Holiday Turkey Meatballs

These Holiday Turkey Meatballs are like a little nugget of christmas goodness! haha no joke you get everything in one little bite, turkey, stuffing, and a touch of sweetness from the cranberry sauce it is cooked in.

Not only are there super easy to make but they make a great little appetizer or serve this up as a dinner with mashed potatoes or even on a bun like a meatball sandwich! Either way you do this you won’t be disappointed.

The only thing I would say is to be careful when they are cooking to stir gentle since they can fall apart easily. But one they are fully cooked they are just perfect… they literally melt in your mouth!

For an appetizer I just put them in a serving dish with some toothpicks on the side for serving and a little dish of cranberry for dipping! 🙂

Holiday Turkey Meatball Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey
12 oz. bag stuffing mix (w/ 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 sweet onion finely chopped, 2 celery stalks chopped, 2 cups chicken broth), only use half for recipe once its cooked (about 16 oz for the recipe)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. herb poultry seasoning
2 tsp. olive oil
cooking spray
14 oz. can of whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup light cranberry juice

Directions:

1. First you will want to prepare the stuffing, since it needs time to fully cool before using it.
2. Cook the stuffing according to the package instructions except only use 2 tbsp. of unsalted butter (this will keep the calories/fat down). Once all the stuffing is cooked, cool completely.
3. Once stuffing is fully cooled add half of the stuffing about 16 oz. to a larger mixing bowl.
4. Add raw lean ground turkey, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried sage, and herb poultry seasoning.
5. Using your hands mix all ingredients together until fully combined (try not to over mix).
6. Line a baking sheet with foil and cooking spray.
7. Start to take the meat mixture and form into golfball sized balls trying to keep all of them uniform. This recipe should make about 34.
8. Place meatballs in the fridge to set up for at least 1 hour.
9. Heat 1 tsp. in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once oil is hot add about half of the meatballs to the skillet and sear for 1 minute on each side.
10. Add 1 more tsp. of olive oil to the large skillet and repeat cooking process with the remaining meatballs.
11. Spray the crockpot with cooking spray.
12. In a bowl whisk together the can of whole cranberry sauce and cranberry juice. Pour a little on the bottom of the crockpot.
13. Place seared meatballs into the crockpot and then pour remaining cranberry over the top of those.
14. Cover and set on LOW for 6-7 hours.

Nutritional Information:

For Appetizer Portion:

Servings: 34
Serving Size: 1 meatball

Calories: 65
Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Fiber: >1 g
Sodium: 104 mg (w/o added salt)
Sugar: 4 g
Protein: 3 g

For a Dinner Portion: 

Serving Size: 6 meatballs

Calories: 390
Fat: 6 g
Carbohydrates: 48 g
Fiber: > 5 g
Sodium: 624 mg (w/o added salt)
Sugar: 24 g
Protein: 18 g