Tag Archives: skinny taste

Skinny Italian Turkey Meatballs

My Italian hubby loves these meatballs. He normally prefers ground beef to ground turkey but honestly says you can’t tell the difference. I agree and since these meatballs are so healthy and low in points, I no longer make my meatballs with beef. It is best to make these meatballs small so they hold together. These little meatballs make a great appetizer with toothpicks inserted, or have them for lunch with good Italian bread, or dinner over pasta.

I’ve slightly changed this recipe after making this a few times, so if you have an old printout I suggest you re-print this out.

Skinny Italian Turkey Meatballs
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 4 meatballs w sauce • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 229.7 • Fat: 4.9 g • Carbs: 21.1 g • Fiber: 2.8 g • Sugar: 0.1 g • Protein: 20.9

Ingredients:

20 oz (1.3 lb) ground turkey breast 99% lean
1/4 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Reggiano Parmigiano cheese, grated
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp kosher salt + fresh pepper

For the marinara sauce:

2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes (I like Tuttorosso)
1/2 small onion, keep whole
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium size pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Add crushed tomatoes, onion, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and cheese. Using your (clean) hands, mix all the ingredients well until everything is combined. Form small meatballs, about the size of a ping ping ball (1/8th cup each).

Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook about 20 minutes. Discard the onion and serve over pasta or on whole wheat Italian bread for a meatball hero.

Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Lean ground beef and turkey are combined with breadcrumbs and sauteed onions then shaped into patties and simmered in a mushroom gravy to create a lightened version of this retro American dish.

Serve this with Skinny Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Skinny Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes or for a low-carb option Creamy Cauliflower Puree and you have a complete meal.

It’s hard not to imagine a TV dinners when you think of Salisbury Steak, originally a poor man’s beef dish made with ground beef and fillers, shaped to resemble a real steak back in the great depression when steak was a luxury.

I recently was asked to create a lightened up Salisbury Steak, and I was excited to play around with this! For my skinny version, I combined turkey and lean beef to keep it light yet still maintain a beefy flavor. The addition of mushrooms to the gravy completes the dish sneaking in vegetables and giving this a wonderful flavor.

Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Size: 1 patty with mushroom gravy • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 202.8 • Fat: 7.8 g • Protein: 21.7 g • Carb: 10 g • Fiber: 1.2 g • Sugar: 1.7 g
Sodium: 524.7 mg

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp oil
3/4 cup onions, minced
1 lbs 93% lean ground beef
1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 cups beef broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper, to taste
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 cup water
chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Sauté onions in oil over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine half of the sautéed onions, ground beef, ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, egg white, 1/4 cup beef broth, salt and black pepper.

Shape into 8 oval patties.

In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Set aside on a dish.

Add mushrooms to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and sauté 2-3 minutes.

Return patties to the skillet with the mushrooms.

In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining broth until smooth. Mix in remaining onions, tomato paste, vinegar, water, worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.

Pour over meat and mushrooms in skillet.

Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.