Moist and Tender Extra-Lean Turkey Meatballs
This is an updated version of my Spinach and Turkey Meatballs (which by the way is demonstarted in a video so if you're interseted, click the link).
In my original recipe I use half light and half dark meat turkey but this time I wanted to make the meatballs using 99% lean turkey meat. My fear was that the extra lean turkey meat can often have the tendency of drying out, so the challenge was to find a way to keep these babies moist and tender.
And guys, I am proud to say, "Mission Accomplished"!
So today I share with you my, "How-To-Keep-Your-Lean-Meatballs-Moist-and-Tender" Tips:
Secret Tip #1: Minced mushrooms! The mushrooms will release moisture as they cook, keeping the meatballs moist and tender.
Secret Tip #2: Ground flax seeds! See, animal meat isn't exactly the place where we want to get our fats from, but a little extra fat does help make the meal yummy. So I figured why not pull out the "not-so-wanted" fats and add in the "oh-so-wanted" fats. You know the fat that works with us, not against us...yep, the Omegas!! And the best part is, you only need a little...just a kiss...I used two tablespoons for six servings and it worked perfectly!
Secret Tip #3: Simmer, simmer, simmer! This gives the veggies (ie. onions and mushrooms) time to cook and release their moisture and flavor into the meatballs making once again...a tender and moist meatball!
So there you have it, my top three tips for moist-and-tender-lean-turkey meatballs!!
Do you guys have any tips of your own? if so, you have to share with the rest of us... because if you have tips and you don't share... well, let's just say, "that's messed up".
*Oh and by the way... I had a friend over the night I made these and he said (and I quote), "Wow, I have to say, these are even better than Whole Foods Turkey Meatballs, and theirs are really good".
**I served them over Spaghetti Squash.
Moist and Tender Extra-Lean Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
1.25 lb of extra-lean ground turkey6 cloves of minced garlic
½ an onion, minced
½ cup of minced mushrooms
1/3 of cup of oat bran
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
2 egg whites
1 tbsp. of worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup of grated Romano cheese
1 tsp. of nutmeg
8 oz. of frozen spinach, drained really well
Big pot of marinara sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, simmer a big pot of tomato sauce (you can either make home made or use store bought sauce - either works just fine). You will need about 8-10 cups of sauce (2-3 28 oz. cans of tomatoes if you are making your sauce).
In a large bowl combine turkey, garlic, onion, mushrooms, oat bran, flax seeds, Worcestershire, cheese, nutmeg, egg whites, spinach, salt and pepper. Work it together until everything is well combined. Smell it… maybe you want to give it a hit of red pepper flakes or a shake of Oregano… do what you like… make it yoursâș.
Take about two tbsp. of meat mixture and form into a ball about the size of a golf ball you should have 18 meatballs when you're done. Once you form all of your meatballs, one-by-one drop them into the simmering sauce.
Allow them to cook forty-five minutes to an hour…. enjoy!!
Serves 6.
Nutritional Analysis
Three meatballs w/ one cup of sauce: Calories: 295; Total Fat: 4.2g; Saturated Fat: 1.5g; Cholesterol: 58mg; Sodium: 139mg; Carbohydrate: 34.8g Dietary Fiber: 2.7g Sugars: 2.1g Protein: 30.6gOther Recipes You May Enjoy:
Winter Kale Pasta w/ Turkey Sausage (video)
Turkey Chili (video)
Butternut Squash Chili W/ Kale
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Winter Kale Pasta w/ Turkey Sausage (video)
- Filed under Dinner, High Protein, Low Carb, Turkey, Wheat-Free
- Tagged with Ground Turkey, Meatballs, Oat Bran, Spinach
- Print this recipe
- 10 comments
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Comments
Joanna :
Ooh, such a timely post! I made turkey meatballs (instead of beef) for the first time this past weekend, and they were good, but not quite the same - I'll try some of your tips and see if I can get better results next time. One thing I have noticed is that browning them helps keep in more moisture -- I brown mine in a cast iron skillet with a minimal amount of oil. It also helps them cook faster which is always nice!
posted on January 15, 2008 11:49 AM
Dani :
Joanna - I often brown them first as well, but on this particular day I just didn't feel like dealing with an extra step...and honestly, the results were better than I expected. But I hear ya, if time is the issue at hand...definitely browning is the way to go:)!!
posted on January 15, 2008 1:20 PM
Kevin :
These turkey meatballs sound really good. Thanks for the moistness tips. I think that the mushrooms would be great additions for their flavour alone but they also help in other ways. I like the sound of simmering the meatballs in marinara sauce.
posted on January 15, 2008 5:20 PM
Katie :
any suggestions for those of use who loathe mushrooms?
posted on January 15, 2008 6:12 PM
AnticiPlate :
Dani,
I have heard that grated onion also keeps meatballs moist. Mushrooms are a great idea though, I have never heard of that! And I bet they would complement the meat very well, because they are so meaty themselves.
I'm inspired! I love turkey burgers and turkey meatballs. They taste better to me than ground sirloin.
-Kari
posted on January 15, 2008 7:13 PM
Dani :
Kevin - You got it...I hope you give them a try:).
Katie - Well, first off....honestly, you don't even taste them BUT if there's just no way...the onions add moisture too or maybe you can try adding some minced up celery and carrots. At the end of the day, if they are simmering, any veggies should release some moisture!
Anticiplate - You hit the nail on the head...onions help out a ton! At the end of the day any diced veggies will do the job:)!!
posted on January 15, 2008 10:02 PM
Roni :
OATMEAL!! Keeps them super moist! That's what I use in my turkey meatball (I hope you don't mind me linking)
http://greenlitebites.com/2007/12/09/turkey-meatballs/
posted on January 16, 2008 4:30 AM
Dani :
Roni - Oatmeal is a great idea...thanks!
posted on January 16, 2008 7:29 AM
Sally Parrott Ashbrook :
I have a LOT of lean venison to use and was thinking about doing meatballs with some of the ground venison--I think your tips will be great for helping me keep them from drying out. Thanks!
posted on January 19, 2008 2:28 PM
Dani :
Sally - You got it...I hope they turn out D'LISHES:)!!
posted on January 21, 2008 1:38 PM