Turkey Meatballs

By Jen Paleracio | June 13, 2020

Whenever I buy fresh in season veggies I cut them up and freeze them. Especially when the vegetables go on sale, I buy them in bulk, but just enough to make sure I have room to store them. In this recipe I added about 2 cups butternut squash. I steamed the squash and blend it in my food processor until finely chopped up. This is optional, you can use any veggies you like to add into the meatball mixture, or don’t add any at all. This dish is good with or without the added squash, it just stretch out the meatball mixture when you them. It yields about 26 meatballs with added squash. However, I recommend not to leave out the chopped up parsley.

I also made Zesty Ranch Dressing that goes well with the Tomato Meatball Green Salad. This meatball recipe is very versatile. You can add them to your pasta with marina sauce or make some kind of soup with meatballs. Make extra and freeze them for later use, they’re great when you’re meal planning. Use your creativity, make this dish and let me know in the comments what you think.

Let’s Get Cooking

Ingredients:

1 lb. turkey breast or dark meat

1 egg

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Panko breading

1 cup chopped up parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

2 cups smashed butternut squash (optional or use any veggies you like)

Additional Notes: I steamed the butternut squash and I used my food processor to finely chopped them. You can roast the squash to get a more robust flavor if you’re choosing to add them to your meatball mixture. Another great substitute for squash are chickpeas, quinoa, or any kind of beans.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet pan with foil, place a baking rack on top and use it to line up your meatballs when they’re ready. This way you’ll get an even baking because the hot air goes through the top and bottom of the rack.

2. In a bowl, combine ground turkey, Parmesan cheese, Panko breading, egg, Italian seasoning, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder, butternut squash, parsley, salt, and red chili pepper flakes. Use a spatula (or your hands) to mix until well combined.

3. Use a smaller ice cream scooper (to get an even size balls) place the mixture in between your two palms and roll them into an inch size meatballs. Line them up onto a prepared baking rack. Brush them with oil, and bake for 15-20 minutes. No longer than 20 minutes to prevent the meatballs from coming out dry.

4. Serve with mixed greens and sliced tomatoes then drizzle with Zesty Ranch Dressing.

BOOK YOUR COOKING CLASS

.

LEARN MORE

GET A WEEK FREE OF MEAL-PREPPING RECIPES WITH A GROCERY LIST

GET YOUR FREE RECIPES
Posted in Mains, Recipes