Monday, November 1, 2010

Oatmeal-Basil Meatballs

Apparently, I like to experiment with my meatballs. The first time I ever attempted meatballs was in June for Iron Chef Melon. Now, those were some amazing meatballs, even though the recipe was a bit unique (those meatballs were served in a watermelon puree - the Iron Chef winner of the evening, I should add!).

Tonight, I tried meatballs again. I started with my ground turkey and tossed it into a bowl, only to realize that I had no breadcrumbs. How do you make meatballs without breadcrumbs?
I went to the internet, and of all of the options, I was intrigued with the idea to swap out oatmeal for breadcrumbs. Those of you that think this is odd, keep in mind, last time I experimented with meatballs, this brought us to watermelon puree. Oatmeal is rather tame in comparison.

So apparently, I’m not fated to make normal meatballs. I am, however, fated to make awesome meatballs. This recipe is a purely original creation. I’m not saying it’s an original idea, just not inspired from any website or cookbook. I always keep my fingers crossed when I attempt such things, but this one was a huge success. De-lish.

Ingredients: 
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 egg
½ cup uncooked oatmeal
Basil (about 5 shakes of the spice bottle, or to taste)
Garlic powder (about 5 shakes of the spice bottle, or to taste).


In a bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly (this is best done with your hands). Form mix into small balls. Brown in a skillet. Either mix with spaghetti directly or cook for a minute in spaghetti sauce before mixing with pasta, (I did the latter).
This was simple and delicious.

A tip: Something that I have regretted on both occasions in my life when I have made meatballs is that I have taken the ground meat out of the fridge, dumped it in a bowl, and dove straight into the mixing and such, throwing my hands right in. Doing so just after the meat is pulled from the fridge is the hand equivalent to brain freeze. I’d suggest letting the meat sit outside of the fridge for a few minutes before starting.

Happy cooking!
-KSP


(Click here for printable recipe)

1 comment:

  1. Ugh - I always have hand freeze when I do that and never thought to let the meat sit for a few minutes. So smart. Gotta try to remember to do that...

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