Quinoa Turkey Meatballs
Written by Jill // July 17, 2011 // Recipes // 16 Comments
So Quinoa Turkey Meatballs are among our most popular recipes and it’s a great time-saver as you can make a large batch of meatballs ahead of time, freeze them and take them out each meal or snack time and add them to pasta, rice or veggies at dinner time or for a quick snack alongside cheese, crackers and fruit. The meatballs are great for your kids to pitch in and help make. They love the texture and rolling them into balls! PS. We publish GourmetMommy filled with family-friendly recipes each month in our newsletter – subscribe here.
We add quinoa as it’s an ancient Incan grain that is packed with nutrition. It has 20% more protein than other whole grains. It is loaded with vitamins A, E and B, calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. Wow!!
Try to use organic ingredients where possible. It just tastes better and is better for you and your little ones!
Serves 4 adults, PREP TIME- 20mins, COOK TIME-15-20mins
Meatballs:
1 lb (450g) organic ground turkey
1 large organic whole egg, beaten
1 cup (240ml) cooked quinoa
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sage
2 tsp paprika
1/2-1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp sunflower seed oil for frying
COMBINE quinoa with all the spices and nutritional yeast
ADD ground turkey and beaten egg
MIX well
FORM balls (about 20 medium)
HEAT skillet with 2 tsp of oil
FRY at medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until meat temperature has reached 170F (80 C)
OPTION: Bake meatballs in a 350F (180C) for 30 minutes, or until done
Tomato Sauce-
1 large tin of crushed tomatoes
Handful of sweet cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp of organic cane sugar
1 red pepper finely chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
HEAT the crushed tomatoes in a large saucepan
ADD the cherry tomatoes, sugar and red pepper
LEAVE to simmer and thicken for 10-12 minutes
STIR occasionally and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Brown Rice Pasta:
12 oz Brown Rice Fusilli (Spiral) Pasta
1 Tbsp of olive oil
COOK rice pasta in boiling water according to package instructions, rinse with cold water. Drain and toss with olive oil back in saucepan.
Now add your tomato sauce and meatballs.
Serve with a nice crisp green salad for the perfect meal.
TIP:
You can find brown rice pasta at your local grocery store. Tinkyada is a brand that I use at home and is fantastic. Here’s why you should switch to brown rice pasta. It’s wheat-free, gluten-free, organic, NO corn, eggs, dairy, casein, meat, soy, nut or peanut. Corn and Soy are the worst GMO foods (genetically modified). Try to avoid these foods if not organic.
If your not sure that your kids will like it you can mix regular white pasta 50/50 and gradually switch them over. Also a great way to switch your kids from white rice to brown rice.
Remember white rice, white pasta = white bread (or equivalent)
Brown rice, brown rice pasta = wholewheat bread (or equivalent)
Munch (formerly Babyeats) is a full-service restaurant where the little ones can have a blast playing with imagination and creativity-inspiring wooden toys. Healthy gourmet-style dishes are served in a beautiful atmosphere in this sunny North Vancouver loccation. www.munchmunch.ca.
Jill Amery is a mom of 2 monkeys/stormtroopers and Editor and Publisher at UrbanMommies Media. Though she's based in Canada, her palette is mostly French and her fashion sense is decidedly Italian. When taking a break from her busy travel schedule, she can be found hosting complicated dinner parties or surfing ebay for obscure vintage gowns.
16 Comments on "Quinoa Turkey Meatballs"
Excellent meatballs! Made one batch and am making 4 more for my freezer. Husband loved them too. Kids? Well, mine don’t even like french frys so asking them to like meatballs is too much.
These sound really good, but where can I find nutritional yeast? I live in the Canadian Arctic and I’m pretty sure I won’t find it here! Can I substitute anything for it?
To answer the question what can u substitute pls see below. There several appealing alternatives that are found in more households….
nutritional yeast Equivalents: 1 tablespoon powdered = 2 tablespoons flakes Notes: This nutritional supplement has a pleasant nutty-cheesy flavor and is packed with protein and B vitamins. It comes in flakes or powder and is popular with vegans and health buffs who use it to make cheese substitutes, gravies, and many other dishes. It’s also a great topping for popcorn. Nutritional yeast is very similar to brewer’s yeast, which is also used as a nutritional supplement and is made from the same strain of yeast. The difference is that brewer’s yeast is a by-product of beer production and retains some of the bitter flavor of hops. Don’t confuse nutritional yeast, which is deactivated, with active forms of yeast, like the kinds bakers, brewers, and winemakers use. If you eat them, active yeasts will continue to grow in your intestine, robbing your body of valuable nutrients. Look for nutritional yeast at health food stores. Get fortified nutritional yeast if you’re taking it as a source of vitamin B12. Substitutes: brewer’s yeast (inferior flavor, darker color) OR Parmesan cheese (as a condiment; higher in fat, less nutritious) OR wheat germ (works well in baked goods or sprinkled on cereals) OR yeast extract
I made these last week. After a few failed attempts at making gluten/dairy free meatballs, these were a success! They cooked properly, turned out in a meatball texture, very nice with my homemade sauce. Thank you for the creative and inventive idea.
These sound amazing. love quinoa ..must try these meatballs!
Please ditch the floating “like” button bar . It is incredibly annoying, always in the way. I like this site, but really DISLIKE being pushed to share. This one non-feature is enough to make me not want to use the site!!!!!!!
Goooooood heavens this recipe is wonderful! Did not have nutritional yeast on hand; used freshly grated parm as sub. Cheers & thank you so much for this super easy recipe!
We are in the process of rebooting our metabolisms and this recipe fits perfectly. We didn’t use oil, just cooking spray and I baked them instead. To be fair, these are not like the meatballs that you get at Costco but they are delish!
Wow! These turned out so well, will definitely be making them many times again.
Unfortunately I used baker’s yeast, and ate many meatballs before reading these comments, boo me. :(
I made these tonight & my whole family loved them, even my six year old son. After his first bite he said, “mom these are awesome!”. I did make a few changes per prev comments. I used Parmesan vs the yeast & I did bake them. I also used Full Circle prepared quinoa so I only used 1/2 tsp salt since the prepared already had some sea salt in it.
I made these tonight & my whole family loved them, even my six year old son. After his first bite he said, “mom these are awesome!”. I did make a few changes per prev comments. I used Parmesan vs the yeast & I did bake them. I also used Full Circle prepared quinoa so I only used 1/2 tsp salt since the prepared already had some sea salt in it. Will make these ahead of time & freeze.
Very good recipe… But I feel that the cumin was overpowering. If make them again but with less cumin.
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