Mozzarella Turkey Meatballs

About

There’s nothing you can’t like about this recipe. It’s packed with flavorful spices, there’s melty cheese involved, everything is smothered in a creamy sauce, and it can be made in a Crock Pot! For the most convenient cooking process, prepare the meatballs ahead of time and store them in your fridge. After coming home from work, just pop the meatballs in your Crock Pot and boom! Dinner is served!

– Jessica L

Ingredients

2 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon spices onion powder
½ tablespoon spices, mustard seed, ground
1 teaspoon spices paprika
2 tsp, ground spices oregano dried
2 large egg
5 oz cheese, mozzarella, part skim milk
1 ½ tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic raw
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ tsp, leaves spices thyme dried
½ cup (8 fl oz) greek yogurt

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, salt, pepper, onion powder, mustard powder, paprika, oregano, and eggs. You can use your hands or a spoon. Form the mixture into approx. 25 meatballs, each weighing about 35g.
On a clean, flat surface, press each meatball down slightly with your thumb and place a mozzarella ball into the center of them. Close the meatballs around the mozzarella and re-roll them as necessary.
Spray a large crock pot lightly with pan spray. Place the meatballs in the bottom of the crock pot. You want the meatballs to all be touching without smooshing into each other. This way, the turkey will not fall apart during the cooking process. If some meatballs need to stack on top of each other, this is okay.
Cook the meatballs on high heat for 1.5 hours. Meanwhile, begin the tomato yogurt sauce by melting the butter in a pan over low heat. Mince the garlic and cook it in the butter for about 30 seconds.
Next, stir in the tomato paste until the mixture becomes smooth and consistent.
Add the chicken broth, pepper, and thyme to the pan. Bring the heat to a medium, and allow the broth to simmer for about 5 minutes so it reduces slightly and thickens with the tomato paste.
Return the heat to low. In 4-5 additions, add the Greek yogurt to the sauce. Whisk each addition in completely before stirring in the next so the sauce doesn’t separate. Once all the Greek yogurt has been added, continually stir the sauce until it thickens to your liking.
Serve the meatballs hot with the warm sauce and enjoy!