Memorial Day Sweet & Sour Turkey Meatballs

Has anyone else been prepping for a Memorial Day cookout for days besides me? Ever since I heard the news that my husbands family will be coming to our house Monday for a picnic, I have been mentally preparing my menu for days.

Some of his relatives have never been to our home so I super excited! He has four siblings and whenever his sister from Montana ventures to Minneapolis we make an effort to get together! I am sure you’ve can relate, it rarely works for everyone and 9 times out of 10, someone has a conflict. It’s called life. Probably the last time we were all together was on our wedding day.

However, I am so HAPPY to say all of his siblings, his mom, and even a few nieces and nephews will be making the trip to Hutchinson! Yeah….we’ll all be enjoying lots of good food and laughter soon!

Yesterday I put my mental prep to work and actually started cooking. I am hoping it all comes together nicely! Trust me, there will be a follow up post.

But for now, let me tell you about these meatballs! They are incredible!

You are probably used to having meatballs that contain bread crumbs, and sometimes sugar, in the sauce, but these are free of BOTH! This grain free version contains almond meal to bind the meatballs and natural sweeteners to flavor the sauce. Plus I used all white meat turkey making them a bit lower in saturated fat.

My husband prefers white meat turkey or chicken over dark so I used this brand of turkey from Azure Standards. However, a mixture of dark and white meat would probably keep these meatballs more moist and flavorful? I’ll leave that decision up to you!

Since the sauce is so amazing, I honestly don’t think it matters what type of meat you use! So if you prefer beef, lamb, pork, or bison, great! In fact, next time I make these, and there will be a next time, I am going to try lamb. “Shhhhh…don’t tell my husband.”

We enjoyed sampling these for dinner Saturday night but trust me, this recipe makes plenty to share!

MEMORIAL DAY SWEET-&-SOUR TURKEY MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS FOR SAUCE:

3 cups of homemade or store bought tomato puree
3/4 cup coconut water
1/3 cup light-colored raw honey
1/3 cup coconut aminos
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons of fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

INGREDIENTS FOR MEATBALLS:

2 small sweet onions, quartered
2 eggs
1/4 cup almond meal
2 pounds of ground turkey, beef, lamb, bison or pork
1 tablespoon cold-pressed sesame oil
1 1/2 inch of fresh ginger root
2 teaspoons of pink Himalayan sea salt
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Let’s start with our sauce shall we! Combine the tomato puree, coconut water, honey, coconut aminos, tomato paste, vinegar, mustard, salt, ginger, and onion powder in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until thickened.
Meanwhile, lets make meatballs! Pulse the onion in a food processor until finely minced. Add the eggs, almond meal, turkey, sesame oil, ginger, and salt and pulse until fully combined. Add 2 tablespoons of parsley, (reserving the remaining for garnish, pulse again briefly to combine.
Roll the meat mixture into 3 dozen bite-size meatballs. Space the meatballs evenly on two rimmed baking sheets and bake for about 15 minutes., turning halfway through., until browned and cooked through.
Once the sauce has thickened, transfer it and the meatballs to a slow cooker set to low, Cover until ready to serve.