Honey Chipotle Turkey Meatballs

I almost always do our grocery shopping first thing on Saturday morning. I’ll work to finish the meal planning and get the list together on Friday night (exciting, right?) and then I’m up early and at the store not too long after it opens at 7 am on Saturday. Not only are there fewer people in the store, but the shelves always seem really well stocked at that time. I made the mistake of going late at night once (again, in an attempt to avoid crowds – sensing a theme here? :)) and pickings were very slim, especially in the produce department. Lesson learned. Nothing beats the feeling of being back home with the shopping done and the groceries unpacked by 9 o’clock. Well, except maybe knowing there are plenty of snack options on hand for catching up on my DVR that afternoon…

Last weekend, for a variety of reasons, I never made it to the store. Monday night came – I had nothing planned for dinner and only a lone package of ground turkey with which to work. We eat ground turkey a lot so I could easily have scanned the archives for ideas, but of course I wanted to try something new. I remembered these meatballs Natalie had posted – they’re super quick and easy, and I loved the sweet and spicy combo with the honey and chipotle chiles in the sauce. The meatballs were a great last minute dinner, healthy and flavorful! Per Natalie’s recommendation, I doubled the sauce and was glad I did, but if you don’t need your meatballs swimming in it, you’d be fine halving what I have listed below.

Oh, I had also hoped to tell you about that rice you see hiding behind the meatballs, but it wasn’t to be. Somehow I managed to screw up a recipe with the word “easy” in the title. We’re talking barely edible. Better luck next time I guess 🙂

Honey Chipotle Turkey Meatballs
adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons honey
2-4 tablespoons chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (depending on your tolerance for heat)
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a medium bowl, stir the onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper together then add the turkey to the bowl and use your hands to mix just until combined (do not overmix). Form into 16 meatballs (each will be about the size of a golf ball). In a small bowl, stir together the honey, chiles, and vinegar.

Set a large ovenproof skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add the oil. Once it is shimmering, add the meatballs. Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Move the skillet to the oven and bake the meatballs for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven (remember, the handle will be hot!) and pour the sauce over the meatballs. Bake for another 5 minutes (swirling the pan at the halfway point), or until the sauce has reduced to glaze the meatballs and the meatballs are cooked through. (Keep an eye on your meatballs in the oven – without eggs or milk-soaked bread for added moisture, they have the potential to dry out if overcooked.)

Makes 16 meatballs