Autumn Meatballs

Original Recipe HERE

 

I changed the name of this recipe (am I allowed to do that?) because I didn't make them in the crockpot, and I associate the dominant flavors of apple and cranberry with fall.  I got 17 meatballs out of this, if I'm remembering correctly.  I thought I'd be able to calculate that after dinner, but all the kids surprised me by eating a second helping, and I lost track.  So these were a success.

 

I added the breadcrumbs because I was worried there wasn't enough to bind them together.  I knew the egg would help with that, but I wasn't sure about the cheese.  Good thing I didn't put my confidence in the cheddar, since it melted completely, and a lot of it was left on the parchment paper.

 

I wasn't sure how to serve these...some sort of cranberry sauce would've been nice, but I didn't have fresh cranberries to make a simple stovetop concoction with.  So we defaulted to ketchup.  Don't judge.

 

Ingredients

1-1/3 lbs ground turkey

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs or panko

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled & shredded

1/2 to 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

(2) In a medium bowl, mix together egg, salt, pepper, onion powder, and breadcrumbs.

(3) Stir in apple, cheddar, and cranberries.

(4) Add turkey.  Mix until well combined.

(5) Using 2 tablespoon portions, roll meat mixture into balls.  Place on parchment paper (spacing can be tight since they shrink slightly).

(6) Bake about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

 

Kid Participation: None.