Turkey Meatballs In Under 10 Minutes.

I’ll be honest.. I’m NOT a huge fan of turkey. However I’m a convert when it comes to meatballs. Usually I’d use equal parts of pork, beef and veal (ground) when making meatballs the odd night we’d rock a pasta diner. There are times when I’d also reach for the meat from spicy Italian sausages to use as well, but turkey is my new go-to meat for meatballs.

I especially like the way it takes on flavors and the sort of overall lightness of them when cooked. PLUS, they can be done in the oven (besides frying), if you’re trying to loose weight and go a bit healthier.

Ingredients

3/4 lb ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 slice bread
2-3 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon parsley
1 small onion (diced fine)
2 cloves garlic (crushed or diced fine)
1-2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
oil for frying (I used olive oil)

2 cups Marinara sauce
2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
1 bird’s eye pepper (or pepper flakes)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon brown sugar

• add the white parts (rip into small pieces) of the sliced of bread in a bowl and mix with the milk
• add the salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley, onion, cheese and ground turkey and give it a quick mix. Try your best to NOT over-work it or it may go tough on you when cooked.
• feel free to add a pinch of nutmeg and/or allspice if you want to give it a sort of “Caribbean” vibe
• pinch out 1 tablespoon amount and roll into balls

• heat the oil on medium and start adding the meatballs to the hot oil
• cook 5-7 minutes and be sure to flip them so all sides gets a bit of color (we’re trying to cook them about 75% or so, it will continue cooking in the sauce)
• after frying them off, reserve about a tablespoon of the oil in the pan
• add the thinly sliced garlic and turn the heat down to LOW
• after 30 seconds, you can now add the oregano and bird’s eye pepper- cut into small pieces (or pepper flakes) cook for another 30 seconds or so
• add your favorite marinara sauce (any pasta sauce will work.. but be sure it’s something “good’ and one that you enjoy)
• stir and allow to come up to a boil (raise your heat to med/high)
• as you start seeing bubbles, add the pre-cooked turkey meatballs and give it a good stir. Add the brown sugar to help balance the sort of ‘tartness’ of the pasta sauce (heavy cream also works)
• cook for 4-6 minutes, then turn off the stove and top with the chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese * Fresh basil would be great at this point as well

Probably a little more than 10 minutes will be required, but it depends on how large you form your meatballs. These are great heated the next day and while we had them with pasta and garlic bread, they’re also excellent on sandwiches.