Great-Grandma’s Italian Meatballs

  Dinner

My great-grandmother started this easy meatball recipe with our family. We use ground beef and turkey for these meatballs, and the flavor’s so good, you won’t miss the extra calories.

Great-Grandma’s Italian Meatballs

Average Rating: 4

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 20 min.
YIELD: 8 servings.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and parsley flakes
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
  • Optional: Hot cooked pasta and pasta sauce

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Cool slightly.
  • 2. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, seasonings and onion mixture. Add turkey and beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls.
  • 3. Place meatballs on a rack coated with cooking spray in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, 18-22 minutes. If desired, serve with pasta and pasta sauce.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 271 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated fat), 125mg cholesterol, 569mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 1g fiber), 27g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges:
4 lean meat, 1 fat, 1/2 starch.

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