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.

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.