Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Cilantro Sauce

Makes: 
30 appetizer size meatballs, 3 per serving
Utensil: 
Saladmaster Food Processor
1 Qt./.9 L Sauce Pan with Cover
2.5 Qt. (1.49L) Culinary Basket
12" Chef's Gourmet Skillet
large mixing bowl
Rate Recipe: 
Contributed By: 
Cathy Vogt
Certified Health Coach & Natural Foods Chef

Ingredients

Recipe Description: 

A combination of dark and light ground turkey with the addition of a few bold seasonings helps the flavors to pop. Serve these appetizer size meatballs with a fresh cilantro coconut milk sauce.

Turkey Meatballs
16
ounces
ground turkey, mixture of light and dark meat
(454
g)
4
scallions, white and green portion, chopped
1
red pepper, minced
1
teaspoon
fresh ginger, shredded, use Cone #1
(2
g)
2
teaspoons
chili paste
(11
g)
12
teaspoon
salt
(3
g)

Creamy Cilantro Sauce

2
leeks, rinsed and chopped, white part only
15
ounces
coconut milk
(444
mL)
1
teaspoon
salt
(6
g)
12
cup
cilantro
(8
g)
Directions: 
  1. In a large bowl place all meatball ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine. Place mixture in the refrigerator to chill.
  2. When turkey mixture is chilled, roll in to small appetizer size meatballs and place on plate until ready to cook.
  3. Heat skillet over medium heat. When several drops of water sprinkled on skillet skitter and dissipate, approximately 5 - 7 minutes, place meatballs in skillet being careful not to crows the pan. Cover leaving the lid slightly ajar.
  4. Cook meatballs for about 2 minutes on each side until browned and fully cooked, approximately 6 - 8 minutes total cooking time.
  5. Keep meatballs warm until ready to use.

Sauce

  1. Place leeks in culinary basket and thoroughly rinse again in cold water several times to make sure all dirt is removed; drain.
  2. Place leeks in sauce pan, cover and turn heat to medium. When Vapo-Valve™ clicks, reduce heat to low and cook for 8 minutes, until leeks are soft and tender.
  3. Add coconut milk and salt to pan. Re-cover and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Place cilantro leaves in blender. Pour leeks and coconut milk over cilantro and blend until creamy but there are still flecks of cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Tips: 
  • To serve place a few tablespoons of sauce on plate and top with 3 meatballs, garnish with sprig of fresh cilantro and a wedge of fresh lime, if desired.
  • If serving as an appetizer for a group, place meatballs on a platter with appetizer picks. Accompany with a bowl of creamy cilantro sauce for dipping.
  • To use as an entrée, toss 1 ½ ounces (425 g) of cooked Pad Thai noodles with creamy cilantro sauce and top with meatballs. Serve with cucumber salad or other light green salad for a complete meal.
  • Substitute ground beef for ground turkey or a combination of ground turkey and ground pork.
Nutritional Information per Serving
Meatballs, 3 meatballs per serving
Calories: 
74
Total Fat: 
4g
Saturated Fat: 
1g
Cholesterol: 
36mg
Sodium: 
185mg
Total Carbs: 
1g
Dietary Fiber: 
0g
Sugar: 
1g
Protein: 
8g
Sauce, 1/10 of total
Calories: 
37
Fat: 
2g
Saturated Fat: 
2g
Cholesterol: 
4mg
Sodium: 
246mg
Carbohydrate: 
4g
Fiber: 
0g
Sugar: 
1g
Protein: 
1g

Directions

Tips

Reviews

Submitted by Angie Heick on

We liked them without the sauce. My sauce was too sweet. they only had sweetened coconut milk at the store. Probably should have been unsweetened. Next time I will use less milk too - there was roo much Sauce. The recipe forgets to mention how much cilantro you need. I did about a cup. I will also add more heat next time, but I'm from Texas and we loved spice!