Turkey Apple Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce

Printed from: www.grandmotherskitchen.net

Ingredients

Makes - 92 meatballs

Serves 20 people (for 5 meatballs per person)

*This really depends on what else you are preparing and how big of meat eaters are coming to dinner.

For the meatballs:

5 lbs of lean ground turkey

2.5 cups panko crumbs

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (and a bit extra for greasing your racks)

2 large eggs, beaten

2 cups apple, peeled and shredded (this took 2 large apples)

2 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

For the cranberry sauce:

4x 348ml cans (which is 4.5 cups) of cranberry sauce

2 cup pear sauce (or apple sauce)

8 Tablespoons maple syrup

4 Tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon of zest from an orange (washed very well in vinegar or a natural fruit and veggie wash)

Directions

For the meatballs:

1. Arrange your rack in the oven into the middle and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Grease a baking rack with some olive oil and place the rack on top of a large cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper. 3. The parchment paper is to keep your pan from getting greasy.

4. In a large mixing bowl combine the ground turkey, olive oil, eggs, shredded apple, chopped herbs, garlic, panko and salt and pepper.

5. Roll the turkey mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. We used a small cookie scoop to first scoop the turkey onto the pan, and then roll them all tight. We also use disposable kitchen gloves to roll the balls, but you could also use bare clean hands.

6. Arrange the meatballs onto your baking rack and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the turkey is cooked through, or the inside temperature of the meatballs is 165 degrees F.

7. For 92 meatballs, we had to use 3 cookies sheets, and had to bake in 2 batches so they are baked in the middle row.

For cranberry sauce:

1. In a large bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, pear (or apple) sauce, maple syrup, orange juice, and the zest of the orange.

2. Mix well to combine.

3. In a large bowl, pour over the meatballs and mix to combine.

4. Refrigerate if you are serving these the next day, or follow the next steps to heat.

To reheat and serve meatballs:

1. Pour the sauce and the meatballs into a saucepan and re-heat on the stove top until the inside of the meatballs are good and hot right through.

ENJOY!

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