Description
This Thanksgiving turkey meatball rice bowl is a festive and delicious weeknight dinner to enjoy during the holiday season.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Thanksgiving Turkey meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup parm cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 6 sage leaves, chopped
- 1 sprig thyme, removed from the stem
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Bowl
- 1 bunch lacinato kale
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons water
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Prep the herbs – chop the sage, rosemary, and parsley. Add this to a mixing bowl along with the thyme.
- Prep the lacinato kale and mince the garlic. Remove the kale leaves from the stems. Stack each kale leaf on top of one another, then roll the leaves up. Slice the kale into thin ½” thick pieces. Set aside the kale and garlic.
- Add the ground turkey, egg, panko breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese to the mixing bowl along with the herbs. Mix until well combined, about 2 minutes. Avoid overmixing to keep a soft and tender meatball.
- Use a small ice cream scoop (about 1 ounce) to portion the meatballs into ~20 meatballs.
- Make the gravy. Heat a medium pot on medium heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter and melt. Once melted, add the 2 tablespoons flour and whisk together for 2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste. Add the chicken stock and salt and increase the heat to medium high. Whisk until the gravy comes up to a simmer, about 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat another pan on medium high heat. Add one tablespoon of neutral oil, then add an even layer of the turkey meatballs. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until brown on one side (just check one). At this point, your gravy should be finished. It will be slightly liquidy, as I prefer a looser gravy.
- Pour the gravy into the pan with the meatballs. Add in the remaining meatballs that didn’t fit into the pan, and cook for 15 minutes, covered. Use a spoon or spatula to gently unstick the meatballs from the bottom of the pan and give everything a shake. The browning helps give the dish more flavor. You can also just add the meatballs directly into the pot of gravy and poach for 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooking, rinse the pot with the gravy. Add a tablespoon of neutral oil, then add the chopped kale. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper, then add 2 tablespoons of water. Cook for another 2 minutes, then plate the kale along with some cooked rice and the turkey meatballs.