Best Ever Turkey Meatballs Recipe
This turkey meatball recipe is wonderfully flexible. Form small meatballs for appetizer bites, larger ones for a main course meal. Flatten them to make turkey burgers. Serve them with or without a tomato marinara sauce.
If you want a more pronounced mushroom flavor, add a few more minced shiitake mushrooms to the mix.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 large shallot, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 6 ounces of mushrooms (a mix of shiitake and cremini), finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1 pound ground turkey meat (we prefer thigh meat)
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (plus more to sprinkle over when you serve)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (optional, if you have it use it)
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Optional Marinara Sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced (2 teaspoons)
- 1-28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1 First start with the meatballs. Melt the butter in a small frying pan on medium heat. Add the minced shallots and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and the mushrooms. Continue to cook on medium heat until the mushrooms are cooked through and have given up some, but not all, of their moisture. Stir in the herbes de Provence. Remove from heat. Place in a bowl and quickly chill to cool.
2 In a large mixing bowl, place the ground turkey, parsley, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest if using, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, and the cooled mushroom shallot mixture. Using your clean hands gently mix the turkey and other ingredients together until well combined. Don’t over mix.
3 Form meatballs, 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide, depending on your preference. Smaller meatballs with be easier to serve as a one-bite appetizer, larger meatballs for a main dish. Place meatballs on a tray.
4 Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium low to medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the meatballs in the pan, allowing for space around each meatball. Do not crowd the pan; if your pan isn’t big enough, cook the meatballs in batches. Gently cook the meatballs, turning them frequently so that they get lightly browned on all sides. If meatballs are not browning, increase the burner heat a little.
5 Optional sauce. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Add the minced onions and cook until translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Pulse the canned tomatoes in their juices in a blender or food processor until chopped, but not completely smooth. Add the tomatoes to the onion garlic mixture. Cook for ten minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley to serve.
