We’ve become hooked on having cooked turkey meat balls in the freezer ready to be nuked and eaten.
Turkey meatballs rolled in panko breadcrumbs stay moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. They don’t need sauce. They can be thrown on top of a salad or be a quick lunch beside some carrot sticks. They can be added to pasta or smothered in gravy. Anything!
One of the fun aspects of cooking is standing over a bowl and deciding how to vary a recipe based on what’s in the kitchen. This is today’s variation. For some others, check out Ricci di Tacchino (Turkey Hedgehogs), Baked Turkey Meatballs with Basil & Lemon, and Perky Turkey Meatballs.
Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 2 1/2 pounds ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated, or candied ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh or roasted garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium onion, minced
- 1/3 cup blanched almonds, chopped
- 1 medium Cubanelle pepper, minced. Cubanelle peppers are quite mild. If you use a hotter pepper, consider wearing gloves to mix the ingredients and form the meatballs.
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fragrant curry powder
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Put one cup panko breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and set aside for rolling the meatballs. Add additional breadcrumbs when needed.
- In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients using your hands. Mix just until all ingredients are evenly distributed to keep the mixture from becoming pasty and the resulting meatballs from being too dense.
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form 1 1/2″ x 2″ oblong meatballs and roll each in the panko breadcrumbs to coat.
- Set the meatballs at least 1/4″ apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake 40 to 55 minutes or until they are cooked through and lightly browned on the outside. To be safe, check with an instant-read meat thermometer to make sure they’ve reached 170°F internal temperature
Enjoy some now or allow to cool and freeze for later use. The panko bread coating prevents them from sticking to each other when frozen, making it convenient to grab the number you want. Simply microwave until heated through to serve.
