Cast Iron Turkey Meatballs

First things first… do you own a cast iron?

If your answer is yes, great! You’re already speaking my language.

If your answer was no, that’s OK! I’m here to help you understand the power of the cast iron and how to wheeled it.

My best friend bought me my first cast iron pan, along with a cookbook and instructional DVD filled with basic recipes for beginner cooks. I will love her for that forever! It taught me the importance of how some foods cook better in certain pans than others and that cast irons and meats were made for each other!

My cast iron is my go-to pan in the kitchen for many reasons, but my favorite is that it goes from the stove top to the oven, resulting in the best cook for tasty meats.

So naturally when I decided to create a Turkey Meatball recipe, the best result would be to sear them in the cast iron first, creating great flavor and texture, and finish in the oven for the perfect cook.

With less than 10 ingredients and only 30 minutes from start to finish, these meatballs are great for the lunchbox on busy evenings before dance or around the table with the family on weekends.

Ground turkey has been my go-to protein all Winter. I love how versatile it is! You can sub it in for most ground beef recipes for a heart healthy switch and season it well for a juicy flavor punch!

Turkey is also rich with B vitamins that help us produce energy efficiently, support the body’s amino acids and is necessary for the production of red blood cells. A great source of protein for a growing dancer.

Plus… who doesn’t love MEATBALLS! You can top them with various sauces or dressings and pair them with rice, veggies or pasta like we did! A classic spaghetti and meatball supper is comfort food perfection during these cold January days!

Recipe Below:

Ingredients:

1 lbs Ground Turkey

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 teaspoon Onion powder

1 teaspoon Garlic powder

1 tablespoon fresh or dried Thyme leaves

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Egg, yolk and whites

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees
• Place bread crumbs and heavy whipping cream in a large bowl. Gently mix until combine.
• Add the ground turkey, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, egg, salt and pepper to the bread crumb mixture.
• Using a fork or your hands, gently fold ingredients together, just to combine everything, but be careful NOT to over mix.
• Using a table spoon, scoop out the meat mixture and roll between the palms of your hands until you have a 1″ to 1 1/2″ sized meatball.
• NOTE! Folding the meat mixture and making the meatballs is always a fun way to include dancers in the kitchen and to get a little messy 🙂 My son loves helping with this part and I love spending time together. Win win Parents!
• Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil in the cast iron and place over medium heat.
• Once hot, add the meatballs to the pan, leaving a little space between each meatball and sear on all sides. About 4-6 minutes.
• NOTE! A smoking cast iron is a happy cast iron. This means your pan is ready for cooking and giving you the perfect sear!
• Once all meatballs are seared and have a good browning color to them, place skillet in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven carefully! Using tongs, transfer meatballs to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess grease. Allow 5 minutes to cool before serving or place in a thermal lunchbox immediatly to keep temperature.
• Serve with your favorite pasta, rice or veggie and top with a tasty red sauce or a creamy Alfredo!

Hope you Enjoy!