Domestication in Progress: Turkey Meatballs

If you've read my blog at all, you'll know I'm not a huge fan of Italian food.  And when I do eat it, it needs to be fabulously good.  So I don't eat as many meatballs as most other people because I find they tend to be dry and tasteless, which is not good for anyone, really.

I decided I wanted to make a recipe using ground turkey instead of beef, so I went off searching the internet for something interesting.  I found most of the usual suspects, with most of the usual ingredients, but nothing really....surprising.  But then I found a interesting recipe for turkey meatballs on the blog Our Best Bites, which in turn came from the blog Domestication in Progress.  Amazing how these things circle the internet, huh?

So back to the meatballs.  They were a revelation.  Tender, juicy, and absolutely bursting with flavor.  You definitely get the sundried tomatoes, but the bacon and the Romano cheese definitely play their part.  And they're still amazing when dunked into spaghetti sauce.  I may be a meatball convert.

Turkey Meatballs
Adapted from Domestication in Progress

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces bacon, finely diced
½ yellow onion, finely diced
1 pound ground turkey
½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
¼ cup plain bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat olive oil in a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onion and continue to cook until the bacon is crisp and the onion is tender, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine the bacon/onion mixture with the remaining meatball ingredients and stir to combine.

Form the turkey mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter, using about 2 tablespoons for each, and place on a foil-lined and greased baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.