Recipe #11 Lemon-Rosemary Turkey Meatballs

Once again I chose a recipe from Eating Well.  This recipe is also "diabetes appropriate."  I made as is, but forgot to use the butter and also forgot to add the rosemary to the simmering sauce, added afterward.  I made my own bread crumbs from whole wheat flatbread.  I think this recipe could have benefited from a little more garlic and lemon and also my italian seasoning (with crushed red pepper) that I mentioned in a prior post.  A reader/rater of the recipe thought it would be good to double the sauce recipe and I have to agree, there's no such thing as too much sauce.

I served the delicious turkey meatballs on whole wheat spaghetti with a mixed green salad.  I drank (I mean served) a Sterling Chardonnay.  Happy Cooking!

Lemon-Rosemary Turkey Meatballs

From EatingWell: January/February 2011

Bottom of Form

Lemon and rosemary flavor both these turkey meatballs and their velvety-rich sauce. Thyme can be used instead of the rosemary if you prefer. Serve with whole-wheat pasta or mashed potatoes.

4 servings, 3 meatballs & about 1/4 cup sauce each

Active Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Diabetes appropriate | Healthy weight | Low carbohydrate | Low calorie |

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
• 2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/4 teaspoons dried, divided
• 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
• 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat (see Tip)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or substitute more chicken broth)
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preparation

1.  Place onion, garlic and lemon zest in a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried) and pulse just until the mixture is finely and evenly chopped (but not mushy).

2.Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and gently mix in turkey, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper until combined.

3.  Use a generous 2 tablespoons each to shape the mixture into 12 meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter). Place flour in a shallow dish and roll the meatballs in it to lightly coat. (Reserve the remaining flour.)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add meatballs and cook, turning once, until brown, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

4.  Add wine (or 1/2 cup broth) to the pan, increase heat to medium-high and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until almost evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Add the can of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and return the meatballs to the pan along with the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1/4 teaspoon dried). Cover and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to a serving bowl.

5.   Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to 1 cup, 4 to 8 minutes. Whisk lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the reserved flour in a small bowl (discard any remaining flour); whisking constantly, add the flour mixture to the sauce along with butter and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer, whisking, until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Serve the sauce over the meatballs.

Voila:

Tips & Notes

• Tip: To make your own fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs.

Nutrition

Per serving: 346 calories; 15 g fat ( 5 g sat , 3 g mono ); 78 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 29 g protein; 2 g fiber; 641 mg sodium; 446 mg potassium.

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Exchanges: 1 starch, 3 lean meat, 1 fat