Thanksgiving Meatballs Recipe
Our flavor-packed Thanksgiving Meatballs recipe is a fun way to serve all those Thanksgiving flavors in one bowl for an easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 slices of bread any type of bread, we used white bread
- 1/4 cup dairy-free unsweetened unflavored creamer or half-&-half
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/3 cup wild rice cooked
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries craisins, chopped
- 2 tablespoons shallots chopped
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Gravy:
- 4 tablespoons butter sub plant-based butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 - 2 1/2 cups turkey broth sub chicken broth
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Serving (optional):
- cooked stuffing
- mashed potatoes
- cranberry sauce
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. (See: Notes for stove top/sear option)
- Meatball Mixture: Put the bread slices and creamer in a large bowl. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes. Use a fork to break the bread apart and then add the rest of the meatball ingredients to the bowl. Mix everything to fully combine.
- Form Meatballs: Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to form 1 1/2 tablespoon meatballs and roll between your hands. Continue this process with the rest of the meatball mixture and place the meatballs in a single layer in a large cast iron skillet or braiser that can go in the oven.
- Bake: Move the large skillet to the preheated oven to bake for 22-24 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer).
- Optional Serving Suggestions: While the meatballs bake, it is the perfect time to make the stuffing, mashed potatoes, or any other items that you plan to serve with the meatballs and gravy. Or make these when you have lots of holiday leftovers to warm up.
- Make Gravy: Once the meatballs are fully cooked, carefully remove them from the oven and use a slotted spoon to remove meatballs from the hot skillet - set aside. Do NOT drain the grease. Bring the large skillet to a medium-high heat and add butter to melt. Whisk in the flour to create a paste or roux. Gradually pour in the turkey broth, a half cup at a time, whisking continuously to make a thick and creamy gravy. Whisk in the salt and pepper, taste and make any desired adjustments. If you prefer a thicker gravy, let it simmer for a little bit and if you prefer a thinner gravy, add a little more broth.
- Combine: Add the cooked meatballs back to the hot pan and toss in the gravy to fully coat.
- Serve: Highly recommend serving these meatballs in a bowl with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce with plenty of gravy on top!
Notes
- Stove Top Variation: If you prefer a sear on your meatballs, feel free to skip the oven option and cook them on the stove top instead. Take a large cast iron skillet and add just enough olive oil to thinly coat the pan. In batches, sear the meatballs on medium-high heat and then let cook on medium heat until cooked through (approx. 10-15 minutes). Internal temp should reach 165 degrees F. Then remove the meatballs from the skillet and take a little extra broth to deglaze the pan and then continue making the gravy. The color of the gravy with the stove-top version might be a little darker than if you bake the meatballs.
- Holiday Leftovers: If you have a lot of leftovers from a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner, like stuffing, mashed potatoes, & cranberry sauce, we highly recommend making these Thanksgiving Meatballs for dinner and serving in a bowl with all those delicious side dishes!
- Side Dishes: If you don't have leftovers, you can make our Stove Top Stuffing, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, and Cranberry Sauce. Store-bought or instant versions of these work great too and are so easy!
- Creamer: We used NutPods Non-Dairy Creamer, but feel free to use half-&-half, heavy cream, or any other non-dairy alternative.
Nutrition
Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 1218mg | Potassium: 444mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 301IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg
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