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Nov152019

Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Dinner Meatballs

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Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Gobbler Meatballs
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Gobbler Meatballs
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Gobbler Meatballs
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Gobbler Meatballs
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Gobbler Meatballs
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Gobbler Meatballs
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Gobbler Meatballs
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Gobbler Meatballs

Find the recipe card at the end of the post. Make sure to read the content as it contains chef tips, substitution options, answers to FAQs to help you succeed the first time around!

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If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It’s like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

I. Love. Thanksgiving.

I love the bajillion hours of prepping, cleaning, cooking, and even doing the dishes. Thanksgiving always held a very near and dear place in my heart. It’s one of the very few times that we got together as an entire family, catching up and eating Mom and Dad’s amazing foods.

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It's like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

Being the youngest of 6 by such a significant age gap (17 year years between myself and the oldest) I didn’t spend a lot of time with them. They were either off with their friends, at college, or simply off living their own lives.

But Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving was where we all came together at the 3-leaf extended table, tons of food, and just reconnecting. I miss those days but fortunately Mr. Fantabulous and I have been able to create our traditions and still give us that same family time.

Let’s talk Thanksgiving turkey meatballs

So every year I make at least 1-2 post-Thanksgiving recipes on what to do with the leftovers. From the Gobbler Rolls to the Gobbler pizza, I have you covered. Just wait until you see what I have in store THIS year! But then I realized something. I became one of those people that only made Thanksgiving dinners around the holidays. FYI… I stopped being that person.

Then, because my brain works a million miles a minute, I started to think about how to recreate those same Thanksgiving flavors but in different applications. Thus… the Gobbler meatball.

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It's like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

I knew that I started with ground turkey and all the same seasonings I would put in my stuffing and hey, you can’t have Thanksgiving without my famous Cranberry Relish, that I could make a killer Thanksgiving Meatball. Now, if your Thanksgiving is like mine, you also have candied yams, Brussels Sprouts, and green bean casserole. I did opt to leave those out of the meatball. I figured those can still be served on the side.

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It's like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

How to make Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs

These are almost identical to most other meatball methods however there are a few steps you need to do before you add the stuff to a bowl and mix.

  1. Chop up celery, onions, and garlic
  2. Saute in butter and olive oil until soft and then cool to room temp
  3. Create a Panade – a panade is where you put bread in a bowl and add milk to the bowl. The bread soaks up the milk after about 5-10 minutes and creates a panade. You may have heard it called “milk bread”
  4. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients, gently mix to combine and form like any meatball.
  5. Bake until the thermometer reads 165F and enjoy them!

See, easy!

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It's like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

Meatball sizing

This recipe makes about 16 Large cookie scoop (about 3 heaping tablespoon/2-3 ounces) size meatballs. I tend to serve 2-3 per person as a meal. The larger ones are about 2″ or so in size.

If you want to make these as appetizers I would use either the Medium Cookie Scoop (about 2 tablespoon) or the Small Cookie Scoop (about 2 teaspoon).

Freezing the meatballs

These freeze beautifully both raw and cooked. I, personally, tend to freeze my meatballs raw then cook them as I need them.

If you want to freeze them raw, once the meatballs are shaped, place the baking pan in the freezer for at least an hour. You’re “flash freezing” the meatballs. Once the meatballs are hard to the touch and have little to no give when you pick them up, simply place in a freezer-safe bag, mark the outside of the bag with what they are and the cooking time. *Note I tend to add 5-10 minutes of additional baking time as you are starting from a frozen state. Frozen they will last about 3 months raw.

If you want to freeze them after they are baked, allow them to cool completely. Place in a freezer-safe container, mark the outside what they are. To reheat either microwave, thaw in the fridge and then reheat in the oven at 350F until warmed through. Cooked then frozen, they will last about a month in the freezer.

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It's like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It's like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

Recipe Substitutions

Because I know you guys love to take a recipe and put your spins on them let me give some tips on substitutions.

  • Egg – See THIS POST about what to use in place of an egg binder. I would probably go with Aquafaba or the Flax Seed substitution
  • Turkey – um… you do know this is for Thanksgiving Turkey meatballs, right? Seriously, you can use ground chicken instead
  • Cranberry Relish – No, it CANNOT be cranberry jelly. It has to be of a relish texture.  You could try omitting it but being completely honest here, I have not tried it. The relish adds such a great backend sweet note that helps round out the recipe.
  • Oysters/Pecans/Other “Stuffing” usuals – I’ve not done this as I wanted the Turkey and “Thanksgiving” flavors to shine here. However, I know many of you love oysters or pecans in your stuffing so that is part of your Thanksgiving profile. You could add some to the mix but watch the nuts with the moistness level. The nuts may dry out the meatball so you may need to add a bit more egg or panade.
  • Dried Cranberries – If you do not have cranberry relish (and you don’t feel like making my world-famous recipe) then my advice would be to soak them in warm stock for about 15-25 minutes or until they soften and plump up. You may want to add a few tablespoon of the liquid to the meatball mixture as well.

