Turkey Meatballs

These meatballs are unofficially titled, "mama's meatballs" in my house because my mama makes these meatballs...That probably didn't need an explanation but you got one anyways. Not only are these easy and delicious, but they also remind me of home! How perfect is that??

Considering pasta was a staple in my house growing up, we had meatballs often. I'm pretty sure my dad could eat about a pound of pasta by himself given the chance. That tidbit is not a proven fact. Just a hypothesis. Dad, if you have eaten a pound of pasta solo let me know....

Anyways, these meatballs are definitely the finishing touch to an awesome spaghetti dinner. Great thing is, I make a LOT at once and freeze them. Then they're ready to eat should a spaghetti night come around!

When I started making these at home they were made with ground beef (which is actually very delicious in this recipe as well). At some point, I "accidentally" used ground turkey instead and "accidentally" didn't tell my husband and he didn't notice. So then I "accidentally" used ground turkey more often. When he found out he grumbled a bit about it but not to much effect because I already knew that he couldn't really taste the difference.

Whether you use ground turkey or ground beef, just know that these will be simple, delicious, and worth the little time and effort they take!

TURKEY MEATBALLS
prep time: 5 minutes, cook time: 15 minutes
makes: approximately 35, 1-inch meatballs

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons water, as needed

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix all ingredients together except the water until everything is just incorporated. You do not want to over mix. If the mixture is not easily able to be formed into balls, add a splash of water to loosen it. 
3. Form into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the cheese starts to melt and they are cooked through.

NOTES

These meatballs can be served immediately or frozen once cooked. To defrost, I place them in my pasta sauce to reheat for about 10 minutes. Works great! You can use ground beef with these as well and they turn out delicious (I originally made them with ground beef)!