Tender turkey meatballs browned and simmered in a white wine, sage and Parmesan cream sauce.
Use 93% lean ground turkey; 99% lean turns dry. Shape the meatballs up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 ¼ lb ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese (finely grated; divided)
- 2 tbsp fresh sage (finely chopped; divided)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt (divided)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper (divided)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 ¼ lb ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese (finely grated; divided)
- 2 tbsp fresh sage (finely chopped; divided)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt (divided)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper (divided)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
Instructions
Mix and shape the meatballs
In the large bowl, stir panko (½ cup) into milk (¼ cup) and let it soak until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add ground turkey (1 ¼ lb), egg, Parmesan (½ cup), sage (1 tbsp), garlic, salt (1 tsp) and pepper (¼ tsp). Mix gently with your hands just until combined.
With damp hands, shape into 12 meatballs about 1.5 inches across and set them on a plate.
Equipment: large bowl
Brown the meatballs
Heat olive oil (2 tbsp) in the skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the meatballs and leave them until the bottoms are golden, then gently roll them to brown the other sides, about 5 minutes. They'll finish cooking in the sauce.
Move the meatballs to the plate.
Equipment: large skillet or sauté pan, tongs or spatula
Start the sauce
Lower the heat to medium, add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Pour in white wine (½ cup), scrape up the browned bits and simmer until reduced by about half, about 2 minutes.
Equipment: large skillet or sauté pan
Simmer the meatballs
Add chicken broth (1 cup) and thyme sprigs and return the meatballs to the pan.
Simmer gently over medium-low heat, uncovered, turning the meatballs halfway, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a meatball reads 165°F, about 12 minutes.
Equipment: large skillet or sauté pan, instant-read thermometer
Finish with cream and Parmesan
Fish out the thyme stems and turn the heat to low.
Stir in cream (¾ cup), Parmesan (½ cup), sage (1 tbsp), salt (¼ tsp) and pepper (¼ tsp).
Simmer gently, without boiling, until the sauce is smooth and lightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Equipment: large skillet or sauté pan
Serve
Sprinkle with parsley (2 tbsp) and serve over pasta, polenta, mashed potatoes or with crusty bread.
Tomorrow's Meal
Creamy Sage Meatball Skillet Pasta
Leftover meatballs halved and tossed with short pasta and the sage cream sauce in a skillet, loosened with pasta water.
You'll need to pick up:
8 oz short pasta, such as rigatoni1 cup baby spinach1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Quick overview:
- 1.Boil the pasta until al dente and save 1/2 cup of the cooking water
- 2.Warm the halved meatballs and sauce in a skillet over medium-low heat, covered, until hot through to 165°F
- 3.Add the pasta, spinach and a splash of pasta water and toss until the spinach wilts
- 4.Top with Parmesan
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • Shape the meatballs up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge.
- • Use 93% lean ground turkey; 99% lean turns dry.
- • Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge; reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of broth.
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