Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Turkey Meatballs


The recipe for these turkey meatballs is very similar to the one I use for beef meatballs. But, it's a bit different. For these I substitute panko breadcrumbs for the cubed sandwich bread & the quantities of some of the other ingredients are different. The reason being, that ground turkey breast has a completely different texture than ground beef & you need to modify a few things, in order for them to come out tasting great.
Why use turkey? Well, the Bozos love my turkey meatloaf, so, why not try these? Also, ground turkey breast has half the fat of lean ground beef & about 100 less calories per 3 ounce serving. If you plan on using regular ground turkey (the dark stuff), you might as well not bother, because it is just as calorie & fat laden as ground beef. Look for the breast meat.
Another reason is that if I am going to go through the trouble of making meatballs, I make a lot! I freeze dinner portions to have handy, and because turkey meatballs have a firmer texture, they hold up much better when freezing & reheating.
Begin by making a pot of your favorite sauce & preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
This recipe makes about 40 meatballs, so you can easily halve it.

Start with a bunch of Italian parsley,

Mince up about a cup's worth & put it in a large mixing bowl.

Add 2 eggs,

about 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan (the good stuff),

3/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs,

3 pounds of ground turkey breast, a teaspoon of kosher salt & some pepper.

Mix it all up. If the mixture seems to wet, then simply add some more breadcrumbs. You want it to hold it's shape fairly well, but you don't want it too firm either.

Get a baking sheet ready. Here, I used a rack, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, so they wouldn't stick.

Form them about the size of golf balls...about 3 tablespoons per meatball.
Bake for 20 minutes. They should be just about cooked through.

Take them out,

and add them to your sauce. Simmer for another 15 minutes, or so, or until cooked through.

Serve with spaghetti.

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