Apple Pistachio Turkey Meatballs
Take your meatballs to the next level with these super tender and crazy tasty Apple Pistachio Turkey Meatballs. Great as a meal, excellent as finger food.
So like I said, I’ve been on a crazy meatball kick lately, and it seems like I want to eat nothing but meatballs all the time. I want to create all kinds of different versions, using all kinds of different meats as a base!
Beef usually is the meat of choice when it comes to making meatballs, but sometimes it’s nice to change things up a bit. So why not take your meatballs to the next level with these super tender and crazy tasty Apple Pistachio Turkey Meatballs?
These guys initially get baked in the oven, just to brown them and crisp them up a little bit on the outside, and then finish cooking in a deliciously tangy and sweet apple sauce. As they simmer away, the meatballs soak up all of the delicious flavor of that sauce, which in turn reduces into a thick and luscious apple-y glaze. Dee-lish!
I’m telling you, these meatballs they harbor so much flavor under their hood, they hardly need much of anything else.
These guys would work super well for a proper sit-down meal, but I think they would be particularly brilliant served as finger food at your next party. With so much flavor going on, simply stick a toothpick into every single one of them and they’ll be good to go: that’s all the dressing they need!
I’ve absolutely no doubt that these bite size meatballs will be a total hit: people will just pop them until they’re all gone!
Perhaps you should play it safe and make a double batch…
To make them, preheat your oven to 425°F and then line a 18″ x 26″ baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large mixing bowl and knead well with clean hands, until fully combined. Do not over-mix or your meatballs will be tough.
Note that I used a gala apple, but pretty much any variety would work well for this. Just make sure that you squeeze your apple fairly dry after it’s been grated, else you might end up incorporating too much moisture into your meat mixture.
Form that meat mixture into 48 small meatballs, roughly the size of a ping-pong ball. A small spring-loaded ice cream scoop really helps to do this task quickly and efficiently.
Not only does it help in keeping the meatballs pretty much all the same size, but it sort of pre-shapes them for you too, so a quick little roll in the palm of your hands is all it takes to finish them off.
If you happen to have one of these babies in your drawers, I strongly suggest that you take it out right about now…
Once you’ve got that meat mixture scooped out, all that’s left to do is give it a quick roll in the palm of your hand and voilà! Perfect little meatball!
Arrange your perfect little meatballs onto your prepared pan. Bake them at 425°F for 10 minutes and then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F and continue cooking them for another 8 minutes, or until they start to turn slightly golden brown.
While your meatballs are in the oven, combine the chicken broth, unsweetened apple sauce (you could also use apple juice), apple cider vinegar, honey, mustard, fresh rosemary, salt and white pepper in a saute pan that possesses a fitting lid; whisk until well combined and bring to a slow simmer.
Add the par-baked meatballs to the simmering sauce, cover partially and simmer over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
…or until the sauce is almost completely reduced to a thick glaze.
Garnish your finished meatballs with a handful of chopped parsley and chopped pistachios and serve.
These sweet and savory little meatballs are perfect served as a light meal, but they’re also magnificent served as finger food!
Toothpicks recommended, but totally optional…
Apple Pistachio Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 2 lb ground turkey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 gala apple, peel on, grated and squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes
For the sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce , (or unsweetened apple juice)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp unpasteurized honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
To garnish (optional)
- Chopped parsley and pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F; line a 18" x 26" baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large mixing bowl and knead well with clean hands, until fully combined. Do not overmix or your meatballs will be tough.
- Form into 48 small meatballs, roughly the size of a ping-pong ball and place them on the prepared pan. A small spring-loaded ice cream scoop really helps to do this task quickly and efficiently.
- Bake the meatballs at 425°F for 10 minutes and then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F and continue cooking the meatballs for another 8 minutes, or until the meatballs start to turn golden brown.
- Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a saute pan with fitting lid, whisk until well combined and bring to a slow simmer.
- Add the par-baked meatballs to the simmering sauce, cover partially and simmer over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce is reduced to a thick glaze.
- Garnish with a handful of chopped parsley and chopped pistachios and serve.
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!
2 Comments on “Apple Pistachio Turkey Meatballs”
These are delicious, real good, I tried last week and I’d totally recommend them, I wonder if this recipe would be good by replacing the turkey meat for chicken.. Need to try it!
I really wouldn’t see why not, Daphne. Both meats are extremely similar.