Baked Turkey Spinach Meatballs

Steamed spinach, onion, caraway seeds, crushed red pepper and paprika are mixed with ground turkey and baked for a delicious meatball. Use egg, egg white or egg replacer as a binder and add fresh herbs such as cilantro or parsley for additional flavor and nutritious health benefits.

Baking meatballs is an easy alternative to pan frying and uses much less oil. Other delicious proteins to substitute for turkey include super lean bison and chicken (or lean ground beef). Toss with homemade tomato sauce and spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles for a lower fat and higher nutrient Spaghetti and Meatball dinner. For zucchini noodles, see recipe here > Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Avocado Sauce.

Save time and make it a family affair by getting your kids to help make them! They will have fun and enjoy a cooking class in the process. Plus, it’s proven that when kids help make the recipes, they are more likely to try new foods and like them. 🙂

Here, these meatballs are drizzled with a homemade balsamic glaze and serve over spaghetti squash or as an entree with a side dish of quinoa or herb barley. This recipe makes 28 meatballs.

For balsamic glaze, simmer 2 cups of balsamic vinegar over very low heat for about 40 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 to 3/4 cup. Remove from heat and let cool. Mixture will thicken a bit more upon cooling.

Nutrition:
Serving size: 4 meatballs
Calories: 162
Fat: 8.1g
Saturated fat: 1.4g
Cholesterol: 93mg
Sodium: 181mg
Protein: 19.9g
Fiber: 1.6g

*NOTE: recipe is high in iron, niacin, phosphorus, vitamins A and C.

Recipe

Baked Turkey Spinach Meatballs

Beef & Poultry

Steamed spinach, onion, caraway seeds, crushed red pepper and paprika are mixed with ground turkey and baked for a delicious meatball.

Ingredients

2 cups steamed fresh spinach leaves, moisture drained (see notes)
1/2 white onion, steamed with spinach
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
pinch sea salt
2 pinches black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
3 medium roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425* and line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, spinach, onion, caraway seeds, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and mix to combine.
Add egg, tomatoes and mix in well.
Form into golf ball sized balls and place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, instructions in text above.
*NOTE: steam spinach and onion together in a large saucepan with a squeeze of lemon.
Once cooked, squeeze the moisture out of the spinach.
Squeeze again to remove even more moisture.
Then add to the turkey.