Gratitude turkey meatballs

On Thursday I wrote about offering up some gratitude during a difficult time. And one of the ways I drum up gratitude is in the kitchen. It turns out that Thursday's meatballs were the best I've ever made.  Coincidence? Probably, but here's the recipe anyhow.

A few caveats:
1) These are certainly not the best meatballs in the world just the best that have ever come out of my kitchen.
2) These are turkey meatballs, and healthy. They contain vegetables. You've been warned.
3) I am not even remotely Italian - so don't hate me.
4) As always, the rules of my kitchen: guesstimate, approximate and taste.

And now, without further adieu ...

Gratitude turkey meatballs

1 can crushed tomatoes
3-4 large garlic cloves
1/2 a medium onion
1 carrot (peeled)
1/2 green bell pepper
Parmesan cheese
1 package ground turkey (about a pound) I use 93% lean.
Black pepper
granulated garlic
tomato paste
Italian seasoning

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line two 9x13 baking pans with foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour a can of crushed tomatoes into your crock pot and set to Low.

In a food processor, grind up 3 or 4 large garlic cloves and 1/2 of a medium onion. Remove half of this mixture and put it in the crock pot. Also into the crock pot add: 1tsp granulated garlic, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp tomato paste.

 Into the food processor add 1 small carrot (cut into chunks), and 1/2 a green bell pepper (cut into chunks). Grind everything up. This is strange but you have to squeeze the water out of this mixture before mixing it with the turkey meat. I just grab handfuls and squeeze it over the sink - then put the squeezed-out-handful into a large mixing bowl.

Add your turkey to the veggie mix. Grate in Parmesan cheese (I did about 1/4 cup into the turkey mixture and 1/4 cup into the crock pot). Grind in some black pepper about 1 tsp. Add 1tsp granulated garlic and a shake of Italian seasoning.

Mix everything together with your hands and form into meatballs about the size of golf balls (makes about 14 meatballs). Put your meatballs in the baking pans - spaced far apart.

Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes and then move them into the crock pot. Let them simmer in the sauce on low for 3-4 hours.

Viola! These were seriously good meatballs, in my humble opinion. I hope you like 'em, too.



Meatball.