Spinach and Herb Turkey Meatballs

I’m Italian and I had literally never made meatballs before this recipe. I don’t know why, but I had been craving meatballs for days. I also had a very large spaghetti squash that was looking for a meaty date so these little guys were basically meant to be.

I added lavender on a whim, but I’m not really sure if you can tell it’s there – there is something different about the way they taste, but you can leave it out and they will probably taste almost exactly the same. I also used dried herbs because I rarely buy fresh ones since they go bad before I get a chance to do anything with them.

WARNING: I don’t know if it’s because I chopped a ton of garlic that day, but my hands kind of smelled like garlic for a day and that NEVER happens so be careful. Maybe wear gloves if your skin is dry because it will absorb the garlic smell. Is that a thing? I think you can get it out by rubbing lemon on your hands or Googling it so maybe do that.

I made these so long ago that I can’t remember any funny anecdotes to go with it, other than I was looking forward to leftovers but my dad ate all of them before it could happen. That being said, they don’t taste extremely healthy but clearly because I made them they are. They are gluten free, paleo (sub coconut oil for olive oil, right?) and super all-around clean. They would make a great Super Bowl party food or Olympics party food (for the inevitable USA-Canada hockey game, right?)

Spinach and Herb Turkey Meatballs

My vague foray into Italian cooking.

What You’ll Need:
1 jar pasta sauce (I’m too lazy to make my own, sorry)
1 lb ground turkey
2 large handfuls of spinach
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
3 tbsp almond meal
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs dried basil
1 tbs dried sage
1 tsp lavender
1/2 tsp salt (Himalyan pink salt or bust)
1/2 tsp lemon pepper (nothing special, just from a McCormick’s built-in grinder or something)

What to Do:
Put your garlic, spinach and onion into a food processor and blend.
Add egg and all the herbs to garlic-spinach-onion mixture and blend.
Put turkey into a large mixing bowl. Add contents from food processor, cheese and almond meal and mix well.
Roll mixture into one-inch wide balls. They can be delicate so be careful. My mixture made about 24.
Put olive oil into a large sauté pan. Heat on medium heat and carefully add meatballs.
Cook meatballs until they begin to brown.
Add pasta sauce to slow cooker until the bottom is covered. Carefully add browned meatballs. If you need to stack them, be sure to add more pasta sauce as you layer them on top. Empty remaining jar of pasta sauce into slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours, until turkey is cooked.
Eat on spaghetti squash or if you’re into noodles, eat them on noodles. I also think these would make a delicious sandwich but did not have the opportunity to test.

Spinach and Herb Turkey Meatball Nutrition Info (for three meatballs, does not include pasta sauce or any other additions)

Chat with Me:
Do you have a slow cooker? Do you use it?