Howdy! I found a really cool linkup at Peas and Crayons called What I Ate Wednesday…a lot of other bloggers that I follow participate so I thought it would be fun to get involved!
If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know that I’ve been regularly seeing a dietitian, and I have spent a lot of time logging my meals. Right now, I’m not focusing on that so much, but I think it would be great to share a “slice” of what I eat on a given day on the blog. Plus, if I make a recipe that I’m particularly proud of, I’d like to share it with you!
So for my first What I Ate Wednesday, I’ll share my Turkey Meatballs Recipe!
Turkey Meatballs Recipe:
Turkey Meatballs Recipe:Ingredients:
Directions:
- Cook spaghetti following package directions, drain and set aside.
- Place ground turkey in large mixing bowl and gently pull apart with fork. Add onion, Parmesan, parsley, basil, breadcrumbs, and garlic salt. Fold in egg.
- Roll the mixture into balls, a bit smaller than a golf ball and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Place olive oil in pan and heat over medium-high. Add meatballs and cook for 1 minute; turn and brown for 1 minute more.
- Pour in tomato sauce and cover with lid. Cook until complete.
- Serve spaghetti and meatballs, garnish with chopped parsley.
Turkey meatballs complete!The original recipe required 1-1/3 pounds of ground turkey with 4 servings for people. I only had a pound of ground turkey and was able to make 12 meatballs with plenty left over for leftovers.
Trials and Errors:
Several ingredients that I did not have on hand include: 2 tablespoons of Pecorino cheese, 3 drops of Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder (I used garlic salt). I was really happy with the flavoring, but I definitely think having the extra cheese and Worcestershire sauce would have added an extra punch!
The biggest error with this dish was that the recipe called for it to be made with a pressure cooker. I don’t have a pressure cooker and I don’t even know how one works. So I used a pan with a lid and made it work. The meatballs definitely cooked too fast and as I tried flipping they over, they started to fall apart a bit. So I probably should reduce the heat if I’m going to jerry-rig a pressure cooker environment.
This was my first time working with ground turkey and my first time eating it. I have to say I really liked it! I was worried that I burned away too much of the flavor, but I really liked the end result. Bret enjoyed it too. But I want to make sure my next batch is cooked more successfully!
Have you ever prepared turkey meatballs? Any suggestions on how to pressure cook without a pressure cooker? What new recipes have you tried lately? Please share!
I love my pressure cooker(s)! They make things so darn quick. Keep a lazy eye on ones at Amazon, they go on sale quite a bit. I got a 3 set that was marked wrong and they honored the price, very lucky day.
Ooh thanks for the tip Shannon! I will have to keep an eye out! 🙂
I haven’t tried any new recipes lately but I do want to make a low fat shrimp and grits recipe I found. Maybe, I will cook it this week-end. Your post inspired my to cook something different. Thanks for stopping by WOW and when you get a chance, come on over to The Frugal Exerciser.
Aw, I’m glad I could inspire you Sheila! Shrimp and grits sounds so good…
I’ll definitely drop by! 🙂
Looks yummy! Can’t go wrong with meatballs and pasta – love me some comfort food 🙂
Thanks! It was comforting but not too filling! I’ll have to try it with whole wheat spaghetti next time.
Love ground turkey! I use it a TON! I’ve never used a pressure cooker either!! I’ve made turkey meatballs in the oven though, and they’ve always turned out nice. 😀
I will definitely buy more ground turkey, and probably wean myself off of ground beef. Maybe I should try it in an oven until I get an actual pressure cooker lol!
Yum! I love spaghetti and meatballs!
Simple, yet tasty 🙂
This looks very yummy! I love getting new recipes. Will have to try this one out. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Oh yum! Your WIAW this week is so much healthier than mine lol. I’ve made turkey meatballs in the slow cooker a couple times. Definitely my favorite way to make them since you can set it and forget it!
Oh but you’re on the road eating awesome food! Ah…can’t forget the wonders of the slow cooker haha. I think I’m going to use it for dinner next week, probably with chicken again!
I love turkey meatballs, I’ll have to try this recipe! I recommend checking out Skinny Taste’s site for new recipes. I’ve tried several of her recipes and they all have turned out great!
Ooh thanks for the tip, Jenn! I just went to her site and I’m already drooling! I’ll see what inspires me for dinner next week!
I substitute ground turkey for ground beef all the time and most of the time my family doesn’t even know. This is an awesome recipe 🙂
Thanks! I know it’s healthier to eat, so I’ll definitely be using it more often!
This looks delicious. We love meatballs around here! Now I am wondering what a pressure cooker is. Lol
Lol Becky, I still don’t really know! I just know I should buy one at some point! You should try the recipe and see how it goes! 🙂
That is a great improvisation to get your goal.. Even with the substitutes it sounded really good.. I am a fan of turkey meatballs.. bookmarked!
Thanks! 🙂 Improvisation…I like the sound of that! Let me know if you end up trying it!
I love turkey meatballs. I bake mine in huge batches and then freeze them into meal sized bags for quick, healthy dinners paired with whole wheat pasta and veggies. I also make/can my own pasta sauce.
Ooh what a great idea! I have to start getting into whole wheat pasta and trying to make my own sauce. I tried not to use too much in this recipe.
