Recipe for spicy turkey meatballs (2024)

8/9/11

Recipe for spicy turkey meatballs

Meatballs weren't a typical item on a menu in my house in Russia. Instead, we ate kotleti: sort of similar to burger patties, they were made from beef, garlic, onion, salt & pepper with an addition of an egg and some bread.

These kotleti were formed into patties and cooked on a pan till the outside was crispy. Instead of eating them on a bun, we had them with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta or buckwheat.

My mom, however, did make ezhiki. Say what? In Russian it means little hedgehogs. These were mini meatballs made with beef and rice and usually added to the soup. Meatballs & spaghetti wasn't something I discovered till my family moved to the States.

In the last 18 years, I've tried beef, pork, chicken and turkey meatballs. I've had them over rice, on top of salads, both in tomato or cheese based sauces and of course with spaghetti.

This time I'd like to share with you a recipe for Spicy Turkey Meatballs I came up with. If you are still feeling eeffie about turkey, feel free to use ground chicken.

14comments:

Delicious Dishingssaid...: Sad that you couldn't taste the cheese... that sounded like such a great addition!; August 09, 2011
Anonymoussaid...: I wouldn't recommend using olive oil to brown the meatballs in. The flashpoint of olive oil is relatively low compared to other oils, and as such produces damaged fats.; August 09, 2011
Reemsaid...: These looks scrumptious!!! I'm sure chipotle mus have added nice kick and flavor to it.. May be you cannot taste the cheese but I feel cheese will definitely add richness and smoothness to the texture. Thank you so much for stopping by at my blog, it really means alot I have been reading your blog for such a long time and you are truly inspiring.; August 09, 2011
PlethoraOfPinatassaid...: @Anonymous - You are correct that olive oil has a low smoke point and therefore would be a poor choice for deep frying, but it is implied here in the instructions and in the final picture that the recipe calls for pan-frying, which is generally done at a lower temperature and Extra Light olive oil would be appropriate for that. It would also be healthier than peanut oil and tastier than Canola oil.; August 09, 2011
Maris (in Good taste)said...: These look delicious!Love all the ingredients!; August 09, 2011
Melissa Jonessaid...: Yum. I think I might try this with beans. Probably white beans? I'll need to play with the proportions, but the other ingredients sound amazing. I am getting hungry (which is why I should not read your blog before lunch!).; August 10, 2011
Kelly | Eat Yourself Skinnysaid...: Wow these meatballs look fantastic!! Love your blog and so glad to be a new follower! xoxo; August 10, 2011
Paula - bell'alimentosaid...: I'm a fan for any kind of meatballs!; August 10, 2011
Carasaid...: I love how you've combined basil and cheese with chipotle peppers!; August 11, 2011
Anonymoussaid...: Oh man. These look incredible. I think they'd be awesome on a hoagie with melted mozzarella... I'm drooling.; August 15, 2011
City Girlsaid...: Surprised that the cheese didn't provide more flavor, but not surprised that these were still a hit! And, I really like turkey meatballs :). xoxo; September 03, 2011
Carleensaid...: This is wonderful....did not think I would like ground turkey....I used chipotle seasoning instead of the peppers....delicious!; February 20, 2012
Olga @ MangoTomatosaid...: hi! Thank you so much for letting me know. Great you put your own spin on the recipe.; February 20, 2012
Arugula Filessaid...: Yummy. I think I"m going to make some meatballs this weekend.; June 27, 2013