Turkey Meatballs, Dedicated to My Brother

(written in 2012!)

The meatballs I made this weekend were completely inspired by my bro, and I’ll tell you why in a sec.

First things first… meet my brother. This is Jordan. He’s 27, a year older than me, and also lives in NYC.

I could tell you a lot of things about him, but if you only got to know one thing, you should know that the kid really loves to eat. Like, he really loves his food in a very serious way.

Especially things like bacon, cheeseburgers, and ribs. You know, like most guys.

So when Jordan said to me last week, “I want to see more MEAT on the blog”, I thought in my head “Ask and you shall receive.” He is my brother, after all, and he’s one of the coolest people I know, so he apparently has that kind of influence over StudioEats.

I actually had a conversation with my parents last week about what Jordan would like. We brainstormed and I landed on Turkey Meatballs. I wanted to stay true to my blog and try to cook something that I would enjoy too. And since Jordan recently admitted that he is going through an almost daily Bacon Egg and Cheese phase, I wanted something on the healthier side to make a sisterly attempt at protecting his arteries.

I served these up for lunch yesterday with some pasta sauce (obviously) and thinly sliced sautéed brussels sprouts. Grated parmesan sprinkled on top.

(Please ignore my really messy stove. Chaos happened this weekend.)

These came out really well and have a ton of flavor because of the fresh dill, basil and paprika. They are so simple, and very healthy. I did some quick calculations just out of curiosity and there are only about 65 calories per meatball, and each one of them packs almost 10 grams of protein. Not too shabby, eh?

These would be great as a snack, smushed on a sandwich, a meatball hero, to top off a salad, or served up classically with pasta and some sauce. I hope you like them, Jord!

Turkey Meatballs with Fresh Dill and Basil

(makes 12 meatballs)

• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup oats (I used old fashioned, you can use quick if you want)
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 t chopped garlic
• 2 t dried basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill. I actually mean to get parsley at the store and I screwed up and bought dill by accident, but it turned out great. Either works!
• 1 t paprika
• dash of S&P

1. Add all ingredients into a bowl at once.

2. Mush everything together with your hands and form meatballs the size of golf balls, or slightly larger.

3. Heat a skillet and coat the bottom with cooking spray or olive oil. I used olive oil here.

4. Once the skillet is hot, place meatballs onto it. Keep the skillet on medium to low heat. Every couple of minutes, turn the meatballs so that they stay in ball form and make sure each side gets cooked.

5. After about 8-10 minutes total, these guys should be done!