Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Rosemary Sauce
These turkey meatballs are juicy, tender, and bathed in a light, crisp, and citrusy lemon rosemary sauce. These meatballs go perfectly with buttered egg noodles, couscous, or rice.
Servings: 18 meatballs
Ingredients
Turkey Meatballs
- 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
- ½ c yellow onion, finely diced
- ½ c panko bread crumbs
- ¼ c fresh parsley, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp cracked black pepper
- ½ Tbsp avocado oil
Lemon Rosemary Pan Sauce
- 2 Tbsp vegan or low-fat butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 lemons, juiced and zested
- ¼ c low sodium chicken broth
- ¼ c dry white wine
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced (garnish)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the turkey meatball ingredients. Mix well to incorporate. Use your hand or a spoon to form 18 rounded meatballs. Place the meatballs on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes, or up to 1 hour. This will help the meatballs retain their shape when cooked.
- While the meatballs refrigerate, juice and zest the lemons. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken broth, white wine, dried rosemary and dried thyme in a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.
- Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick pan. Once the oil is warm, add the meatballs to the pan. Cook undisturbed on one side for 4 minutes, or until browned. Use a spoon to turn the meatballs over. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan with a lid. Cook the meatballs another 4 minutes. Turn the meatballs again. Cover and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until no longer pink when cut through. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Melt the butter in the same pan that the meatballs were cooked in. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Pour in the lemon broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits of meat. Cook the sauce over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by about a third.
- Add the meatballs back to the pan and spoon sauce over them. Warm covered on low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.