Turkey & Stuffing Meatballs

By Mariealicerayner @MarieRynr

 

I saw this recipe on Epicurious the other day and was instantly intrigued.  I chose to print it out right away. I hadn't realized that you need to have a membership to view any more than two recipes and as soon as I had moved away from the initial recipe, I was not able to go back and view it again in its entirety. 

I used to eat a lot of ground turkey when I lived in the U.K. It was readily available and was something we actually preferred to eat over ground beef.  Turkey is actually considered to be a super food and is quite good for you.

In 2012 I won an Industry Award for "best blogging recipe developed using turkey" by the British Turkey Association.  I got to go to a fancy dinner at the Savoy Hotel in London to receive my award. It was a Black-Tie event and really special.  


I was pinching myself all night that this humble country girl from Nova Scotia Canada would find herself in such a position, hobnobbing with the rich and famous.   It really was something for my memory books. YOu can find the recipe that I won with here. 

 
This recipe today is for some really delicious meatballs that are created using ground turkey and packaged stuffing mix.  They bake on a baking sheet at the same time as a variety of vegetables, making for a simple, easy and delicious turkey dinner without all the muss and fuss of cooking a conventional turkey dinner.
This would be great as a holiday meal and also makes for a really delicious midweek supper for the family.  Easy to throw together and delicious.  It is really no fuss no muss, easy peasy lemon squeezy! There is not a lot to clean up afterwards either.
 



WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TURKEY & STUFFING MEATBALLS
Just a few simple ingredients, a couple of lipped sheet pans, and an oven.  NO fuss, no muss. Prepare to be dazzled. These are delicious! It does look like a long list of ingredients, but most are seasonings.
For the Meatballs:
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 (6 ounce/120g) package of stuffing mix (preferably turkey flavor)
  • 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
  • 1 large egg
  • a large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 TBS garlic powder (not salt)
  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
You will also need:
  • 3 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and halved
  • 1 1/2 pound (678g) of any variety of veggies, peeled, halved, etc. (I used Brussels Sprouts and Chantenay carrots)
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

 
The stuffing mix I used was of the Stovetop Variety.  In the U.K. you can use Paxo and I think it would work very well. I would love to try these with one of the delicious varieties that are available of Paxo.  I bet the apple and cranberry would be lovely!
The grated onion adds a bit of moisture and some onion flavor without it being too harsh. I thought about just chopping it but I don't think it would work as well with chopped onion, as the resultant mixture is quite damp and I think big chunks of onion might prevent them from holding together.
Do be careful to use onion and garlic powders and not salts and do be judicious in adding any salt altogether.  Stuffing mix is quite salty on its own, so you risk making an overly salty meatball, which you don't want. It is much easier and probably better to just add a bit of salt at the table.
You can use pretty much any side vegetable that you wish to use. On the original recipe they used green beans and potatoes.  I chose to use Brussels, potatoes and carrots. I am trying to get in as many varieties of fruits and veggies that I can each week.
Note the meatball mixture will be quite damp and you might think it isn't going to work, but trust me, it really will all work very well in the end.
 


HOW TO MAKE TURKEY STUFFING MEATBALLS
This is actually a full dinner and involves cooking/roasting vegetables on one sheet pan, while you roast the turkey meatballs on another.  I love meals like this which are easy to put together.  I also love the fact that the whole thing cooks on a sheet pan, leaving not a lot to clean up at the end.  It is entirely possible that I am becoming lazy in my old age.


Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/gas mark 5. Line two medium lipped baking sheets with some baking paper or aluminum foil.Place your prepared veggies onto one of the baking sheets. Toss together with the oil and seasonings. Spread out in a single layer. Pop into the preheated oven. (These will roast for approximately 15 minutes before you add the meatballs.)


 
Mix the stuffing mix in a bowl with the milk. Leave to stand for 5 minutes until softened.


Add the turkey, egg, grated onion, parsley, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Mix together gently until evenly combined.Pour the remaining oil onto the remaining baking sheet.


 
Shape the turkey mixture into 18 evenly sized balls. (The mixture will be loose.) Roll them into the oil to coat on the baking sheet and then place evenly spaced apart.


Roast for a further 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat balls are cooked through and golden brown and the veggies are tender and caramelized at the edges. The turkey meat balls should register 165*F/74*C inside.  Serve hot with cranberry sauce and gravy if desired.


 
To begin I didn't really have high hopes for this recipe.  They were quite damp when I was trying to mold the turkey mixture into meatballs, but I have to say, all my fears were for not.  They ended up being tender and moist and perfectly delicious!
I did not make any gravy this time, but a simple poultry gravy from scratch or from an envelope would be quite tasty with these as well!  The cranberry sauce went very well.
I have frozen the leftover meatballs with great success. Simply reheat from frozen in a moderate oven until heated all the way through.
 
I don't eat as much turkey as I used to because the different cuts, etc. are not as available here where I live in Canada. But when I lived in the U.K. I probably ate it in one way or another at least once a week.  Here are a few other favorite turkey recipes of mine!
INSTANT POT TURKEY THIGHS - A simple meal, sized for two people, these are really simple and very quick to cook in the Instant Pot. Quick cooking ensures a tender and moist result. You can also make a tasty gravy from the drippings. This makes a delicious alternative meal for the smaller family that doesn't want to go to the trouble of cooking a whole turkey, or to have to deal with tons of leftovers,  


JUICY TURKEY BURGERS - Yes, you CAN have a turkey burger  that is moist and tender as well as being healthy and incredibly tasty! These turkey burgers are a healthy twist on your regular beef burgers, and I can guarantee that they are so delicious you won't miss red meat at all. In fact I am positive you are going to love them.


Yield: Six servingsAuthor: Marie Rayner

Turkey & Stuffing Meatball Dinner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 HourAll the flavors of a Thanksgiving dinner without having to cook a big turkey.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 (6 ounce/120g) package of stuffing mix (preferably turkey flavor)
  • 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
  • 1 large egg
  • a large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 TBS garlic powder (not salt)
  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
You will also need:
  • 3 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and halved
  • 1 1/2 pound (678g) of any variety of veggies, peeled, halved, etc. (I used Brussels Sprouts and Chantenay carrots)
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/gas mark 5. Line two medium lipped baking sheets with some baking paper or aluminum foil.
  2. Place your prepared veggies onto one of the baking sheets. Toss together with the oil and seasonings. Spread out in a single layer. Pop into the preheated oven. (These will roast for approximately 15 minutes before you add the meatballs.)
  3. Mix the stuffing mix in a bowl with the milk. Leave to stand for 5 minutes until softened.
  4. Add the turkey, egg, grated onion, parsley, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Mix together gently until evenly combined.
  5. Pour the remaining oil onto the remaining baking sheet.
  6. Shape the turkey mixture into 18 evenly sized balls. (The mixture will be loose.) Roll them into the oil to coat on the baking sheet and then place evenly spaced apart.
  7. Roast for a further 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat balls are cooked through and golden brown and the veggies are tender and caramelized at the edges. The turkey meat balls should register 165*F/74*C inside.
  8. Serve hot with cranberry sauce and gravy if desired.
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