Turkey Dinner Meatballs
We live far from extended family, which makes it difficult to share every holiday together. Thanksgiving is usually spent at home, with our little family of five. Some years we’ll go all out with a big old turkey and the impending two weeks of leftovers. Some years we opt out and do a scaled down version of the Thanksgiving spread. These meatballs bring all the savory goodness of a giant turkey, but in a much more manageable way. They go so well with the traditional sides (that are much easier to scale down than a 20 pound turkey). I love using “holiday” issues of Simple Seasons to give you recipes that can be used for big celebrations, but are also just as at home on your kitchen table on a regular Tuesday night. These meatballs would also make a perfect appetizer served with the cranberry relish for dipping at a party. As I always say, make it your own!
Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings
2 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
zest of 1 orange
1 cup bread crumbs (I use finely blended stale sourdough bread!)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, finely grated or diced
⅛ teaspoon fresh nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well. Add the bread crumbs, salt, sage, orange zest, grated garlic, and nutmeg. Give it all a good stir together. Add the ground turkey and use a fork to fold it all together. You don’t want to over mix the meat otherwise we’ll get tough meatballs! Scoop about 2 tablespoons and roll into a ball, placing it on the parchment lined tray. Continue until all the mixture is rolled. Pop them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. They should be just golden. Leftovers reheat beautifully in a 350 degree oven.
