I’m not going to lie, the thought of turkey meatballs was not appetizing to me. As an Italian especially, I made some assumptions that they couldn’t possibly be good…I was wrong. I made these on a weeknight in a half hour and not only was it a healthy option but it was truly delicious. They were also good leftover. Give em a try!

Ingredients:

• 1.25 lbs of lean white meat turkey breast
• 3 cloves garlic, grated or chopped (i like grating them so you don’t get chunks of garlic)
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I use Progresso Italian bread crumbs and some panko as well)
• 1-2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup imported parmigiano cheese
• Tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Salt & pepper
• Pam oil spray (or olive oil)

This recipe made 15 balls which came out to 119 calories each including the sauce and cheese.

Directions

Pre heat oven to 400.

In a mixing bowl, combine the garlic, parsley, onion, egg, bread crumbs and cheese. Mix well and then add the turkey. If the mixture seems dry, add some water or milk. Season with salt & pepper.

I like to add in red pepper flakes, but that is optional. 

Roll into balls and you have two options:  place them on a sprayed cookie sheet, or put in your cast iron skillet to brown.

They will be a little sticky/soft and hard to handle. I find the best method is to place them into a cast iron pan to sear on all sides. This will help firm up the meatballs.

Otherwise, put them in the oven for 10 minutes first and then sear. If you have the time to stand there and keep turning them then do it this way. If you want to throw them in the oven so you can do other things, that works too.

After you sear them or bake them, then add tomato sauce and put the entire skillet in the oven.

It takes roughly 10 minutes. Then pull out the pan, add mozzarella cheese and place under the broiler until bubbly and browned.

If done right, the meatball should be fork tender and super tasty. Top with fresh basil and Parmesan. Time to eat!