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The Best Turkey Meatballs

turkey meatballs in salad with spinach, red cabbage and blueberries

Meatballs are so EASY to make! I always freeze part of the batch of uncooked meatballs so I can have an easy meal another day of the week. If you want to bake them in the oven instead of simmering in beer, check out the notes section below.

They also don’t have to be served over pasta! The meatballs are fabulous when served in a salad, with veggies sauteed in lemon-pepper-garlic seasoning, or as part of a make-your-own lavash wrap picnic spread. When I do make this with pasta, I love to use bean based pastas, sauteed zucchini, green beans and kale.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ lb lean or extra lean ground turkey
  • 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan-Romano cheese mix, or Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup grated Mexican blend cheese, or cheddar cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 slice whole wheat bread, crumbled
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup of tightly packed baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
  • 11/4 cup finely chopped button mushrooms (about 34 mushrooms)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup lager or wheat beer

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the ground turkey, both cheeses, egg, crumbled bread, garlic powder, chopped spinach, mushrooms and salt. It may be easier to use your hands to mix. Form golf ball sized meatballs and place on a plate.
  2. Heat a 12″ skillet on medium high heat. Once pan is hot, add the olive oil. When oil is hot, add the meatballs and brown on one side, about 3-5 minutes.
  3. Flip meatballs over and brown the other side for about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the beer to the pan and reduce to low heat. Partially cover the pan with a lid, leaving a small opening.
  5. Simmer meatballs until they are cooked all the way through and beer has reduced to almost nothing, or a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes.

Notes

Serve hot or cold.

***If freezing meatballs for later use, place meatballs on a parchment lined sheet pan or plate and put in freezer until frozen. When frozen put meatballs in a ziplock bag until ready to cook
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***These meatballs can also be baked in the oven at 350 degrees F if you don’t want to cook them on the stovetop. Just lightly coat a sheet pan with 1/2 teaspoon of oil, place meatballs on pan and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Keywords: turkey, meatballs, nut free

white bowl with maple cardamom chia pudding, fresh blueberries and mango on top of a bamboo background