Meatballs With The Taste of Fall
My children love meatballs. Really and truly, if there is meat in the form of a ball — with sauce or without — they will inhale them with gusto. They’ve been asking for meatballs about once a week for the last few months, and I’ve decided to strike while the iron is hot and try several different styles of meatball. One of the things that I love about meatballs is their versatility. They can stand alone as an entree atop a mound of mashed potatoes or noodles. They can be tossed with marinara for a pasta topping or used as the ultimate pizza topping. Meatballs can be served in a roll for a spectacular sandwich, or it can be skewered with a toothpick and served with a dipping sauce for something a little more extravagant.
Today’s meatball can serve all of the above purposes, and I’m sure so many more. What began as an experiment with a turkey meatball became a delight that we’ve already eaten several times over. So far, we’ve only managed to eat them straight up with some noodles on the side, but I do have my eye on those toothpicks with some cranberry sauce or cranberry mustard for dunking in. These Cheddar-Apple Turkey Meatballs simply sing the flavors of fall. The apple and cheddar cheese combine with ground turkey to make magic in a frying pan, while the sage and onion combine to evoke the smells of fall that remind us of Grandma’s house and the turkey dinners to come. They are very quick to make and also freeze beautifully for a quick dinner later on. That is, if you happen to have any leftover, which we usually don’t. This one is 100% kid-approved, and mom-approved to boot.
Cheddar-Apple Turkey Meatballs
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until well combined. Roll mixture into walnut sized balls with your hands.
Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Drop the meatballs in and cook, rolling occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and nicely browned on the outside. Serve immediately.
