top of page

Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs

Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs- Turkey meatballs are blended with stuffing mix, roasted til perfection, then smothered in gravy providing an alternate solution to the traditional bird.


November 14, 2024 by Nicole Collins


 

Today, we’re making Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs!

 



When I asked the people what they wanted to see out of a holiday menu this year, they said they wanted traditional flavors but non traditional items. Today’s recipe encompasses that completely, in my opinion!

 

Now, let me hit you with the ringer right from the jump. Most people turn their nose up at anything involving ground turkey, because it has a history of being dry. But if we think about why that happens, it’s because ground turkey has little to no fat. That fat is what helps keep things nice and juicy. So to solve that problem, we’re gonna add what’s missing! A tablespoon of mayonnaise is all we need to keep things from getting dry inside of our meatballs. It may sound strange, but it’s key! We’re also going to invite some fresh minced shallot to the party, so the moisture from the fresh veggies can help out too. Small tricks make big impact!

 



To give these meatballs a thanksgiving vibe, we’re going to use one of my favorite items from the holiday table…boxed stuffing! I’m sure I’ve said this here before, but I’m absolutely obsessed with the Hawaiian bread boxed stuffing mix from Aldi. We’ve even recreated a homemade version here. So, of course it’s the obvious choice to use in place of breadcrumbs in our meatballs. We’ll take a little bit of that boxed stuffing mix, crush the seasoned dried bread into crumbs, then add it right into our meatballs as a binder. Now, we’re not going to us the whole box of stuffing, but don’t toss it! We’re going to use it tomorrow. 

 



The rest of the meatball mixture is pretty standard…egg, salt, pepper, and a little poultry seasoning to up the ante on the thanksgiving flavors. We’ll gently mix everything together until it’s just combined, use a cookie scoop to shape the mixture into perfectly uniform balls, then pop them into the oven to bake for just 10-15 mins. You can’t have turkey without gravy, and we’re note having these meatballs without gravy either.

 



I feel like though most people would say the turkey, it’s actually the gravy that’s the most stressful item to prepare on a holiday. You have to get the texture right…no lumps, not to thick, not to thin, nice and pourable and creamy. And if the texture wasn’t worrying enough, you gotta get the flavor right…not to salty, not to bland. It’s a lot! So, I like to jazz up a store bought packet of gravy mix to take away all the pressure. And, that’s exactly what we’re going to do for these meatballs. By using chicken stock instead of water, adding a couple extra dried herbs, and sneaking in a splash of white wine, we can take a simple $.80 gravy and turn it into something with a little extra depth of flavor. It’s perfect every time!

 



So to serve, we’re going to pour most of our gravy into a serving dish, layer in our meatballs, finish them off with the rest of the gravy, and add a little color with some fresh minced parsley. That’s all there is to it! Then end result is a comforting bite with all the holiday flavors we love made with a fraction of the time and effort. You can’t beat that!

 



And we all know the best part about thanksgiving is the leftovers sammie we can make the next day. So, can you even begin to imagine how epic a thanksgiving turkey meatball sub is? Trust me…it’s EPIC!

 



Ok, everyone! Tomorrow, we’re using the rest of our stuffing mix to make the absolute easiest side dish on the planet.

 

I hope you enjoy! And, let’s eat!



 



Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs             

Serves: 4          Print


Ingredients:

For the Thanksgiving Meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground turkey

  • ½ cup boxed stuffing mix (I like the Hawaiian bread onion and sage stuffing from Aldi), crushed into fine crumbs

  • 1 egg

  • 1 small shallot, minced (about ¼ cup)

  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise

  • ½ tsp salt

  • ¼ tsp pepper

  • ¼ tsp poultry seasoning

  • Olive oil cooking spray

  • Minced fresh parsley, for garnish


For the Quick Gravy:

  • 1 packet (.87 oz) chicken or turkey gravy mix

  • ¾ cup cold water

  • ¼ cup chicken stock (I use ¼ cup boiling water mixed with 1/8 tsp Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon)

  • ½ tbsp white cooking wine

  • ¼ tsp dried parsley

  • 1/8 tsp dried thyme


Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spritz with olive oil cooking spray.

  2. To a mixing bowl, add ground turkey, stuffing mix crumbs, egg, shallot, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Mix gently until completely combined. Using a 2 tbsp cookie scoop, form mix into 16 meatballs. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 mins until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

  3. Meanwhile, make the gravy: To a small saucepan, add gravy packet. Heat over medium heat, and whisk in water, chicken stock, wine, parsley, and thyme. Whisk frequently until gravy comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1-2 mins until thickened.

  4. Pour most of the gravy into the bottom of a serving dish. Top with cooked meatballs. Drizzle with remaining gravy, and garnish with minced parsley. Enjoy!

Recipe notes:

*Using a cookie scoop to form the meatballs helps to get even sized meatballs which means even cooking. Scoop out the meat, and gently roll it between your hands to finish forming the meatball.

*If you have a favorite gravy recipe, feel free to use that. I just love keeping things nice and simple by jazzing up a store bought packet.

*I’m obsessed with the sage and onion Hawaiian bread stuffing mix from Aldi. I highly highly recommend using that for this recipe. YUM! And don’t toss the remaining stuffing mix…we’re going to use that in another recipe!


Comments


RECENT POSTS
SEARCH BY TAGS
ARCHIVE
bottom of page