Midweek "Farmers Market" Meatballs

Sometimes I get an idea into my head.  It may be a certain ingredient that I'm craving, or simply that I have a variety of things sitting in my refrigerator that need to be used. 

Like the other day - I had veggies from the farmers market that were begging to be cooked with, and in all honestly, were destined for the garbage can if I didn't use them - stat.

I also wanted meatballs, but I wanted them to be healthful and chock full-o-veggies.  So, with that in mind, I got some ground turkey, gathered up my farmers market veggies, and set to making some meatballs.

These are great for a couple of reasons;  I can throw them in a bowl, with some noodles, and a little sauce I already have on hand, and my daughter is a happy camper.  Or, I can eat them with a nice green salad, and I'm in low carb heaven.  It's a win-win situation that we're talkin' about here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1/2 cup green onions - chopped

1 yellow, red or orange bell pepper - deseeded and diced
 

1 cup spinach - chopped

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (no green can please, use some good stuff)


1 egg

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste.

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In a large bowl mix all the ingredients.  I have always found getting the seasonings for meatballs just right, is a bit of a conundrum.  You can't taste the raw meat, and if your flavors are off, once you're done cooking them, it's too late!  Now, I take a small spoonful of the meat mixture and pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds.  True, the texture is all wrong, but at least you can get an idea if you need more salt etc.

Once your seasonings are too your liking, form the mixture into balls - big, small, you choose.

      
Pop them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
Side note: Got kids?  This is a great thing to make with them.  My daughter had a great time rolling up the meatballs.

Place them in the oven @ 350 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes.  The good thing about cooking them in the oven (rather than frying with oil, in a pan) is that they are lower in calories.  The bad part is that they don't get that same brown, crispy goodness like when you cook them in the pan.  It's a give and take people.

  Mmm Mmmm Meatballs.
If you make them, let me know what you think! 

Comments

[My Bug Life]

A healthy dish! :)

[RecipeGirl]

I need recipes for low carb heaven right now :) Looks great. The farmer's market is calling!

[Karen]

Thanks for the recipe. I used green garlic instead of garlic powder and skipped the cheese (because I keep kosher). Here's what it looked like: http://flickr.com/photos/karenb316/2507926632/

[Erinn]

Glad you all enjoyed the recipe...

Karen...
Glad you tried the meatballs, and yes, I sometimes get a bit lazy with the garlic powder! ;)
And really, can't we all do w/out a little extra cheese (if just for calories sake!?!)