Okay. I am in love with meatballs right now.
I can’t believe I have gone this long without ever making homemade meatballs! I just assumed they were difficult to make. Then later, I never made them because every meatball I had eaten at restaurants seemed to have some type of dairy added. And I avoided them during our first Whole30 because I thought all meatball recipes had breadcrumbs or rice or other grains in them.
At least that was my experience… But man was I wrong. For years I have missed out on the yumminess of meat and vegetable meatballs!
These Spicy Turkey And Vegetable Meatballs are absolutely incredible — and they were sort of, well totally a happy accident…
Making Spicy Turkey And Vegetable Meatballs
I knew I wanted to make the Spicy Ginger Garlic Brussels Sprouts, and Natalie was asking for the Garlic Smash Potatoes again. But I didn’t have a meat item to accompany them… but I did have a pound of ground turkey. I had kicked around the idea of making turkey burgers, but we just had those for dinner and I wanted something different.
That’s when I got the idea to make Turkey And Vegetable Meatballs. I had a bunch of vegetables already in the fridge, so I tossed them in my Vitamix, pulsed it a few times to chop them up super tiny, and then combined them with the ground turkey in a big bowl. I added a bit of almond flour and browsed the spices to see what I wanted to do in terms of flavor — and when I saw those red pepper flakes, it was on. These meatballs were going to be spicy!
The entire meal was fantastic! One of my favorites actually. Everything tasted amazing on it’s own, but together… OMG.
All three recipes used garlic, and both the Spicy Ginger Garlic Brussels Sprouts and the Spicy Turkey And Vegetable Meatballs used red pepper flakes — the consistency in ingredients between the recipes helps tie them together in flavor, which is just a mouthwatering delight!
The Perfect Road Trip Treat
We take a lot of road trips and road tripping while doing Whole30 means we need to adjust the foods we bring for every meal. Lunch is the hardest meal to plan for. I wanted something more filling and substantial than just fresh fruit, cashew cheese, and vegetables, especially with all the hiking we do, and these Spicy Turkey And Vegetable Meatballs were the perfect addition!
I made a big batch of meatballs before our road trip so we had them hot out of the oven for dinner. Then I packed the rest in an air-tight container and packed it in the ice chest with our vegetables, fruit, cashew cheese, and everything else we packed for picnicking on the road.
Seriously, Spicy Turkey And Vegetable Meatballs tasted just as good cold as they did hot out of the oven! They were so good, that Brian asked me to make them again for our next road trip.
Spicy Turkey And Vegetable Meatballs
These dairy-free, grain-free turkey and vegetable meatballs are so juicy and delicious, they don't even need sauce!
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Ingredients
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/4 red onion
- 4 radishes
- 1/4 cup green onions, diced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 heaping tbsp almond flour
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Sprinkling of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 13x9" glass baking dish with foil and spray or brush lightly with olive oil.
- Cut bell pepper, onion, and radishes into pieces. Add to a food processor along with the green onions. Pulse a few times until vegetables are chopped into tiny pieces.
- Combine vegetables, ground turkey, and the remaining ingredients. Mix ingredients together until fully incorporated. Make golf ball size meatballs and place them in the foil lined baking dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip meatballs over. Return to oven to bake for another 20 minutes.
- Serve immediately or let cool and pack in an airtight container for a delicious picnic or road trip lunch addition.
Notes:
The amount of red pepper flakes used will determine the spiciness of the meatballs. I used 1 tsp red pepper flakes because we love spicy food.
These Spicy Turkey And Vegetable Meatballs have become a go-to road trip staple for Brian and I! We double the recipe and eat some for dinner, then pack the rest in an ice chest and just eat them cold while on the road.
