I haven’t made my infamous turkey burgers in so long, which is why I decided to make a meatball version instead to go over a big plate of spiralized zucchini and my homemade cilantro avocado sauce! It’s a crowd-pleaser for SURE.
I also got some more use out of my 10-inch cast iron (from Lodge Cast Iron– you can buy off Amazon or buy at Target for pretty cheap) and couldn’t be more in love with a piece of cookware. Cast irons are so versatile and truly get the best sear on anything you cook in it. They’re also a lot less intimidating than I initially thought before owning one.
I threw a lot of the ingredients in that I normally use to make my turkey burgers, but I swear they turn out better every single time! Feel free to add an egg to the recipe to help bind the ingredients together– I simply added almond flour and it seemed to hold together enough to spoon into a ball.
Zoodles Topped With Organic Turkey Meatballs And Cilantro Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
Turkey Meatballs
- 1 lb organic ground turkey
- 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
- 3 tbsp sundried tomato, chopped
- 1/2 cup spinach, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp fennel seed
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 3 tbsp crumbled goat or feta cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp olive or avocado oil to cook in
- 1 egg (optional)
Cilantro Avocado Sauce
- 1.5 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 large avocado
- 2 small limes, juiced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp filtered water (if needed to help combine)
Zoodles
- 2-4 zucchinis
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Using two spoons, form mixture into 1-inch balls as evenly as possible. Add egg if mixture doesn’t hold together.
- Pour oil into skillet to heat on medium. Add turkey meatballs to skillet and let brown on all sides before transferring entire skillet to the oven to cook for 10 minutes. (*option to bake all meatballs for 15-17 minutes in oven at 400 degrees F on parchment paper instead of pan frying)
- Add all of the ingredients used to make the cilantro avocado sauce to a food processor or blender to pulse until it reaches a smooth consistency.
- Spiralize zucchinis (I use the Inspiralizer) and set aside. In a separate pan, spray with olive or avocado oil to heat, then add spiralized zucchinis. Using tongs, toss zoodles until hot (1-3 minutes), making sure not to overcook because they will become soggy.
For the oregano and basil in the meatball mix — are you using dried or fresh?
Made the meatballs this evening and they were delicious. Unfortunately I didn’t have any sundried tomatoes, but I added a little garlic and subbed regular breadcrumbs for the almond flour and they were so good!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!! 🙂
Made these last night and they are SO good! I am having the leftovers for lunch. It was even husband approved 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing.
Aw, I’m so glad!! 🙂 They’re definitely one of my favorites to make!
This looks great! Going to make it tomorrow for dinner 🙂 I don’t have a cast iron, so would you recommend I transfer the meatballs to a separate baking dish after browning or could I cook them fully on the stovetop?
Sounds awesome, I’m excited to hear what you think of them! You can do either 🙂 Enjoy!
Do I add the oil into the meatball mixture? Or save it for the pan I’ll be cooking the meatballs in??? Thanks!
Save it to cook in the pan with the meatballs — I’ll make a note of that in the recipe, thank you!