Mini Turkey Meatballs With A Fresh Couscous Salad Recipes

MINI TURKEY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Mix in the turkey. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a large plate or baking sheet.
• Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat.
• Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the meatball mixture to a serving bowl. Serve with toothpicks.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

MINI TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH A FRESH COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Cook couscous according to package instructions.
• Combine couscous with scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, garbanzo beans and 1 TBS olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Mix ground turkey with cumin, cinnamon, oregano, and salt & pepper to season. Shape into small meatballs.
• Heat a large skillet with 2 TBS olive oil to medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook until desired doneness. About 4-5 minutes on all sides.
• Serve Meatballs with the Couscous salad. Garnish with a sprinkling of parsley, olives, or feta cheese if you prefer.

HEALTHY MINI TURKEY MEATBALLS (EGGLESS, BREADLESS, FLOURLESS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Coat baking pan with a thin layer of olive oil.
• Add ingredients (excluding tomato sauce) into a bowl and then blend well together with hands.
• Roll meat into balls (a little larger than golf balls) and line up in pan (don't crowd).
• Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Place under broiler for 1 minute (omit if you like).
• Add tomato sauce and cover with foil.
• Reduce heat to 300 degrees and allow to bake another 25 minutes.
• Put on pasta, in a roll or just eat them like this. Super yummy, enjoy!

BABY FOOD: MINI TURKEY MEATBALLS (8 MONTHS +)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a small bowl combine breadcrumbs, rice cereal and herbs, tossing with fingers until well combined. Set aside.
• Place lean ground turkey into a mixing bowl. Add carrots, celery, onion and breadcrumb mixture. Mix into the meat and combine well. Add beaten egg yolk and enough water/veggie puree to moisten the mixture just to bind it (may not need all of it so add in batches).
• Form 1tabp of meat mixture into meatballs.
• 5. Add a bit of water or marinara sauce in the bottom of a glass baking dish, about 1/3 cup. Line baking dish with single layer of meatballs, about 1 inch apart. Be sure not to over crowd dish or they will fall apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 25-30 minutes, flipping them once during the cooking process to insure they've cooked thoroughly. If you notice the are getting to dark, cover with tinfoil. You don't want them to burn or become tough.
• To freeze, let them cool completely. Transfer in single layer (you can stack meatballs, just place parchment paper in between each layer to prevent them from freezing together) in a airtight container. When ready to eat, place in a microwavable dish, add a bit of water, and loosely cover and cook for 1 minute.
• Serve with marinara sauce.

MINI TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH GNOCCHI AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place turkey in a large bowl with grill seasoning and fennel seeds.
• Pile sun-dried tomatoes on top of each other in small stacks then slice into thin strips. Coarsely chop the thin strips and add to bowl.
• Stack the basil leaves together then roll them up into a log. Shred the basil by thinly slicing the log. Add half the basil to the bowl.
• Drizzle some olive oil over the bowl.
• Mix turkey together, roll into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until firm and lightly golden.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil for the gnocchi.
• While the water is coming to a boil, heat a large skillet over medium heat. To the hot skillet, add 2 T olive oil, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes. Cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes.
• Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper.
• Drop gnocchi into pot of boiling water and cook 5 minutes (or to package directions.).
• Stir remaining basil into sauce to wilt it.
• Drain gnocchi and arrange on a platter. Remove meatballs from oven and add to gnocchi, equally distributing them. Sprinkle cheese over the meatballs and gnocchi then top with sauce.
• Serve with bread.
• Note: The tomato sauce is very basic. Feel free to add additional spices.