Karen K. Acevedo Read more Back to “Turkey Surprise”>> |
Once you’ve cooked these meatballs, you can use them three different ways.
- Serve them with your favorite sauce over pasta. (Heat the sauce and meatballs separately and combine them just before serving. More fragile than meatballs made with beef and pork, turkey meatballs won’t stand up to extensive simmering).
- For a meatball sandwich, split open a fresh, Italian bread roll and pile on shredded mozzarella cheese, warm meatballs, warm marinara sauce, and more cheese.
- Or, reduce the size and cooking time to make more, smaller meatballs and use cocktail toothpicks to serve them as an appetizer with marinara sauce or cranberry chutney for dipping.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw ground turkey
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 T. minced fresh garlic
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 T. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
- 1 tsp. dried sage leaves
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 3 slices bread (any kind), torn into chunks
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs just until combined. Add turkey, onion, garlic, parsley, dried seasonings, salt and pepper.
Use a large spoon or your hands to mix ingredients well. Place bread chunks in a small bowl, pour the wine over them and use your fingers to break down the bread so that no big chunks remain. Add to the meat mixture and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Pat mixture to a level surface, wipe the edges of the bowl with a paper towel and press plastic wrap on top of the meat mixture to cover it tightly. Refrigerate for as little as one hour or as long as overnight to allow the flavors to meld and the mixture to firm up.
To bake the meatballs, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll turkey mixture into 2-inch balls, and place on a large, rimmed baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Using tongs or a fork, turn meatballs over, and bake for 25 to 30 more minutes, or until meatballs are browned on top and show no pink in the center.
Remove pans from the oven. Depending on the moisture and fat content of your ground turkey, juices may have collected in the baking pans. Use tongs to lift the meatballs from the pans and place them on a baking rack. The meatballs will be fragile at this stage, so handle carefully. Let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes to firm up before using them. Makes approximately 2 1⁄2 dozen.
Back to “Turkey Surprise”>>
