Ground turkey is a great, lighter alternative to beef for meatballs. This recipe is based on one that I created for my Passover cookbook with turkey in mind – I think the sauce works well with turkey, but don’t let that stop you if you want to try this with chicken or beef.
The fresh ginger adds just a hint of spiciness and the sauce itself couldn’t be simpler. Add some water chestnuts and bamboo shoots to the sauce for some extra crunch.
Pineapple Turkey Meatballs
Turkey meatballs in a zesty ginger pineapple sauce. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
- Sauce:
- 2 large garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 20 oz. / 565 g canned pineapple chunks, with the juice
- 28 oz. / 796 mL canned crushed or pureed tomatoes
- 2 oz. / 55 grams brown sugar (1/4 cup)
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 1/2 lbs. / 680 grams ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 5 oz. / 140 grams yellow onion, peeled and finely minced
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 2 1/4 oz. / 65 grams matzo meal (1/2 cup)
- 2 Tbsp. cold water
Meatballs:
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF / 175°C.
- Put all of the sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine.
- In another mixing bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients and mix well.
- Ladle some sauce into the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish. Form the turkey mixture into balls, the size of a large walnut (about 24).
- Lay as many as you can on top of the sauce in a single layer, then pour some sauce on top. Add the remaining meatballs and then add the remaining sauce, spooning it on and making sure that all of the meatballs are covered.
- Cover the dish with a lid or a layer of parchment paper, then a layer of aluminum foil, sealing it well and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
- Remove from the oven and serve, or chill and reheat for service later.
Pam's Kitchen 
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