Cranberry Glazed Turkey Meatballs
Small baked turkey meatballs with a cranberry-orange glaze for Christmas parties. Makes 24 meatballs, or eight appetizer portions of three.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb 93% lean ground turkey raw
- 1 large egg raw
- 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs not fresh bread cubes
- 1/4 cup 2% milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment rated for that temperature. Mix breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl and let stand for 3 minutes.
- Stir the egg, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper into the soaked crumbs. Add raw turkey and mix gently just until combined. Form 24 equal meatballs, about 1 1/4 inches across, using all the mixture. Arrange with space between them.
- Bake for roughly 15–20 minutes, until several meatballs checked in the center reach 165°F. Check the largest pieces and return the tray to the oven if any are below the safe temperature; color alone is not a safety test.
- Meanwhile, combine cranberry sauce, orange juice, mustard and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stir and cook for about 5 minutes until spoonable. Add a small splash of water only if needed to loosen it.
- Gently toss fully cooked meatballs in the hot glaze. Divide into 8 appetizer portions of 3 meatballs and one-eighth of the glaze. Serve promptly or keep at or above 140°F in suitable holding equipment. Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F; use within 3–4 days and reheat to 165°F.
Notes
Makes 24 meatballs. Cooking time is a planning estimate and a thermometer determines doneness. All glaze is included in the nutrition estimate, even if some remains in the pan. Do not use a slow cooker to reheat cold leftovers; reheat to 165°F first, then use it only for hot holding at or above 140°F. Contains egg, milk and wheat; check mustard and sauce labels. Estimated nutrition; this recipe has not been kitchen-tested.