Developing and maintaining healthy eating habits can be challenging when you love food as much as I do! Food plays a central role in my life. One of my favorite ways to unwind and enjoy the company of my friends and family is to have a nice home-cooked meal. The hard part? Making food that promotes good health, has great flavor, and doesn’t require too much fuss in the kitchen.

So this post will be the first of many where I’ll share some of the dishes that I’ve developed to marry those goals. This recipe for turkey and veggie meatballs is probably the most requested meal/recipe that I get from my friends. It’s got lots of great flavors and nutrition going on. The turkey gives you lean protein without a lot of extra fat, while the onion, spinach, and mushrooms provide additional fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The vegetables also do a great job in keeping the meatballs moist and soft throughout, so you don’t get dried-out, tough meatballs out of the oven.

The recipe and some serving suggestions after the jump…



Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground turkey
~1 C finely chopped fresh spinach (a large handful)
~1 C finely chopped fresh mushrooms (also a large handful)
1/4 C finely chopped Italian/flatleaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c grated Parmesan (or Parmesan/Romano blend)
3 Tbsp ketchup
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand, adding additional bread crumbs if the mixture is too wet to form individual meatballs. Form mixture into balls of equal diameter (~2″) and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes until cooked through and balls appear dry around the outside. Optional: You can broil the balls for a couple minutes at the end to crisp up the outside.

These meatballs are pretty versatile in how you serve them. I like to put 5-6 of them on top of a bowl of whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce to form a complete meal. If you’re looking for a tasty appetizer or finger food, these meatballs are actually great on their own and can be served with some pasta sauce reduced on the stove to become a dipping sauce.

I’m hoping this recipe, as well as others I will be posting in the future, is well received. I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions. I’d also love to hear about any other healthy recipes you may have in your own cookbook to share with the group. If you’d like me to include your healthy meal as a future posting, please contact me and tell me about your dish!