Ground Turkey Meatballs are as delicious as they are easy to prepare. Mix, shape, bake, and serve. They’re low in fat, but large in flavor. You could serve them on a sunny summer afternoon with a cucumber salad and brown rice, for a quick and easy meal that’s tasty and healthy. Or you could serve them on a dreary, rainy winter day with Creamy Spinach Risotto, if you’re looking for more of a comfort food experience.
I poached this recipe from my friend Gail. Gail is very disciplined and measured in all things, including eating and drinking. Admirably so. But she used to run a catering business, so she knows about flavor and making people happy! She brought these turkey meatballs to our Super Bowl party this year and I loved them. I’ve modified the recipe, a bit by adding the sourdough breadcrumb coating, but the coating is totally optional. I also added the fish sauce and increased the quantity of parsley. These Ground Turkey Meatballs are easily modified to your taste. Gail originally found the recipe on Cook’s Illustrated, so my version is a couple of versions removed from the original.
Ground Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 shallot
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 T butter
- 1¼ cup sourdough breadcrumbs (divided – 1/4 cup for meatballs and 1 cup for coating)
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 T fish sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven; prep the shallot; melt the butter – Preheat the oven to 400℉, convection bake setting. Peel and coarsely chop the shallot. Coarsely chop enough parsley (stems and leaves), to yield 1/2 cup. Soften the butter in the microwave and set aside to cool.
- Process – Add the shallot, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper to the bowl of your food processor. Process until the shallot and parsley is finely minced. Add the remaining ingredients (turkey, butter, milk, and fish sauce), and pulse to combine.
- Shape the meatballs – Using a small cookie scoop to ensure consistently sized meatballs, scoop a bit of the mixture and roll it between your palms to form a meatball. Roll each meatball in sourdough breadcrumbs, and place on a lined backing sheet, spaced evenly. Spray with olive oil.
- Bake and Serve – Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, turning once. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
These Ground Turkey Meatballs could also be served as an appetizer. Spear each one with a tooth pick and serve with a dipping sauce. Ground Turkey Meatballs with Sriracha mayo, Japanese BBQ Sauce or Maple Chili Crisp, perhaps?
My Test Kitchen One Pot cookbook has a tasty whole meal skillet version using rice, red bell peppers, and peas. The browned turkey meatballs are nestled in with the rice veggie mixture, water and coconut milk, covered and cooked for 20 min.
That sounds fantastic, and a great way to use the Turkey Meatballs! I love ATK. I’ll have to check out that cookbook. Thanks, Liz!