Quinoa and Ground Turkey Meatballs
Description
Quinoa, chia seeds, and an array of vegetables give a healthier spin to these baked ground turkey meatballs.
Ingredients
•
nonstick cooking spray
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3/4 cup water
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3 tablespoons chia seeds
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2 medium onions, peeled
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6 large carrots, peeled
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4 stalks celery
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4 cups baby spinach
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6 cloves garlic
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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2 pounds lean ground turkey
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2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
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2 large eggs, beaten
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5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
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4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
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1 teaspoon ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup reduced-sugar ketchup
Directions
1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a little nonstick spray on it.
2
Mix water and chia seeds together in a bowl to soak; set aside for 15 minutes. Stir after a few minutes to make sure all of the chia seeds are soaking up the water.
3
Finely chop onions, carrots, celery, spinach, and garlic in a food processor.
4
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté vegetable mixture over medium heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Set it aside and let it cool a bit before mixing with other ingredients, about 10 minutes.
5
Mix turkey, quinoa, eggs, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the chia seed and water mixture (it should be sort of firm, almost like gelatin). Mix in the cooled vegetable mixture.
6
Shape turkey mixture into 48 meatballs and place onto the prepared pan. Brush with ketchup.
7
Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the centers, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).