Lean and Delicious Turkey Meatballs

Today's workout is a Yoga Flow by Bender Fitness...the link is at the bottom.

Friday night has traditionally been "pizza night."  And that's great! But if you want to have some Italian comfort food and not kill your week of working out these turkey meatballs and some high protein pasta can be just as satisfying. 

I'm going to sugar coat the fact that when you try cook with very lean meats it can be a bit difficult to have the moisture and flavor that fat incorporates. 

Fat carries flavor! That's just a fact in the culinary world. 

But try this! 

You will have moist and flavorful meatballs!

These can be baked in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes then placed in your sauce.

I prefer to brown them in a skillet with a bit of olive oil to get a crispy outside. Not cooking them all the way through. Then finishing the cooking in the spaghetti sauce by simmering on medium-low heat, covered, for about 10-15 minutes. This gives you time to boil some pasta and make a salad.  

1 lb lean ground turkey, 99% lean 1% fat

2/3cup bread crumbs, (whole grain    french bread or a slice of Ezekiel bread works fantastic)

2/3 cup low fat milk ( just enough to soak the bread in, it should look like watered down oatmeal...best description I could think of!)

2 eggs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated carrot

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt 

Favorite spaghetti sauce, homemade or store bought. I prefer to make my own, but for a Friday night...convenience is key!

I used Classico Smooth and Rich Traditional due to a pre-teen person in the house that prefers a very very smooth sauce without "chunks." He's worth it though. 

1.  Crumble up your bread and soak in the milk. Let it soak while you gather up your ingredients. 

2.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. I use the two best kitchen tools I have. My hands! 

3.  Then heat a skillet, I prefer my large cast iron skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and scoop the meatballs out with a 3/4 ounce scoop. If you don't have a scoop just use a table spoon. 

The mixture is very wet and doesn't yield well to hand rolling the meatballs.

4.  Brown each meatball without crowding your pan. Just remove to a plate until all are completed. You may need to add a bit more olive oil to your pan for a second part of the batch 

5.  Add your sauce to the pan and slide the meatballs back into the pan carefully, cover and simmer on medium low heat for about 15 minutes.

** If your sauce is a bit thick, add a 1/2 cup of pasta water to your sauce...

I ALWAYS do this!**

Now just serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, zucchini "pasta", or whatever strikes your fancy. 

This recipe yields approximately 26 meatballs.

Nutritional information for meatballs only:

1 serving: 5 meatballs

150 calories

3.5g fat

24g protein

4.4g carbohydrates 

Not too bad for a plate of comfort. 

Today's workout:

30 minute yoga

30 Minute Yoga Flow, by Melissa Bender