I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Sunday food prep doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. You don’t even need to use recipes, sometimes. My most successful meal prep sessions often arise from looking in the fridge, throwing together the random ingredients I find and letting things work out how they will.
Case in point, these Turkey Balls*. I use different add-ins every time I make them and the active prep time is less than 10 minutes. High in protein, they go with everything, making a quick snack or protein component for a meal, hot or cold. I only have to plan ahead so far as to remember to pick up ground turkey from Costco.
*And yes, I occasionally giggle like a 6 year old when I tell K to “grab some turkey balls” from the fridge.
Without further ado, here is the basic recipe. Feel free to tweak the vegetable and spice ingredients to your preference or fridge contents. I find it helps to have a flavour profile in mind (e.g. Thai, Italian) as you choose the add-ins.
Turkey Balls
Makes 35 balls
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds ground turkey (I buy the 4-pack at Costco for $20)
- 1-1/2 cups oats
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups spinach, shredded
- 1 tablespoon each oregano, basil, thyme
- 1 teaspoon each paprika, pepper, salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Dump all the ingredients into a large bowl. Get your hands in there and really mix it up until combined.
- Scoop out about a 1/2 cup at a time, form into balls and drop into a muffin tin.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the outside is golden and the balls have reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
Oh, and I’m not kidding that these go with everything. This morning I found K eating a couple with cheese and salsa wrapped up in a swedish pancake.
