Turkey Pesto Meatballs

Photo Courtesy Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen - Recipe is NOT!

In my quest for the new and different and non-boring dinner... in the quest to make my meals a bit trimmer and healthier and in my quest to have a warm, comfort meal while I decided that I would try to make a pesto turkey meatball. (I almost always use non-fat or low fat items as a substitute for their full-fat counterparts and never feel as though I have sacrificed taste, quality or consistency.)

Yes, I know this has been done. I did not go to any recipe. I winged it and made it mine. My goal was flavor, texture and healthy. These will be on our dinner table again, for sure! Truthfully. They were amazing!

What made them even better was that I turned them into meatball subs!


Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (though you could use ground chicken)
1 egg
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 water
1 cup pesto
1/4 - 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper -- a couple of dashes!

Preheat oven to 350

You can either make your own pesto (I have several recipes here on the blog) or use a good quality store bought pesto.

In a large mixing bowl mix all ingredients together until it is all well blended.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil
Roll into about 1 1/2 inch sized balls
Place on baking sheet
Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then with some tongs flip the meatballs over and cook for 15 more minutes. Repeat one more time, flip and cook for 10 minutes so that they get a nice golden brown.
When done remove from oven and set on paper towel to drain.

To make the meatball subs.
Take a nice roll like a ciabatta (I look carefully at the labels. Some have about 150 calories while others have 250. I stick to the lower versions!)
Slice the bread in half and place under the broiler so that it toasts to a nice golden brown.
Add mozzarella (low fat, part skim) if desired to the tops of the rolls, place back under broiler to melt. Watch closely so they do not burn!
Add Pesto Mayo to the other half.
Cut meatballs in half and arrange onto the rolls.
Place tops on and mangia!


Pesto Mayonnaise

I add equal amounts of pest to mayo (Hellman's Light) and mix well.
I use pesto mayo on all sorts of sandwiches from turkey to chicken salad. It's a great way to kick up a sandwich!

Turkey Meatballs+ Spinach + Bowtie Pasta + Chicken Stock = 1 Perfect Fall Supper!

Whether you choose to make your meatballs from scratch or buy them already made, is really up to you and the time that you have. I made mine, recipe follows, and then tossed some of them into some organic chicken broth with a bag of frozen spinach and some cooked pasta (about 1/2 lb). That's it! What resulted was an incredibly easy, fast and delicious soup!

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground turkey (or chicken or chuck)
2 Tbs of Italian Seasonings
2 Tbs garlic powder
1 1/2 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs
2 eggs
2 Tbs water
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to coat lightly the bottom of the pan

In a large mixing bowl place all your ingredients, mix very well all until all ingredients are well blended.

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a pan, form meatballs about 1 - 2 inches in diameter and place them in the pan leaving enough space to be able to rotate them well. Brown all sides.

When meatballs are sufficiently browned (may take about 5 minutes) remove the meat from the pan and place on to a paper towel lined plate.

Repeat step above as needed.

Meat balls can be kept in the fridge for a few days or placed immediately in the freezer.

I froze half the batch and placed the other in a medium stock pot with the warming chicken broth.

As the broth warms with the meatballs add the spinach, directly from the freezer.

Cook pasta in a separate pan so that the soup does not get too thick and starchy.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

My kids love to cook and I try to have them attempt a new recipe on their own. My 7 year old made these the other night and they were fabulous! This recipe is loosely based on a recipe I found in Everyday Food (April 2004, page 68)


Martha says "If you have the time, chill the meatballs for thirty minutes before cooking them. This will help them keep their shape and make them easier to handle."


Ingredients:
1large egg
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
8 oz. ground pork
8 oz dark meat ground turkey
*(I used a 93% lean ground beef instead of the pork and turkey)
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 can 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
*(I used a jar of premium organic arabiata pasta sauce)
3/4 lb spaghetti

1. In a large bowl whisk together egg, water, salt and pepper. Stir in 1/2 onion and 3 cloves garlic. Add cheese, breadcrumbs and ground meat. Add 1/2 the Italian seasoning. Mix well and form into balls.

2. Heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs (do not place to closely to one another) and brown on all sides. (About 4 to 6 minutes) Repeat with remaining meatballs. Remove meatballs when done.

3. Add remaining onion, cook over medium-low until soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic and Italian seasonings cook 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and 3/4 cup of water. Return meatballs, cover and simmer until fully cooked, about 20 minutes, Remove balls. * Instead I added meatballs to the simmering organic arabiata pasta sauce for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water -- according to directions on package. Drain return to pot. Toss with sauce and serve meatballs on top. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired.