Baked Turkey Meatballs

The year is winding down and thankfully we've been having a rather good winter this year until now. Thanks to warmer temperatures now and then, the snow keeps melting and we've been having rains than show showers and I feel great that I can still see some greenery in my backyard even though it's still pretty cold to stand outside. 

The usual round of flu, coughs and ear infections have done its rounds at our household and I hope things will be quiet and healthy for sometime :) I've been making a lot of clear soups to help with all the sickness and even my lil'Appu enjoys sipping on warm soups. Chicken Noodle Soup is our all time favorite, but sometimes for a change I make slight modifications and that's how I ended up trying out these baked meatballs to add to the soup. My initial plan was to try them with ground chicken, but all I got was ground Turkey at our grocers and I was fine with that.

These meatballs bake up in an instant and turn out so flavorful, juicy and yumm!  After I had made them once, I figured this was so so easy to make, so I made these as appetizers for several potlucks we were invited to and they were a hit! 

The meatballs are mildly flavored which makes them perfect to add to any bbq sauce of your choice and they instantly turn into a lovely appetizer. They are perfect to add to soups or to spicy gravies or even for a Spaghetti with marinara and meatball version. Turkey meatballs are very low in fat and good for people watching their diet yet would like to indulge now and then ;-) 

I just used whatever I had in my fridge to add to the meatballs. I purposely did not flavor them with any spices as I had plans on making a separate sauce to coat the meatballs in, but if you want feel free to flavor the meatballs with any spices you like. 

I used this brand of ground turkey. If you get a 99% Lean ground Turkey breast then use that by all means. Ground Chicken or Beef works just as well to make these meatballs.

Just make the meatball mixture, scoop into balls and place on baking sheet and bake away. I just used my melon baller to form equal sized balls and placed them on a baking sheet lined with wax/parchment paper like below ;-)

Baked Turkey Meatballs

Makes: 35-40 meatballs

You’ll Need

1 Lb Ground Turkey

¼ cup Breadcrumbs 

¼ cup grated/powdered Parmesan cheese 

½ cup chopped Red Onions

1 clove minced Garlic

1 large Egg

½ cup chopped Cilantro leaves

1 Tblsp Mint leaves

2 tsp crushed Black Pepper

¼ tsp Salt

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with hands until properly incorporated.

3. Use a melon baller to scoop out equal sized balls and place them on a baking sheet covered with wax/parchment paper. This makes about 35-40 mini meatballs. Use an icecream scoop or Tablespoon for bigger meatballs.

4. Bake in oven for 13-15 mins.  (Do not over-bake)

5. Once cooled transfer to an air-tight container and enjoy!

Notes:

1. The color of the meatballs may look undone even after baking for 15mins, but that’s just how it’ll look. They won’t form a crust and should not brown (if browned them you’ll end up with tough and chewy meatballs)

2. Spice up the meatballs with garam masala, red chilli flakes or any other spices if you prefer a stronger flavor.

3. The meatballs freeze well. Shape and freeze before baking and bake them when needed.

4. The Parmesan cheese is optional, it just adds a bit more flavor. If you want a more cheesy flavor you can also use mozerella cheese or else omit the cheese all-together and add 1/4 tsp more salt.

I made a Berry BBQ sauce to coat over these meatballs when I took them for a potluck dinner. This is what I'll be sharing next and trust me they are damn good, perfect for your upcoming Holiday parties....so come back soon!

-Manju