Turkey Meatballs - 5Lb Package Recipe

Make a few extra since some always seem to “disappear” before they leave the kitchen. They're the absolute equal and possibly better than any beef-based meatball I've tried.

Note that this is the same as the other recipe on the site, but is scaled up for a Sam's Club 5Lb package of Ground Turkey.

Ingredients:

  • 5 Pound Grounds Turkey
  • 7 1/2 Slices Plain white bread (nothing with a strong taste, since it's for texture, not flavor)
  • 1 2/3 C Chopped Onion
  • 5 Large Eggs
  • 1 2/3 T Soy Sauce
  • 1 2/3 T Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 1/2 t Garlic Powder
  • 1 1/4 t Dry Mustard
  • 4 Jars Your favorite spaghetti sauce

Directions

  • Peel the crusts off the bread and save or other uses.
  • Sift the garlic powder and dry mustard though a fine strainer into a large bowl.
  • Add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Work the egg though the strainer to remove the stringy part (chalazae)
  • Add the bread and mix with a fork until it forms a slurry.
  • Add the onion and the ground turkey and mix until thoroughly combined.

Cooking Method #1

  • Lightly oil a pan with Olive Oil, and preheat on medium-high. Reduce heat to medium.
  • Form into golf-ball sized balls and gently place in the pan. Cook until browned, then turn by 1/3 and continue cooking. Turn by 1/3 again. When browned, rotate again, cooking any remaining non-browned areas in the same way. Because the meatballs are still extremely soft at this point, handle them gently and turn with a couple of spoons, not tongs.

  • Note that at this point, the outside is all yummy-looking, but the inside is still raw turkey. Don't skip the next step!

  • Cover the bottom of a pot with about an inch of sauce, add the meatballs, then add sauce to cover. Simmer on medium-low until the meatballs have an internal temperature of at least 165°F, which is the minimum safe poultry temperature according to the FDA.

Cooking Method #2

  • Preheat oven to 400°F
  • Place sauce in pot, set on stove and bring to a very gentle simmer.
  • Form into golf-ball sized balls and gently place on the sheet pans. You’ll need two sheet pans.
  • Place in the oven and bake until browned and internal temperature is about 165°F, which is the minimum safe poultry temperature according to the FDA.
  • Add meatballs to sauce, and serve. Note that this will keep warm on the stove or in a crock pot quite nicely for at least a couple of hours.

Note that this recipe work well when scaled, and the balls and sauce freeze beautifully.

At least in this area, ground turkey at Sam's Club in 5 pound packages costs about 1/3 as much as at the grocery store.

Makes about 40 meatballs, slightly larger than a golf-ball.