Healthy and Delicious Turkey Meatballs

Anyone else look at themselves in the mirror while Christmas season was going on, furrow their eye brows, rub their eyes, and try to not see that their waistline had increased? Yeah, I so did, and it so has. I love all the baking and wonderfully joyous treats that appear in the kitchen... I love them a little too much. Sometimes I spend the entire day with the plate of cookies calling out to me. I am happy the holidays are over, mostly for the sake of my waistline!

So, that being said, I am trying to cook lighter and healthier.

Perhaps you would like to as well... so I now give you for your tastebud's delight:

The Turkey Meatball!

Alright so the Meatball isn't THE healthiest food out there, but this meatball is better than the average meatball:

I call for lean ground turkey. By the way, in the battle of ground beef and ground turkey; the turkey does not win, but neither does the cow. In fat, calories, and cholesterol content, both meats come out with similar results. The key to eating either, is buying LEAN. Check the label and buy 90/10 or better.

I use Panko over Italian breadcrumbs. Besides providing great texture, the are lower in saturated fat and significantly lower in sodium.

Rather than sear in butter, I sear my meatballs in a light pan-spray coating of heart-healthy canola oil.

I use cast-iron which is actually a healthier way to cook: the blood-important mineral, iron, finds its way into your food and thereby your body. You may be able to leave the iron supplement on the health store shelf, and start cooking in cast iron.

I use Kosher salt. Salt is salt, but the process to make Kosher salt makes the salt crystals bigger meaning Kosher salt has less sodium in the same amount of salt. Switching to Kosher is an easy way to reduce your sodium intake.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey
3 garlic gloves, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped or 1 1/2 tbs dry parsley
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Thyme
Pinch of Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 egg beaten
Canola Oil Cooking Spray
24 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (my favorite: Classico's Tomato Basil. It runs just over $2.00 a jar. My all time favorite: 1/2 jar of Tomato Basil and 1/2 jar of Vodka Sauce... It's one way to add some extra fat into your food... but oh so yummy!)
Whole grain Spaghetti noodles (13.25 package) (I use Barilla's Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti)

1. Heat up your cast iron dutch oven over medium heat. Spray with Canola Oil. Sweat chopped onions until limp and slightly browned. Pull out of oven and set aside.
2. Put all of your ingredients into a large bowl. Mix. (Do not over work meat.)
3. Shape into about 1 1/2" balls. (Yield should be 16-20 balls)
4. Sear in hot cast iron dutch oven until just brown on all sides... about 1 minute a side.
5. Dump a 24 oz. jar of your favorite spaghetti into dutch oven. Allow to bubble. Reduce heat to low and cover.
6. Allow meatball to cook through, about 60 minutes. (Check after 45 minutes)
7. Prepare pasta. (The key to good pasta is the timing. Read the package for cook time and do not leave your pasta unattended.)
8. Serve.

Variations: Meatballs can be cook in skillet until done or can be cook in a crook pot for about 2 hours.

Suggestions for parents: Allow your child to help you form the balls while singing at the top of your lungs the meatball song (gotta cut loose sometime, right?) and pair your meal with this with the movie, Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs, for and extra special, no-dinner-complaints kind of meal with your kid(s).

And now in pictures:

Sweating onions

"The Ultimate Tower of Italian Seasoning Power" Yeah, I know. I am kind of a dork.

Oops...I forgot to include the oregano to my tower.

Ready to mix!

Best way to quickly mix meat mixes...Take of your rings and get you hands in there. Use your fingers to push the seasonings and Panko through the meat.