Friday Night Eats: Easy Turkey Meatball Recipe

Hello again, and happy FriYAY! Day 3 of this 30 day blog challenge and I’m coming in strong with one of my favorite stand-by recipes for weeknight eats. To be completely honest, I am not a master chef. So when I find a recipe that I really like, and that my husband also enjoys, it ends up becoming a staple in our weeknight dinner game. We have three main requirements for M-F dinners:

Easy to prepare
Healthy & Balanced
Easy to modify based on each of our individual preferences

So, typically it involves some sort of protein and vegetables. Matt will ALWAYS have brown rice, as well. I’m a dabbler in the rice department. I really want to like it…maybe one day. In the mean time, I typically load of up on vegetables (generally roasted in the oven with a bit of EVOO, and add the protein we’ve chosen for that particular night. While chicken is our solid go-to (and Salmon, but only when it’s on sale, because 16.99/lb?!? C’mon Harris Teeter). As you can imagine…chicken gets old. So, channeling both of our Italian roots, we added a newbie to the line-up. Drawing inspiration from my mother in law (the OG Turkey Meatball lady) and my mother (Inventor of the Worlds Best Sauce Recipe…don’t argue with me): we’ve adapted our own Turkey Meatball recipe! These meatballs are SUPER easy to make, healthy, and delish. You can modify based on your own preferences. Matt and I added slight twists to both of the original recipes we had. Add bread crumbs if that tickles your fancy; Change out the vegetables. You do you, my friends. That’s the beauty of the kitchen. It’s a little playground to test out new flavors! Now without further adieu..

Christina & Matt’s Turkey Meatball Magic

(Adapted from the kitchens of Lynne Brissette & Heli Sgambato)

Ingredients

1 lb. of 99% Lean Ground Turkey (you can use 93/7, but we prefer 99% Lean)
1 Egg White (I use liquid egg whites because I’m lazy and don’t feel like fishing out the yolk)
1 TBSP of Garlic Powder
1 TBSP of Onion Powder
1 TBSP of Italian Seasoning
1/4 CUP of Fresh Salsa (you can sub in spinach and tomatoes, as well)

Directions

preheat the over to 375
mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl (really dig in)
line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray (you can sub in EVOO or Coconut oil if you don’t like using spray)
Roll meatballs and place on baking sheet (when I roll, we get 15 meatballs. When Matt rolls, we get 12…maybe.)
Toss in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Mangia

But what about the sauce, Christina?!? We make a big batch of my mothers sauce and freeze it to use throughout the month. Until I get her “ok” to share that recipe….“The sauce you can ah have, but the secret…she’s ah mine.” In the mean time, if you aren’t already a saucy Italian (see what I did there?), you can use a jarred sauce. Just be sure to check the ingredients to make sure you know what’s in there.

A few side notes:

Matt takes the traditional route and sprinkles some parmesan cheese on top. My dairy-free life cant tolerate that, so I usually sprinkle nutritional yeast on top.
If you don’t want to use traditional pasta, you can always sub in for zoodles (zucchini noodles) using a spiralizer like this Kitchen Aid attachment or shredded spaghetti squash. I usually forgo both the latter and the former, putting these little balls of joy on a veggie-loaded salad that basically consists of roasted vegetables on a bed of lettuce, because I love that cooked veggie life.
The recipe makes a pretty decent amount of meatballs (unless you’re my husband and each ball is the size of a mans fist). These keep really well, so you can use for future lunches or quick dinners in the future. Accidental meal prep for the win.
If you want to make a REAL big batch, just double the recipe and freeze the meatballs you don’t need 🙂

~ Xtina