Recipe: Spiced Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs

Ground turkey makes for tasty meatballs, meatloaf, burgers or chili. Choose dark meat for this recipe, and it will retain more moisture and yield a juicier meatball. Pair with zucchini noodles and you’ve got a great Italian feast!

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey (preferably dark meat)
1 small zucchini, grated
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large omega-3 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1⁄2 teaspoon fennel seeds, minced or crushed
1⁄2 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus more if needed
Chopped fresh basil or chives for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the grapeseed oil and basil, and mix well. Using wet hands, form the mixture into 12 balls, each about the size of a tangerine.
3. Heat the grapeseed oil in a large, oven-safe sauté pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Place the meatballs in the hot pan, leaving space between them. (Depending on the size of your sauté pan, you may need to cook the meatballs in batches.) Cook, using a large spoon to turn the meatballs gently, until brown, about 30 seconds per side. The meatballs will be soft, so turn carefully.
4. Transfer the sauté pan to the oven, and bake eight to 10 minutes, until the meatballs feel firm to the touch. Remove from the oven, garnish with basil or any herb of choice, and serve.

Nutrition information

Makes four servings

Each serving has:

Calories 262
Fat 19g
Saturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 145mg
Fiber 1g
Protein 21g
Carbohydrates 2g
Sodium 520mg