Meatballs. This iconic and yet very simple dish is found worldwide, in almost every culture, dating back to as far as 221 BC in China during the Qin Dynasty. They have been cooked in a multitude of ways, with hundreds of different spices, types of meat and cooking methods.
Whether they are boiled, baked, roasted or sautéed, meatballs are a quick and simple way to prepare a delicious dish, when seasoned properly.
Here in America, most meatball recipes are made out of ground beef and aren’t very healthy, most of the time…
So today I want to give you my healthy version of this classic dish, made without the traditional and iconic ground beef. You will barely see the difference, I promise!
It is savory enough to make you forget that these little ones are in fact made out of 100% super healthy, nutrient-packed ingredients.
For this recipe, I used breadcrumbs. But if you are gluten intolerant, you could grind the same amount of steel cut oatmeal into a fine flour using a food processor and mix it with Italian spices to your liking.
High-quality oatmeal is gluten-free, so it is a very good option for you. (Pay attention to the label though, as most oatmeal isn’t gluten-free nowadays)
Crushed gluten-free cereal or ground flax seed would also do the trick.
Ground Turkey Meatballs With Spinach and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 cups spinach finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Almond Flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp Italian Spices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. (I like to pour a little water underneath the sheet so it adapts the shape of your baking sheet.)
- Using your hands, shape the meat into 1 1/2 inch balls and place them evenly on your piece of parchment paper. Continue process until there is no more meat left.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatballs has reached at least 165 degrees F.
Recipe Notes
Now there are several ways you can eat those: With tomato sauce, in pasta, place a wooden skewer on top and serve as a delicious appetizer, etc.
Enjoy!
Hi! Just wanted to point out that under the Cuisine category, it lists this appetizer as egg-free & nut free, but..there’s an egg and almond flour in it.