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The first time I made Kenya and Chloe my Mexican Rice Balls they got a major thumbs up from them. It’s such a simple recipe at that — savory spheres of rice stuffed with a chunk of sharp cheddar which melts inside, creating a gooey center that brightens your day when you take a bite. Since then, whenever I make my family a batch we finish them all in one sitting without fail.
I got to thinking about what other foods you could stuff with a morsel of oozy gooey cheese. Chloe adores turkey meatballs and since they are so easy for little hands to pick up and eat, I whipped up a test batch and tucked away a cube of cheddar in each one. Voila! Cheesy Turkey Meatballs were born! I did all the prep work in the morning, so all I had to do was sautéed them up minutes before dinner and serve them with a simple side of kale pesto pasta.
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One important note_ always make sure to cut into a hot cheesy turkey meatball before you serve it to your kids. You definitely don’t want any burned tongues!
Cheesy Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cheddar cheese sticks
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Mix to combine thoroughly.
- Slice the cheese sticks into 1/4-inch cubes.
- Using a 1 tablespoon measure, form the meat mixture into a disc, place a cheese cube in the center, and then roll the meat around the cheese to form a ball. If the meat sticks to your hands, lightly wet your hands with water.
- Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the meatballs for about 5 minutes, until the turkey is cooked through.
- Remove from heat and serve.
If it’s gluten sensitiviy, you could try gluten free oatmeal i’ve used oats instead of bread crumbs for burgers and meat loaf with good results..
Hmmm the breadcrumbs help them stay together. Maybe try gluten-free breadcrumbs?
Can you omit breadcrumbs? or sub with parm cheese? I’m trying to figure out stuff all of us can eat and I don’t eat grain (I make grain for hubs and LO)
Have you eaten any that you froze ? Just wondering how they hold up before I make them.
Made this tonight for my girls who are 1 and a half- 2 and a half- it was a hit! I didnt have any onion powder on hand so I just omitted that. Baked them and they came out moist. Stored the remaining in the freezer. I will definitely be making this again for the family 🙂
Is the nutritional information available? TIA
We just made these and they are delicious! My daughter & husband love them. I baked them at 350 for 15 minutes (sprayed a light coat of olive oil) and they came out great. The cheese did melt out of a few of them though.
Yummy! So simple! My kids would love these.
I saw these on your Instagram feed and I came running! Count me in! I could probably polish off a dozen in one sitting…
I was wondering the same thing…can these be baked instead of Sautéd? If so any recommendations on temperate and cook time?
Could you bake these as well? If so what temp and duration would you recommend.
You could leave out the egg and add in a little mashed potato to hold them together! Sort of like what I do with the Easy Chicken Nuggets http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2012/03/29/chicken-nuggets/
My son is allergic to eggs. Can I omit the egg? Or what other substitute can I use?
Do you use ground turkey breast, or just regular ground turkey?
I’d like to try freezing them, too. Has anyone tried it?
Have you ever made them ahead and kept them in the freezer?