Turkey Meatballs
I developed this recipe after seeing so many other recipes adding fat and salt to the turkey to enhance the flavor. If you buy lean ground turkey there has to be another way to cook it without adding back all the things you did not want in the meat in the first place. I also did not have an egg, which I usually put in all my meatball recipes. I was surprised to find out that the ingredients were moist enough to hold together on their own. I will leave the egg up to you.
- 1 to 1 1/4 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/4 medium red onion, large dice
- 1 medium carrot, large dice
- 1 celery stalk, large dice
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
- 1/4 cup fresh leafy green; spinach, arugula, chard etc
- 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated cheese; parmigiano reggiano, or pecorino romano
- 1 egg, whisked (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and all the herbs and greens. Process the ingredients for about 30 seconds to reduce to a very small dice. You may have to scrape the sides of the processor to make sure all the herbs are chopped accordingly. Add the processed vegetables to a large bowl. Add the turkey, the bread crumbs, the grated cheese, the egg (if using) the salt, the pepper (about three turns), the mustard, the tomato paste, and the worcestershire sauce. Using your very clean hands, mix the ingredients thoroughly but gently. You want to make sure the ingredients are evenly dispersed but you do not want to compact the meat too much.
Using a large spoon scrape up enough of the mixture which will roll into about a 1 ½ inch meatball. Once again roll the meatballs gently so as not to compact them too much. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet. Brush the meatballs with a bit of olive oil which will help them brown in the oven.
Uncooked Meatballs
Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 25 minutes. If the meatballs are a bit larger cook for about 30 minutes, if a bit smaller cook for about 20 minutes. The turkey meatballs will not radically change in color like other meats so do not be tempted to overcook.
Cooked Meatballs
I serve them with a simple tomato sauce and some pasta. The recipe makes between 8 and 10 meatballs. Once cooked they seem to freeze pretty well.