I just used turkey instead of beef to make soup tonight. Great idea with the meatballs!
Thanks! Ooh…see I’ve never made a soup, I’m so intimidated by soups!
What a great idea. If I link up I know I would be eating hjealthy at least one day each week!
The place is truly a goldmine. Lots of inspiration and healthy food ideas!
We have a pressure cooker, but I don’t know why someone would want to put meatballs in it. The idea is that you can cook tough bits of meat (usually in a braise) more quickly. Meatballs take almost no time to cook. Seems weird to me. My suggestion: put the meatballs in a 350 degree oven. Hands off. Just check every 10 minutes and they won’t burn.
Oooh thanks for the tip. My bootlet pressure cooker method stressed me out a little…placing in the oven sounds like a better idea!
I haven’t made turkey meatballs yet, I only get it every so often, If they had more than the small packets at the store I would get it more often. But, this looks really tasty!
Thanks! I bought a pound of ground turkey from a butcher at the market and the price was pretty reasonable.
I love pasta and meatballs and your turkey meatballs sound healthy and delicious!
Thanks, I’m glad they turned out well…I was so nervous! 🙂
Looks delectable!!!! I made this last week ..meatballs are one of my fave dishes, especially coupled w/spaghetti’s!! this was a delish recipe and so so easy and quick to prepare. I didn’t use the Parmesan grind and it was still tasty.
The meatballs were yummy yummy yummy! I used Romano cheese instead of parmesan and since I didn’t have stale bread, I just lightly toasted a slice of whole wheat bread. Not sure if that did anything to the recipe, but the meatballs were fine… very juicy and tender and tasty!
Thanks….that’s awesome! I feel like you could do so many different variations…a tasty, easy dinner for sure! 🙂
I haven’t been able to sell ground turkey or turkey bacon to the family. My son does love to make meatballs though. I don’t think there are ways around having a pressure cooker, also the recipe times are way different (much shorter) than traditional cooking methods.
I could see turkey bacon being an acquired taste but ground turkey? Too bad they won’t give it a chance, I think in meatball form with enough spices they wouldn’t be able to tell 🙂
You should invest in a pressure cooker. i love mine and use it all the time!
I think I’m going to add one to my Amazon wishlist…I never thought I’d want or need cooking “gadgets” lol!
I’ve never really thought about using Turkey when I make my meatballs. I always use beef! I really will give this a try, although I don’t have a pressure cooker as well, but I always fry mine anyways and it turns out good 🙂
Let me know how it goes! I know one thing for sure, I’m never buying frozen meatballs again!
I love meetballs but I’ve never thought of making turkey meetballs. I pinned the recepy and I will try it out when I have all the ingredients. Wish me luck 🙂
Good luck Joanna! I never thought of it either but it’s not much different, though certainly healthier than the old fashioned way 🙂
That looks so delicious! Its so hard to find a good meatball recipe! This one looks like it stuck to gether well.
You know what, my first batch did well, but when I did my second batch of leftovers they fell apart a lot easier. I probably could have added more breadcrumbs but I didn’t want to make it too salty.
I usually make meatballs with beef. I should try turkey next time. Thanks for the tip!
No problem Shannon! 🙂
yummy yummy yummy, this looks so good I love coming across healthy recipes that I can try out. i would most def, print this one. Thanks
Awesome, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Yum, that looks delish! thanks for sharing, I must try this out!
When you do, let me know how it goes! 🙂
I use ground turkey a lot in many recipes but I haven’t made meatball with it. Looks like your recipe turned out great. Was that a spinach salad to go with the meal? BTW thanks for stopping by at WOW.
Hi Sheila, yep, had a spinach salad to go with it! We always have spinach in the house :). I’m so happy with the recipe…you should give it a try! Oh and glad I could stop by!
Turkey Meatballs are my all time favorite and I keep looking for new and new recipes. I do make errors and she laughs but with your suggestion I may serve her a nice one this time.
I’m still learning to cook and it’s a lot of trial and error. Hope this recipe works out for you!
Hi, what a great recipe. I am certainly bookmarking it for commenting and posting a link to my weight loss blog about healthy recipes for maintenance.
Great blog and thank you for the resource.
Thanks a lot Liliana! Hope you drop by again! 🙂
I don’t have a pressure cooker but you can probably make it in the oven or even on the stove. It depends on how you prefer to prepare your turkey. I like your recipe and would probably prepare it stove-top.
Elizabeth
Thanks! I may try the oven next time, until I get a pressure cooker!
These look interesting, I’ve never tried turkey meatballs, but I do love turkey sausage!
I don’t have a pressure cooker either, but maybe I should get one if I could figure out enough uses to justify it!
It was very easy to make, I’d definitely recommend! 🙂
These sound great. I know my husband would love these. Pressure cookers are amazing with how fast they cook stuff. I love it. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! If you make them, let me know how it goes! 🙂
I love ground turkey. So glad that you found you liked it. I think it’s awesome that you made the recipe work with what you have on hand.
Thanks Carla! I’m enjoying cooking more and more 🙂
I’ve never used a pressure cooker….
I recently made some meatballs and baked them in the oven…melt in your mouth soft!