Turkey Meatballs with Tomatoes and Basil

By keenan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (ground turkey thigh meat if available)
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup flour, for dredging
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno chile, seeded, minced
• 3 tablespoons chicken stock or white wine
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped (can sub one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thin

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 55mins
Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

It's hard to go wrong with meatballs. You just need to make sure you don't over-mix them, and you brown them slowly enough, and in enough fat, so that flavor develops and the meatballs cook through. That said, meatballs made with ground turkey can tend to be on the dry side. To counter that we add some sour cream to the mix, in addition to breadcrumbs. We also use ground turkey thigh meat, which we are able to get at our local butcher. If you can get ground thighs, I recommend it. Not only will they be more moist because thigh meat is fattier than breast meat, but also more flavorful.

Place the ground turkey, bread crumbs, sour cream, egg, minced basil, salt, minced rosemary, oregano, thyme, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Using your (clean) hands, gently mix together. Place dredging flour in a shallow bowl. Form 1 1/2 to 2-inch diameter meatballs, and roll them in the dredging flour, and set them aside. You should have approximately 18 to 22 meatballs.

In a large, shallow sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Gently add the meatballs to the pan. Do not crowd the pan, you may need to work in batches. Once the meatballs are sizzling in the hot oil, reduce the heat to medium low and gently cook them on at least 3 sides, until the meatballs are browned all over and cooked through, about 10 minutes per batch. (Gentle heat will make it take longer for the meatballs to brown, but will ensure that they get cooked through.) Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs from the pan to a bowl.

Add the garlic and jalapeno to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock or white wine, increase the heat to high and boil it down to the point where a wooden spoon leaves a marked trail through the pan.

Return the meatballs to the pan and coat with the pan sauce. Add the fresh tomatoes and toss to coat. Cook for 4 minutes or until the tomatoes just begin to break down. Do not overcook the tomatoes. Turn off the heat and toss in the fresh basil.

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I've frozen meatballs before, just don't make the sauce yet. Once they've browned and cooled on a plate, place a wire cooling rack on a baking pan, and set the meatballs on that so they're not touching each other. Freeze completely, then you can pop them into a resealable bag. Once you're ready to eat them, make the sauce and gently reheat the meatballs in the pan. Worked like a charm for us!

A friend of mine from italy gave me a tip that has helped me make moist delicious meatballs time and time again. instead of using bread crumbs use some left over bread or rolls, and soak it in water so it gets soggy, then mix it in with the meat and spices. the result is a light, flavorful, moist meatball that practically melts in your mouth.

Christina, Glutino makes really good gluten free bread crumbs. I use them in many recipes. I'm sure they would work well with this one.

Adding the sour cream sounds like a great way to keep the turkey meatballs moist. My kids sounds just like your dad - they come running when they hear the word "meatballs".

jessica - you can make the meatballs and freeze them uncooked. i lay em out on a baking sheet so they freeze fast and evenly then once frozen i put them in ziplock bags. i also recommend double bagging them in ziplock bags so they keep longer.

We made these for dinner last night. We have tons of rosemary, basil, and tomatoes in our garden right now, so this was the perfect recipe to use up some of the excess. The aroma while cooking was amazing. My husband said he was tempted to eat the raw meatball mixture because it smelt so good. Thanks for the recipe!

Love these -- never thought to add sour cream to the meatball mix, such a cool idea! Also, love that the same pan is used for the sauce.

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