I’ve been on a major pistachio kick lately and have been putting them in everything! I love how they pair with the meatballs for this recipe and transform a regular turkey meatball into something that’s healthy AND interesting. I highly recommend pairing this recipe with my Winter Pistachio Pesto and your favorite pasta.
Serves: 4
Total time: 40 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
You’ll need:
1 lb ground turkey (or substitute any other ground meat- chicken, pork, beef, or a combo)
1 cup roasted, salted pistachios (unshelled)
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs (if you don’t have breadcrumbs, take 2 slices of bread, toast them generously, then food process them with some salt and a few teaspoons of dried herbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 small yellow onion, minced (or half of a medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pistachio oil (or substitute olive oil) plus more for coating
2 tablespoons olive oil
Let’s do it!
-
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs, grated Parm, garlic, onion and salt. Next, work in the egg and pistachio oil and blend with your hands. Roll in your hands to form into 12 large meatballs or 16 - 18 medium meatballs and set on a large plate or baking sheet. If the mixture feels too wet to work into meatballs, transfer to the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes to let it firm up, or add another 1/4 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.
-
To make the pistachio coating, blend the pistachios and 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs in a food processor until finely chopped. Spread mixture into a shallow dish.
-
Using a pastry brush or a spoon, lightly coat the meatballs in pistachio oil (or use olive) and then dredge in the pistachio mixture, lightly pressing it to coat it on all sides. Return to your plate or baking sheet.
-
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet (or large saute pan) over medium heat. After pan is heated (takes a minute or two), add the meatballs in batches and sear on all sides (3 or 4 minutes per side, and then a minute or 2 to catch the remaining edges that didn’t get fully seared.) If all the meatballs don’t fit, just work in two batches, it is better not to crowd the pan.
-
Once all the meatballs are seared, add them all to the pan and transfer to the oven to bake for 12 -15 minutes to finish cooking. Meatballs are done when the internal temp is 165°F.
-
Serve with your favorite sauce and pasta. I highly recommend pairing this recipe with my Winter Pistachio Pesto.