Italian Turkey Meatballs

My mom makes the best meatballs- so these turkey meatballs are based off her original recipe, but I swapped out some of the ingredients to make them more nutritious. This is a leaner version, but still full of flavor. I love serving them over spaghetti squash with homemade tomato sauce.

Italian Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb 94% ground turkey
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup low-fat (or regular) shredded Mozzarella cheese
5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
Oregano

*I used my Ninja food processor to chop the onion, garlic, and garlic

Directions:

1. Add oatmeal to a food processor and blend until it becomes oat flour.
2. Lightly beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly (don't overmix).
3. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Roll the turkey mixture into uniform balls (I made 18) and place on the baking pan. Cook for about 12 minutes. You can add them to your favorite sauce, or eat as is!

For one (out of 18) meatball: 47 calories, 2 g fat, 2 g carbohydrates, 6 grams protein

Peanut-Thai Turkey Meatballs

These are SO simple to make- only five ingredients! These are just straight up protein- no breadcrumb or oatmeal. Still moist and packed with flavor!

Peanut-Thai Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 package 93/7 Lean Ground Turkey Breast
1/4 cup egg whites
1/4 cup PB2 or peanut flour
2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
3. Roll into meatballs (I made about 25- feel free to make them bigger or smaller). Place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper (or spray the pan).
4. Baked about 25 minutes, or until the tops begin to turn golden brown.

Makes about 4 servings.

Tempeh Mole Meatballs

After seeing a post for Tempeh Mole Muffins from Laura's blog  I immediately decided I had to make them. I talked about my love for tempeh in a previous post that features one of my favorite ways to prepare it. I thought it was time to try something new and this recipe looked delicious! I modified the original recipe slightly and substituted the sweet potato with pumpkin, swapped fresh garlic for garlic powder (I was all out of fresh!), and adjusted some of the amounts of the spices according to my taste. I also decided to make my tempeh into the shape of meatballs instead of muffins. I ate them throughout the week (see my Instagram pictures @adena86). I loved the unique texture and flavor it gave to my meals! And look how cute they are!

Tempeh Mole Meatballs
Modified from www.sprint2thetable.com

Ingredients:

8 ounces tempeh
1/4 cup egg whites
1 1/2 tablespoons lime
1 T nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder. 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 cup canned pumpkin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a baking sheet or muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Place tempeh, egg whites, and lime juice and pulse. Add all remaining ingredients except for the pumpkin and pulse until mixed. Stir in the pumpkin.
3. Form the batter into meatballs. I used a cookie scoop that is approximately one tablespoon.
4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until browned and set. Allow to cool.

I made 15 meatballs out of my mixture (yes, I know there is 14 in my picture- I ate one before taking it!). I usually had three meatballs as a serving. This is mostly because I used them as a side dish, or small protein boost to my meals. Feel free to make your serving size larger if you'd like to make it the main protein in your meal. 

Nutrition Facts (per 3 meatballs): 98 Calories, 3.2 g Fat, 6.8 g CHO, 10.6 g Protein