Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
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Super moist, tender and packed with flavor, these delicious Cranberry Turkey Meatballs are great any time of year. I mean it, just because they sound festively Thanksgiving and all, why hinder yourself to a season? These can be served as an appetizer or with a side for a complete meal.
A quick pan sauce is made to coat them and the sauce is amazing! Â Not dried out lumps like some meatballs can be, no. These meatballs are one of my favorites for flavor and super tender texture.
I am a meatball fanatic. Love them and the possibilities are endless like my Persian Meatballs with Dried Cherries and Pistachios, Chinese Lemon Chicken Meatballs or my Stuffed Green Chili Meatballs in Tomatillo Sauce. Today I’m bringing you my new favorite. Shredded apples, sourdough bread soaked in milk and dried cranberries are what await you with this one.
The quick to make pan sauce is a basic one using aromatics like onion, garlic and a spritz of white wine to deglaze and pick up all those browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Funny, as I rarely do this, but after I made the pan sauce I ended up straining it through a sieve for a lump free version. Not that there’s anything wrong with the bits of onion and garlic, but I didn’t want to wash my Vitamix either after a quick pulse. Call me lazy, but it was a long day. Period. Trust a meatball lover, I needed to dig into these ASAP.
I served these alongside some carrots and called it a day. These carrots are wicked tasty, but you’ll have to come back for the next post for the low down on them. Enjoy!
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Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 slices of sourdough bread edges trimmed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup lightly packed chopped parsley
- 3 leaves sage chopped
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 Honey Crisp apple shredded or apple of choice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Shred apple using cheese grater or mandolin. Gently squeeze excess juice and reserve for other use or drink. Set aside. Trim the edges from the sourdough bread and cut into small 1/2 inch cubes. Add to a bowl and pour milk over. Toss to coat and allow to soak for a minutes or two.
- Gently squeeze excess milk from bread and add to a bowl with the ground turkey, herbs, spices, apple, dried cranberries and egg. Gently mix together by hand until incorporated completely. Mixture will be slightly loose and wet. Use a small 1 1/2 inch scoop or roll into 16 small balls, about the size of a golf ball. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat add the olive oil and brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove from pan and keep warm.
- Pour wine into pan to deglaze pan, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Over medium heat in the same pan sauté the onion and until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Add the flour and cook for a minute, stirring to cook the flour. Gradually add the chicken stock a little at a time, stirring to incorporate completely.
- Add the cooked meatballs back to the pan and turn to coat all over with pan sauce. Cover with lid and cook on low to heat through, a minute or two. Season with salt if needed.
Video
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Kevin, I made these yesterday. They were delish! I found it helpful to shape the balls, put them on a cookie sheet, and pop in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, then cook them. They kept their shape a bit better than the few I tried after mixing. Do you usually peel your apples? I did not, they were fine.
That’s a great idea Connie, thanks for that. I do peel my apples in this recipe, yes. Good to know! I do love these. Have a great weekend.
As a fellow meatball fanatic, these have me drooling. What fun party fare too!! Maybe some party picks a little cranberry / mustard dip!
I like your thinking Marissa! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
We’re headed to Beavercreek for Thanksgiving, can’t wait to be up in your neck of the woods so to speak. 🙂
Seeing these meatballs again, how have I not made them yet!! On the menu!
I like Swedish meatballs with either cranberry or lingonberry sauce. But cranberries inside of meatballs? That sounds (and tastes) so good! I’m going to try this version.
Oh this is a good one Ben. The pops of cranberry with the savory, moist turkey meatballs is delicious!
Thanksgiving in a meatball. My dreams have really come true!!! 🙂 Seriously though, these look too tasty. Need to try them ASAP!
Indeed, these hit all the notes for the holiday and best part is that you can have these year round… anytime! Thanks Karly! 🙂
Oh, these meatballs sounds incredible, Kevin! Can I hire you to be my personal chef? 🙂 These have all the best Fall flavors in there, too. Apple…cranberry…turkey! Heck, forget cooking a turkey this year. I’m just going to make a gigantic plate of these meatballs instead. 🙂
I always wondered what it would be like to be a personal chef, although with a family I think I’d be counted out at this point. Ha! Thanks Dave.
These and a plate of mashed potatoes sound really good right about now. It’s raining – go figure!
Oh heavens Kevin these meatballs have me drooling. I just love meatballs because they make a great meal or appetizer. I can’t wait to check out your other meatball recipes, especially the stuffed green chili ones!
Meatballs are one of my favorites because the possibilities are endless. Oh, I’m thinking you’ll love those stuffed green chili ones, too. Thanks Julie!
Apple and cranberries in meatballs, super tasty! Pinned for my Christmas party!
You won’t be disappointed, these are addicting Kathi, but in a good way 😉 Enjoy!
Wow, do these sound delicious Kevin! Perfect little appy for Thanksgiving! I bet the apple and cranberries give these meatballs fabulous flavor! Happy Halloween!
These little tender meatballs are a great start proceeding the big dinner. A little nod to all the flavors. Personally I could eat the entire batch myself. 🙂 Thanks Mary Ann!
Oh, Kevin, you’re the best….’these carrots are wicked tasty’ 😀 😀 Love it! Thanks for that on a Monday. I needed that little chuckle. And these cranberry turkey meatballs?? They look deadly. Halloween is such a busy day and these are absolutely perfect when you kinda gotta eat on the run. I’d be popping all of these and before I knew it, they’d be all gone. We are having a family get together in December, kinda a casual thing with bits and bites and I did plan to include meatballs and these would be PERFECT! Festive and tasty. And, of course, I love sweet and savoury combos so these are right up my alley. Love it. Pinned, of course. Happy Halloween!!
That tricky WordPress I tell ya Dawn, thanks for the Twitter message. I usually check the SPAM and Trash folders just in case, can’t figure out why it places approved commenters there sometimes!
My mom was originally was from Boston and for whatever reason I remember using that term “wicked” while growing up in San Francisco a lot and it pops out every now and then. Love it.
We have our candy ready for the trick or treaters tonight, hopefully they come this year or lots of desserts will be forthcoming. It’s strange that some years we get 50-100 kids up and down the area and last year and two previous ZERO. Like a neighborhood church or school had an event. Enjoy the holiday and be safe.
Hey Kevin! I also like all kinds of meatballs, as you said either as an appetizer or a meal. I think they key to having moist meatballs is the bread soaked in milk and of course your addition of grated apple! i look forward to your carrot post, they are one of my favorite vegetables and they pair so well with many things!
These are beyond and my new favorite meatballs. I can’t tell you how moist they are and the flavor! I often times use breadcrumbs or Panko and soaked bread just makes all the difference. The mix may seem super loose, but you can roll them into meatballs and cook. We got rain this weekend, albeit a little. Progress Dorothy! 🙂