Turkey Meatballs with Orange and Cashews
If you've made turkey meatballs in the past and they've been dry and flavorless, then I urge you to make this recipe for turkey meatballs with orange and cashews. They're light, moist, and incredibly flavorful!
Servings: 24 meatballs
Calories: 102kcal
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1½ cups quick cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- ½ cup grated onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro plus additional for garnish
- ½ cup chopped cashews cut back on the salt if using salted cashews
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper for dredging
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
To make the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
To make the meatballs:
- In a shallow dish, mix the 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the turkey, oats, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, grated onion, chopped cilantro, cashews, orange zest, and the cream cheese until well combined.
- Roll the turkey mixture into golf ball sized balls and roll them each into the seasoned flour.
- Heat a large heavy skillet over medium/high heat, working in batches, fry the meatballs in the oil until browned on all sides.
- Remove the browned meatballs from the skillet and place in a baking dish.
- Bake the meatballs in a preheated oven for 15 minutes while preparing the sauce.
To make the sauce:
- Reduce the heat in the skillet to medium. Melt the butter and add the flour. Stir well to make the roux.
- Add the finely minced onions to the roux and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the orange juice, chicken broth, brown sugar, orange zest, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir well and simmer on low for 7-10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly
- Spoon the sauce over the meatballs and garnish with additional chopped cilantro (if desired). Serve as a main course or appetizer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.7mg