Family Table: Make Amazing Meatballs with a Secret Ingredient

Make Amazing Meatballs with a Secret Ingredient

Step into Spring with this fresh recipe

By Cristen Clark

As the weather warms up and spring arrives, my family is going in a million different directions. Deciding what to make for dinner seems more complex in the spring as the summer months are on their way.

My daughter Halle and son Barrett are both active in spring sports. I train area softball players several evenings each week, and my husband Mike is always looking ahead to the next livestock show. Like most families, our mealtime routines are inconsistent, making any recipes that can be created ahead of time more valuable.

Meatballs are more than cold-weather comfort food. Meatballs are a tasty way to use ground meat in a make-ahead fashion. Reheating meatballs is quick and easy, offering mealtime variety. They can be tossed in a wrap with cheese, served in a hoagie bun or on a bed of grains or pasta.

I’m always looking for great cooking tips and tricks in the kitchen. Recently, I talked with Gretta Irwin, executive director and home economist with the Iowa Turkey Federation, about cooking with turkey. She adds minced sautéed mushrooms to her ground turkey meatballs, so I tried it in this recipe. It worked so well, adding great texture and flavor, that I now add minced, sautéed mushrooms to all my meatballs. Plus, meatballs that have mushrooms as the secret ingredient seem to reheat better than the ones that don’t. It is likely due to the texture of the mushrooms and the moisture content they lend to the recipe.

Make-ahead options are timesavers. These sesame soy turkey meatballs can be made ahead and frozen, then baked and added to the sauce prepared the day you serve them. The rice and vegetables portion of the recipe also can be made ahead and placed in the refrigerator for 5-7 days and dressed with vinaigrette immediately before serving.

To freeze meatballs after baking, place baked and cooled meatballs on a baking sheet. Freeze for 2-3 hours until solid. Transfer the meatballs to a freezer-safe bag. To bake, add frozen meatballs to a greased baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 300 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatballs registers 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Mix it up! If you want a comforting dish, add the recipe’s vegetables and rice into a skillet along with the vinaigrette and some chicken stock or water. Cook until vegetables are tender and rice is heated throughout. Add warmed meatballs and sauce, stir to combine and serve immediately.

For a chilled version, substitute rice for chopped romaine lettuce or spring greens to make a tasty salad! Toss everything together and plate, then serve the warm meatballs on the side.

Sesame Soy Turkey Meatball Bowls

Meatball Secret Ingredient

• 1 cup fresh cremini mushrooms, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons soybean oil or vegetable oil

In a small pan over medium heat, sauté ingredients until tender and lightly browned. Set mixture aside to cool to warm.

Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground turkey

• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon sriracha

• ½ teaspoon sesame oil

• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1 egg

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

• mushroom mixture from above

Combine meatball ingredients, fluff gently with a fork. Shape into 24 meatballs and place, evenly spaced, on a foil-covered baking sheet. Cover and bake in a preheated 450-degree F oven for 14-18 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatballs registers 170 degrees F.

Sauce

• ⅓ cup hoisin sauce

• ¼ cup soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons honey

• ½ teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

• 1 clove garlic, grated

Add ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook until mixture bubbles and is thickened, 3-5 minutes. Toss baked meatballs in the sauce.

Rice, Vegetables and Garnishes

• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice or brown rice

• 2 cups shelled edamame

• 1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons

• 1 small cucumber, sliced

• 1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

• 2 small sweet peppers, thinly sliced

• 1½ cups chopped purple cabbage

• ½ to ¾ cup Asian vinaigrette salad dressing (or more to taste)

• chopped cilantro

• sesame seeds

Add equal amounts of rice to each serving bowl and top with 4-5 meatballs, plus desired vegetables. Drizzle vegetables with a generous tablespoon of Asian vinaigrette salad dressing. Garnish bowls with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro.