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Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs

These meatballs combine all of our favorite flavors of Thanksgiving! Turkey can often be dry, but these babies are super moist because of the panade in the mixture. They’re also full of fresh herbs, onions, and celery, giving them turkey and stuffing vibes.
Prep Time:25 minutes
Cook Time:35 minutes
Total Time:1 hour
Course: Main Course, Meat & Seafood
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Fall, Meatballs, Turkey
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground turkey, 93% lean
  • ½ large sweet or yellow onion, small diced
  • 4 small celery stalks, small diced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp + pinch sea salt, divided
  • tsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 tsp fresh sage, minced
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Melt the butter in a pan set over medium heat.
  • Add the onions and celery, a pinch of salt, and cracked black pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until slightly softened. Set aside to cool.
  • Make a panade by mixing together breadcrumbs and milk and let sit until the breadcrumbs soak up the liquid.
  • In a large bowl, add the turkey, cooled vegetables, spices, remaining salt, and herbs.
  • Add the panade, parmesan cheese, eggs, and oil.
  • Mix the meatballs together until just combined. Overmixing will make the meatballs tough.
  • Using a 1 ½ tablespoon size scoop for small meatballs (or a 3 tbsp scoop for large ones), scoop and roll them into meatballs and distribute them onto two baking sheets lined with parchment. Tip: spray the scoop and your hands with non-stick spray to keep the mixture from sticking.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes, then swap the trays and flip each meatball over.
  • Bake for another 10 minutes until slightly golden and the internal temperature measures 165F with an instant read thermometer.
  • Serve with your favorite gravy and mashed potatoes.