Cranberry Sage Turkey Meatballs

A perfect appetizer for holiday gatherings, potlucks or any other get-together, Cranberry Sage Turkey Meatballs are a great make ahead dish. I usually keep a batch in my freezer and simply pop them in my toaster over for a few minutes.

This year, my daughter Lilah is on a nontraditional preschool schedule. She goes to school from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. This means that lunch has to be served at 11:30 am,  only 2 hours after she finishes breakfast. I’ve been having a hard time trying to incorporate an early lunch making time in my morning routine, so we have been surviving with salads, frozen homemade chicken nuggets, cucumber roast beef sandwiches and anything that I can put together in 15 minutes or less. These Cranberry Sage Turkey Meatballs have added some variety and the girls just love them.

I recommend you use fresh ground turkey instead of previously frozen because it is much easier to work with. Previously frozen turkey can be watery, mushy and hard to roll into balls, but you can try wrapping the turkey with a kitchen towel and squeezing some of the moisture out. The glaze is optional, as the meatballs themselves are flavorful enough to eat as it.

You can also omit the dry cranberries and replace the glaze with a cranberry sauce.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground turkey
½ cup of dry cranberries
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped sage
¼ cup of pine nuts (optional)
½ tsp of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp of dry thyme
salt to taste
¼ cup arrowroot powder (optional)

Ingredients for the optional glaze:

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup of coconut aminos
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tsp of arrowroot powder

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except for the arrowroot powder.
• Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.
• If the turkey is too sticky or hard to roll, dust your hands and rolling surface with arrowroot powder.
• Place the turkey balls in a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until fully cooked (cut a turkey ball in half to make sure they are no longer pink in the inside).
• While the turkey balls are baking combine all the ingredients for the glaze un a small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook uncovered until the sauce has thicken into a gravy-like consistency.
• Remove the turkey meatballs from the oven, brush lightly with the glaze and serve.

Cranberry Sage Turkey Meatballs

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Paleo

Author: Edible Harmony

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground turkey
• ½ cup of dry cranberries
• 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped sage
• ¼ cup of pine nuts (optional)
• ½ tsp of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp of dry thyme
• salt to taste
• ¼ cup arrowroot powder (optional)
• Ingredients for the optional glaze:
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of coconut aminos
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tsp of arrowroot powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except for the arrowroot powder.
3. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.
4. If the turkey is too sticky or hard to roll, dust your hands and rolling surface with arrowroot powder.
5. Place the turkey balls in a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until fully cooked (cut a turkey ball in half to make sure they are no longer pink in the inside).
7. While the turkey balls are baking combine all the ingredients for the glaze un a small saucepan.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook uncovered until the sauce has thicken into a gravy-like consistency.
9. Remove the turkey meatballs from the oven, brush lightly with the glaze and serve.

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