Turkey Parmesan Meatballs

 

We like ground turkey in this house. In fact we I probably prefer it over ground beef.  For me it is a texture thing and I just prefer the smell and the flavour of turkey over that of beef.

 

Don't get me wrong. I like beef . . . in a steak, or a roast or a stew  . . .  cut into chunks, etc.  I just am not overly fond of it ground.  When I was growing up whenever my mother served us ground beef I always ended up with a piece of gristle or bone in mine, and as soon as it touched my teeth, my gag reflex kicked in.

 

And, it even happened to me in restaurants!  Believe it or not!  I got a fingernail sized piece of bone in a hamburger in Harvey's once. Nobody else did. Just me. Its no wonder I can take or leave ground beef!!  We just don't get along well together!  I never have that problem with ground turkey.

 

These Turkey Parmesan Meatballs I am sharing today are incredibly delicious. You don't want to use the leanest grade of ground turkey.  Get something with a bit of thigh meat ground into it, for extra flavour and moistness. Pure turkey breast meat might be too dry.

 

The meatball mixture is quite flavourful.  I have added onion and garlic powders, rather than actual minced onion and garlic.  I like to use the powders  in meatballs because they end up less crumbly. I like the consistency better.

 

There is also some parsley, oregano, seasoning, milk soaked bread, a beaten egg, red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese.

 

I roll this mixture into balls about the size of a whole walnut and then I bake them in the oven, just until they are golden brown.

You can roast them on a baking sheet if you want.  I just do this right in the dish I intend to serve them from.  I spray it first with a bit of non-stick low-fat cooking spray.

 

I use a good quality Marinara sauce. You probably have your favourites. If I am really lucky I have some of my homemade Marinara Sauce in the freezer. I make it in the crock pot in the autumn when fresh plum tomatoes are in abundance! Its fabulous.  I had to use a bottled one today because we are all out of my freezer one.  Darn  . . .

 

Just use your favourite brand.  I used Lloyd Grossman today. It has some chunks in it and its lovely and thick.  I also like the flavour.  You just spoon that around the meatballs in the dish and then spoon some over top of each one and sprinkle with a four cheese blend and some grated parmesan and return it to the oven.

  

Once the sauce is bubbling, the turkey juices run clear and the cheese is nice and melty they are done!  Ready to serve to your hungry family!  I served them with rice and green beans, but pasta would be great with them as well.

Yield: makes about 20 meatballs

Author: Marie Rayner

Turkey Parmesan Meatballs

Tender flavour-filled turkey meatballs slathered in marinara sauce and melting cheese.

ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 medium free range egg
• 1 slice of stale rustic white bread
• 2 TBS milk
• 1 TBS minced fresh parsley
• 1 TBS freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

You will also need

• 1 jar of your favourite marinara sauce (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 120g grated four cheese blend (1 cup)
• 45g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)

instructions:

How to cook Turkey Parmesan Meatballs

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F gas mark 6.  Lightly butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold all of the meatballs in one layer.
2. Tear bread and put it into a bowl with the milk. Let set for a few minutes, then squeeze out all of the milk. Put it into a bowl along with the remaining meatball ingredients.  Mix well to combine and then shape ino 20 walnut sized meatballs.  Place into the prepared baking dish.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and spoon the marinara sauce around and over top of the meatballs.  Sprinkle with the four cheese blend and the  Parmesan cheese.  Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted. 
4. Serve hot with either pasta or rice.

Did you make this recipe?

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I am thinking they would also be great in Meatball Subs.  Oh, can you imagine . . .  crusty bread, tender meatballs, marinara and plenty of cheese.  YUM YUM! 

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Cranberry & Apple Turkey Meatballs

 

This was the Thanksgiving weekend back in Canada.  I can never celebrate it properly at the right time of year because it is impossible to get a whole turkey without paying an arm and a leg for it at this time of year, if you can get one at all.  A month makes all the difference in the world.  Were it November, I would be able to get one quite easily.

 

I suppose what I should do is buy an extra one at Christmas or Easter and have it in the freezer, but I never think to do that!

 

You can get all kinds of other turkey bits all throughout the year. Turkey steaks, Turkey cubes.  Turkey breast fillets, ground turkey  . . .  just no whole turkeys.

 

I quite like turkey myself and enjoy it in any way shape or form.

 

In any case I made us these delicious Cranberry & Apple Turkey Meatballs, instead of a roast turkey and we enjoyed them.

 

All the flavours of Thanksgiving in a bite sized meat ball . . . moist and tender  . . .

 

I added grated raw apple and chopped dried cranberries to the meat mixture, along with some garlic and onion powder, a bit of seasoning and some dried sage . . .

 

There is an egg and dried bread crumbs as well to bind everything together.  You shape this mixture into balls and then bake them in a hot oven for about 12 to 15 minutes.  Easy peasy.

 

While they are baking you make a simple and delicious sauce to pour over them.

 

It also uses simple ingredients.  Cranberry sauce.  I like the whole berry sauce  . . .

 

A bit of unsweetened applesauce  . . .  some Balsamic vinegar for a tang . . .  orange juice, maple syrup and some finely grated orange zest  . . .

 

The sauce is so delicious you will want to eat it with a spoon, but please don't!  You need it for the meatballs!

  

Together these are incredibly delicious. You can make them ahead of time and keep them warm in a slow cooker on low for several hours.  You decide.

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen

Author: Marie Rayner

Cranberry & Apple Turkey Meatballs

Sweet and tangy, deliciously moist meatballs. These low fat meatballs make a great main course or a delightful appetiser or nibble.

ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound of lean ground turkey
• 45g dried cranberries, chopped
• 1 tart apple, peeled and grated
• 60g dry bread crumbs (1/2 cup)
• 1 large free range egg, beaten
• 1 tsp each onion granules and dried sage
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the sauce:

• 280g whole berry cranberry sauce (1 cup)
• 2 dessert spoons of unsweetened applesauce (1/4 cup)
• 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBS pure maple syrup
• 1 TBS orange juice
• the finely grated zest of one orange

instructions:

How to cook Cranberry & Apple Turkey Meatballs

1. Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Line a baking tray with baking paper and lightly oil the paper.
2. Mix the ground turkey together with the bread crumbs, egg, all of the seasonings and spices, the grated apple and the chopped dried cranberries, until well combined.  Shape into meatballs using a light touch.  Try not to compact them too much.  Place them into a single layer on the baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. The juices should run clear.
4. While the meatballs are cooking make the sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a saucepan, whisking until heated through and well combined.  Add the cooked meatballs, turning to coat them in the sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with some chopped parsley if desired.  Serve hot.

NOTES:

You can keep these warm in a slow cooker set on low setting.

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These are great as a nibble during the holiday season when people do a lot of entertaining. Today we enjoyed them as a main course.  They are pretty tasty no matter how you choose to enjoy them! 

Up tomorrow: The steak rub I promised for today.  (In all truth my turkey was due to expire and I needed to use it pronto!) 

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Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

 

I have always been fond of the flavours of Teriyaki.  Teriyaki is a Japanese term for fish or meat that has been marinated or cooked in a Teriyaki sauce/marinade, which is generally composed of soy sauce, sake or mirin, ginger, and sugar (or honey). Sometimes garlic is also added

 

When my children were growing up I used to make something which I called Amanda's Steak, which was basically Flank Steak marinated in a teriyaki marinade.  My youngest daughter Amanda loved it, which is how it eventually got called Amanda's steak in our home. I can't believe I have never cooked it on here.  Time to rectify that I guess because, it is really, really good and I am sure you would like it.

 

Today I decided to adapt my favourite Teriyaki Meatball recipe to use ground turkey instead of beef, with excellent results.   We like ground turkey in our house, but if you don't, feel free to use ground beef in it's place, or even pork or ground chicken! 

 

Just make sure you use a mix of ground breast and thigh meat for the best results.  Using all breast meat will result in dry meatballs.  Just a warning here.  You want a bit of fat to help to keep them succulent! 

 

There is plenty of garlic in the meatballs themselves, plus some spring onions, an egg white, lemon juice and seasoning.  No bread crumbs are used and if you use gluten free soya sauce in the sauce, these are completely gluten free for those who are gluten intolerant.

 

Just mix all of the meatball ingredients together, making sure they are well combined. (Do use a light touch, as too rough a handling will toughen ground meat. )  Wet your hands and shape them into balls about the size of a walnut.

 

You should get about 20 balls. I like to brown them in a bit of oil in a hot skillet.  Just keep turning them as they brown, until they are golden brown all over.  I use an old pair of tongs for this and it works fine.  They shouldn't stick.

 

Once they are all golden brown, I pop them into a baking dish and pour the teriyaki sauce over and bake until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened a bit.  Sometimes I double the sauce because it is really very yummy and we like a lot of sauce.

  

These are great served with steamed or fried rice.  I think steamed rice is actually best, but today I did broccoli fried rice as I had some broccoli which needed using up.  Delicious! 

Yield: 4Author: Marie Rayner

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

prep time: 10 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 35 mins

I converted my favourite Teriyaki Meatball Recipe to use ground turkey instead of chicken or beef.  Make sure you don't use the really lean turkey as they will be a bit dry.

ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey (use a mix of breast and thigh meat)

3 spring onions, finely minced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

1 large free range egg white

1 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Oil for shallow frying

(use a mild flavoured oil, such as sunflower)

For the sauce:

80ml Japanese Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine)

2 TBS dark soy sauce

1 TBS liquid honey

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Thinly sliced spring onions to garnish

instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Have ready a shallow
baking dish large enough to hold the meatballs in a single layer.

Mix
 the turkey, onions, garlic, egg white lemon juice, salt and black
pepper together with a fork to well combine.  Shape into around 20
meatballs, setting them onto a parchment lined plate as you go along.

Place
 a thin layer of oil in a heated skillet.  Once it is hot add the
meatballs in a single layer and cook, turning frequently, until browned
all over, about 5 minutes.  Place them into the baking dish in a single
layer.  Whisk together the Mirin, soy sauce, honey and ground ginger
until well amalgamated.  Pour over the meatballs in the baking dish,
turning them to coat them in the sauce.

Bang
 into the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the
meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.  Serve hot
with the sauce spooned over, and garnished with thinly sliced spring onions. We like fried or steamed rice with these.

Note - you may want to double the sauce ingredients. I often do.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

The sauce on these is not really thick and cloying, but it is really beautifully flavoured.  If you don't have any mirin in your cupboard, no worries, it is a bit of an unusual ingredient.  Simple subs and hacks can easily mimic mirin’s sweet-tangy flavor. Dry sherry, sweet Marsala wine, dry white wine, and rice vinegar will do the trick, for instance, if you mix in about 1/2 teaspoon sugar per tablespoon. I really hope you will try these and enjoy them!  Bon Appetit! 

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