Prior to being in my 20s I had never had ground turkey, let alone turkey meatballs.
I thought turkey was something used only for sandwiches and Thanksgiving. This all changed a few years ago when a roommate came home with a pack of ground turkey, set it in front of me in the kitchen and said, “Turkey was on sale and you’re a food blogger. Can you make us something good with it?”
Now there’s something you should know about me. I love a good food challenge. Even if in the back of my mind I know I might fail, I love experimenting in the kitchen. It’s where I thrive. So of course, I didn’t say no to my roommate. I grabbed the pack of ground turkey and opened the pantry to see what else I had to work with.
By the end of my search I had a pile of sweet potatoes, sage, bread, onions, peppers and garlic sitting on the counter. I bet you’re wondering what I ended up making with the ground turkey … but you’ll have to stay tuned until next month to see what recipe I whipped up because today we’re going to start with a more basic ground turkey recipe: Turkey Meatballs with Sage + Brown Butter Pasta.
Sorry for leading you on with a preview of what’s coming to the blog next month, but I guess that just means you’ll have to come back! 😉
Words cannot describe how delicious this pasta dish is and how fun it is to make. All I have to say is watching the butter brown on the stove and sizzle with the sage is something everyone should experience. Just don’t get too mesmerized by the browning process because otherwise you’ll end up with burnt butter, which is arguably one of the saddest things in the world.
If you’ve never tried making meatballs on the stove (I grew up in a family that only bakes them in the oven), you MUST MUST MUST try this cooking method. Nothing against my family’s meatballs, but I noticed since I started cooking them on the stove they are way more juicy and tender. Stovetop-cooked meatballs practically fall apart in your mouth. Yes, this is as good as it sounds. 🙂
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This is a sponsored post, written by me, and created in partnership with Canyon Bakehouse. All opinions expressed are straight from the heart.
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon gluten free breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons basil
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the pasta:
- 8 ounces dry pasta of choice, cooked according to package instructions
- 10 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 20 fresh sage leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Combine all meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to shape into meatballs about 2 inches in diameter.
- Spray a nonstick pan with cooking oil spray or grease with a drizzle of olive oil and pan fry meatballs until underside is golden. Turn them and cook until browned on both sides or until meat has reached an internal temperature of 165˚ F, about 8-10 minutes (a meat thermometer comes in handy here). Remove from heat a set aside.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add garlic and sage and let cook for about a minute, then turn heat up to medium.
- When the butter begins to foam, start whisking it until golden flecks start to form in the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to let the butter burn!
- Remove skillet from heat and continue whisking for about a minute until the butter turns amber and has a nutty aroma.
- Return pasta to the saucepan you cooked it in and stir in brown butter and sage until evenly coated. Divide pasta between plates, season with salt and pepper, and top with meatballs.