Healthy Turkey Swedish Meatballs
These healthy turkey Swedish meatballs feature the delicious sweet spices and creamy white gravy of traditional Swedish meatballs without all the guilt!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Swedish Turkey Meatballs
- 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
- ¼ c whole wheat panko bread crumbs
- ¼ c red onion, finely diced
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 16 oz egg noodles or gemelli
White Gravy
- 2 Tbsp olive oil butter
- 3 Tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 c low sodium chicken broth
- 1 c whole milk
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, panko, red onion, fresh parsley, allspice, nutmeg, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and egg. Mix well. Form meatballs by taking a spoonful of meat and rolling it in your palm until you have a smooth 1” to 1-1/4” meatball. This recipe yields 16 meatballs.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add all 16 meatballs and space out evenly. You may have to make the meatballs in two batches if you’re using a smaller skillet. If so, use ½ tablespoon of oil per batch.
- Cook the meatballs uncovered on one side until they begin to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Then turn the meatballs over and cook on the other side until they brown, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the skillet and place on a plate. Cover tightly with tin foil and let rest while you make the gravy and noodles.
- Just before starting the gravy, bring a large saucepot of water to a boil, add the noodles and cook about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the saucepot. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- As the pasta cooks, make the gravy. In the same frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it just begins to brown. Make sure to scrape up any brown bits from the cooked meat.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour into the pan. The butter should bubble. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. A thick paste should form. Continue whisking for a minute or so until the flour darkens slightly to a blonde color.
- Add the chicken broth, whole milk, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and whisk well to incorporate. Increase heat to medium high until the gravy begins to bubble, then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes, until the sauce begins to reduce and thicken. Make sure to stir regularly to prevent burning.
- Add the meatballs back to the gravy. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to finish cooking the meatballs. You can check that the meatballs are done by cutting one in half and checking that the center is no longer pink.
- Add the cooked noodles to the pan and toss to coat with gravy. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley and mix to incorporate. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with additional parsley, as desired.