We’re taking a break from chicken!!! Can you believe it? I was so happy when I saw that ground turkey was on sale this week. I love turkey, I think I actually prefer it over ground beef most of the time. So, needless to say, I am excited to eat this week.
I decided to make turkey meatballs because they’re quick and easy and I was short on time again this weekend. My official last day of college is this coming Friday! I am trying to get ahead so I’ve been glued to my computer for days.
There’s not much to preparing the meatballs. You can throw everything together in one mixing bowl and after that, you just roll them into balls so they’re ready to go in the pan or oven or wherever you decide to cook them. A lot of people use breadcrumbs to help the turkey stick together, but I just don’t like using them because 1) the additional calories, and 2) the additional carbs. Obviously, do what works best for you. I flavored my turkey with paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper, onions, and a parmesan cheese/garlic mixture (that is the substance that kind of looks like breadcrumbs in the picture above). So basically I threw my entire pantry in there. I usually use parmesan cheese instead of breadcrumbs any time I make these or turkey burgers. I will say that breadcrumbs do provide a better hold, but if you’re careful enough, you can make it work without.
I was initially planning on baking my meatballs in the oven, but I realized that I needed my baking pans for the cauliflower and carrots I was going to be making. I didn’t want to cook them all separately, so I just decided to cook the turkey on the stove top. I heated a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan and once that was heated, added the meatballs (carefully!) and let them simmer.
While the turkey was cooking, I started to get my side vegetables ready. For my carrots, I made a mixture of vegetable oil, honey, brown sugar, garlic, and parsley. These ended up tasting quite sweet, so if you’re not into that, I’d go with some different seasoning. I am not really used to flavoring my veggies with sweetness, and to be honest I wish I would have just threw some salt, pepper, and garlic on them, but hey, now I know.
**Not to say they tasted bad! They were actually very good, just not something I am used to**
Moving on to the cauliflower…I went more classic with the spices here. I made a mixture of vegetable oil, paprika, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Nice and simple.
By the time I had all of my vegetables ready to go in the oven, my turkey meatballs were just finishing up (I did flip them in between prepping my veggies). I took them off the burner and set them aside. After I put my vegetables in the oven, I started making a marinara sauce to top the meatballs with. I just went with my super simple go-to sauce that only has a few ingredients that you most likely have in your pantry right now.
Here’s what I ended up with. I sprinkled a little bit of mozzarella on my meatballs (totally optional) because I had some that needed to be used up in the fridge. Easy, quick, and delicious.
Enjoy!
Recipe: Turkey Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 1/4 of a small, yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
- Paprika, chili powder, garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, basil, parsley, to taste
-Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix well
-Roll into balls.
-Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in pan on stove top. Once oil gets hot, place meatballs into pan carefully. Simmer over medium heat.
-Turn when necessary. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
Recipe: Marinara Sauce
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 6 oz tomato paste
- Salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, sugar, to taste
Recipe: Honey Garlic Carrots
- 2 lbs baby carrots
- 1/4 c. honey
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Garlic, parsley, to taste
-Combine all ingredients in bowl.
-Place carrots onto greased baking sheet.
-Cook on 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
Recipe: Cauliflower
- 3 medium-large heads cauliflower
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- Salt, pepper,paprika to taste
-Combine spices and oil into cut cauliflower.
-Place prepared cauliflower onto greased baking sheet.
-Cook on 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
–
*Prep Your Meals* 