QUINOA AND GROUND TURKEY MEATBALLS

Quinoa and Ground Turkey Meatballs image

This is a healthier version of meatballs that I adapted from a recipe for healthy turkey meatloaf. You can of course also make meatloaf with the mixture

Provided by HDN

Categories Meatballs

Time 1h

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

nonstick cooking spray
¾ cup water
3 tablespoons chia seeds
2 medium onions, peeled
6 large carrots, peeled
4 stalks celery
4 cups baby spinach
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lean ground turkey
2 ½ cups cooked quinoa
2 large eggs, beaten
5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup reduced-sugar ketchup

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a little nonstick spray on it.
Mix water and chia seeds together in a bowl to soak; set aside for 15 minutes. Stir after a few minutes to make sure all of the chia seeds are soaking up the water.
Finely chop onions, carrots, celery, spinach, and garlic in a food processor.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté vegetable mixture over medium heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Set it aside and let it cool a bit before mixing with other ingredients, about 10 minutes.
Mix turkey, quinoa, eggs, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the chia seed and water mixture (it should be sort of firm, almost like gelatin). Mix in the cooled vegetable mixture.
Shape turkey mixture into 48 meatballs and place onto the prepared pan. Brush with ketchup.
Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the centers, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Nutrition Facts : Calories 359.6 calories, Carbohydrate 26.2 g, Cholesterol 130.4 mg, Fat 15.8 g, Fiber 5.9 g, Protein 29.3 g, SaturatedFat 3.2 g, Sodium 829 mg, Sugar 5.7 g