basil beef kabobs (found in our best-selling baby recipe ebook) or our dairy free cashew korma sauce.
Worried about allergens like dairy, peanut, fish and the other 8? We share the most current allergen guidance inside our Start Solids Confidently video lessons.
How to make these chicken meatballs for your baby
- Finely chop the parsley. You want it to be teeny tiny so that it softens and blends in to the meatballs while baking.
2. Shred and gently pat the zucchini with paper towel to remove the excess moisture.
3. Stir together all the ingredients until well combined. Remember to omit the salt for the meatballs you're making for baby!
4. Form the meatballs into golf-ball sized balls for your baby. The larger size will make it easier for your 6-9 month old to pick up with their palmar grasp.
Serving suggestions for each age & stage
4-6 months: Believe it or not, meat can be one of your baby's first first foods. We recommend serving chicken to babies 4-6 months of age, who are ready to start solids, in a purée form for safety reasons. To make these meatballs into a purée, simply blend them with some liquid (breastmilk, formula, or no sodium broth for example) until it reaches the consistency you're looking for.
If your little one is 4-6 months old and you're thinking "Is my baby is ready to start solids?", our blog post will be uber helpful in answering that question. And if your baby is younger than four months here are some ideas for how to help your baby get ready for solid foods.
6 months: You can serve these meatballs whole to babies six months and older. You'll want to ensure that you make golf-ball sized meatballs so that they're the perfect size for little hands to pick up and manoeuvre in a safe and developmentally friendly way.
If spoonfeeding is your jam, simply mash a meatball into something smooth like mashed potatoes!
9 months: Babies develop their pincer grasp around this time. If your baby has their pincer grasp, cutting the meatballs into bite-sized pieces they can pick up with their little finger and thumb is another option.
Parenting kitchen hack: If you're making these for your baby (who has lower salt needs) and the rest of your family, here's an easy hack:
- Double the recipe and mix everything together MINUS the salt.
- Split the meatball mixture in half and divide between two bowls.
- Then add salt to one half (to feed everyone older than 12 months of age) and leave the other half 'sans salt' (to feed to baby).
And that's it - an easy peasy way to limit your baby's salt intake, while still feeding the rest of your family something extra delicious, that leaves you leftovers for another day. Please and thank you!
For more on all things babies and salt (including the nuance) head over to our comprehensive post.
For the rest of the family: Serving these meatballs whole is how we do it for anyone over one year. Bonus: you can keep the salt in the recipe now at this age!
Serving suggestions: The serving options here are truly endless. Here are some of our families' favorite ways to enjoy these meatballs:
- Meatballs, pasta*, tomato sauce, and a side of steamed broccoli
- Meatballs, tortellini, white sauce, and roasted asparagus
- Meatballs, hummus, toasted naan bread, and tomato wedges
- Meatballs, veggie pasta sauce, and noodles
*The best type of pasta to offer your baby is going to depend on a few things, including their stage of development. Our blog post will teach you all you need to know about babies and pasta.
Italian chicken meatballs for babies frequently asked questions:
Ricotta is a mild, soft Italian cheese. We love it for baby-friendly recipes as it's naturally low in sodium and keeps the meatball tender and moist.
Definitely. Ground turkey would make a great substitution.
These meatballs freeze beautifully, which is why we always make a double batch. We recommend two options for thawing:
In the fridge overnight
In the microwave on defrost mode (they might be *slightly* drier this way)
Play + books that match this recipe
When kids get the chance to interact with "food " during playtime, they become more comfortable with the food, and are more likely to want to eat it at mealtimes! Here are some options to include berries during play and story time.
We really hope your baby enjoys these chicken meatballs. With nourishing ingredients, flexible serving options, and make-ahead ease, these meatballs are built to support you through every stage of feeding your family.
Looking for more recipes that work for the whole family? We've shared simple ways to make your family meals baby-friendly using our proven method. Happy cooking!
More baby led weaning chicken recipes
If you tried these Italian chicken meatballs for baby recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Italian Chicken Meatballs for Babies
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 cup shredded zucchini pressed to remove excess moisture
- ½ cup quick cooking oats
- ½ cup ricotta
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley OR ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon fennel
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt * omit for baby
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well-combined.
- Shape into 22-26 meatballs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Video
Notes
Split the meatball mixture in half and divide between two bowls.
Then add the salt to one half (to feed everyone older than 12 months of age) and leave the other half ‘sans salt’ (to feed to baby).
Nutrition
Do you have fears or worries about feeding your baby?
We know that starting your baby on solids can feel overwhelming and you may have other worries such as…
- I'm afraid my baby will choke!
- I'm afraid my baby won't be getting enough of the right nutrients!
- I'm afraid my baby will have an allergic reaction!
- I'm afraid my baby is not eating enough… too much!
- I'm afraid my baby will be a picky eater!
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