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It's like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

Ways to serve these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs

Honestly, the sky is the limit here. Truly go with your imagination. Here are a few ways I’ve served them:

  • Make a Thanksgiving bowl – add mashed potatoes to a bowl, swirl on some turkey gravy, add a few meatballs and a drizzle of more gravy. If you’re an adventurous eater add some corn too! Heck, throw on a spoon of green bean casserole if you’re a rebel! FYI. I’m a rebel!
  • Serve them as sliders – Make the meatballs smaller to fit those Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls. To the bottom of the rolls add some brie cheese, meatball, and top with cranberry relish. Add the top of the buns and heat at 350 just until warm and the cheese is slightly melted.
  • Serve as Thanksgiving Shooters – To the bottom of a small plastic dessert cup, spoon or pipe in some mashed potatoes, add a little bit of gravy, a small meatball, a few pieces of corn and a little drizzle of gravy. Serve with mini plastic spoons. My guests went NUTS over these!
  • Serve on a Charcuterie board – Make smaller meatballs and serve on a charcuterie board with a side of cranberry relish, dijon mustard, soft cheeses, figs, dried apricots, and mini toasts


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Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Dinner Meatballs

  • Author: TKWAdmin
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 45
  • Category: Thanksgiving
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: American

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It’s like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!

If you love Thanksgiving and all of the great flavors of it, then you will LOVE these Thanksgiving Gobbler Turkey Meatballs! Ground turkey blended with stuffing seasonings, milk bread, sauteed onions, and celery plus cranberry relish! It's like turkey and stuffing as a meatball!
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★★★★★ 5 from 22 reviews
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped small
  • 2 stalks celery, plus leaves, chopped small
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoon butter, unsalted
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing the meatballs
  • 4 slices of bread
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon thyme, dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground sage, dried
  • 1 teaspoon parsley, dried
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup prepared cranberry relish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, spray with non-stick spray and set aside. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil. When the butter starts to foam, add in the onion and celery. Sauté, stirring often, until the onions and celery start to soften. ~10 minutes. When they are softened, add in the garlic, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, put in a small bowl or plate and allow to cool to room temp. ~15-30 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, tear up 3 slices of bread and add in the milk. Smush the bread down into the milk. You’re making “milk bread”. The bread will soak up all/most of the milk. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl add in the turkey, cooled onions/celery/garlic mixture, the milk bread mixture, seasonings, egg, and cranberry relish. Take the remaining dry piece of bread and tear up into small pieces and put that into the bowl as well.
  3. Without overworking the mixture, gently mix just to combine. The mixture should be wet but hold a shape when you form it into a ball. If it doesn’t you can add a little bit of regular bread crumbs (1-2 tablespoon) but the mixture will be soft but should hold a shape. Scoop enough meat mixture to form a 2” round ball (I use a large cookie scoop to measure out my meatballs). Wet your hands and shape. Damp hands are a trick to keeping the mixture from sticking to your hands! See notes for smaller meatballs. Place the meatballs on the pan and repeat until all of the meatballs are formed.
  4. Either spray the meatballs with olive oil with a mister OR using a pastry brush, brush each one with olive oil. This helps with coloring and browning.
  5. Bake for 20-23 minutes or when the internal temp of the meatball reads 165F. See notes for smaller meatball baking times. If you want a darker char, pop the meatballs under the broiler for a minute.
  6. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

For smaller meatballs (medium cookie scoop), cook 14-17 minutes.

2 meatballs2022.3 g373.4 mg10.1 g14.1 g14.1 g70.3 mg

Keywords: thanksgiving meatballs, stuffing meatballs, turkey and stuffing meatballs, turkey meatballs and gravy, #thanksgiving #meatballs #turkeymeatballs

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Pairs Perfectly With:

Creamy Baked Brie with Cranberry Relish & Toasted Pecans f Creamy Baked Brie with Cranberry Relish & Toasted Pecans
Sweet and flavored with cinnamon and sugar, these candied pecans & pretzel bites are an addicting snack that’s perfect for a crowd. Cinnamon Sugar Candied Pecans & Pretzel Bites
Super Creamy Mashed potatoes Perfect Mashed Potatoes

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Recipe Reviews & Comments

  1. Colleen says

    November 3, 2020 at 6:41 pm

    These meatballs are such a delicious idea! And your idea of serving them on a charcuterie board is something I absolutely will be doing. Thanks for this great recipe!

    Reply
  2. Valerie Skinner says

    November 3, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    I’m always looking for ways to make the taste of Thanksgiving last longer. Why do we only do this once a year!? This recipe looks perfect for a fall weeknight meal during the holiday season and I can’t wait to make it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Kathryn Donangelo says

    November 3, 2020 at 10:20 am

    Yummmm!! These meatballs are Thanksgiving in a bite. I love how easy they are to make too. So perfect for an appetizer! Can’t wait to make these this week.

    Reply
  4. HEATHER PERINE says

    November 3, 2020 at 8:58 am

    Ok first I love meatballs. Second I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner, then again who doesn’t? So to put these two things together?! Oh making these ASAP…can’t wait!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Kate Budacki says

    March 25, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    These are SO GOOD! I made them according to the recipe only subbing soaked dried cranberries for the sauce. Baked for a half hour and then held them until dinner in a quart of frozen turkey gravy left over from Thanksgiving. I make so much gravy and this is a great use for it! Happy family!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • TKWAdmin says

      March 25, 2020 at 8:29 pm

      Thank you so much Kate! I’m so happy you loved these! I love the idea of using your leftover gravy. Sounds perfect!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  6. MaryAnn says

    February 24, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    Great meal idea.

    Reply
    • TKWAdmin says

      February 24, 2020 at 1:09 pm

      Thank you so much! You’ll love these!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  7. jerri hasz says

    February 8, 2020 at 11:23 am

    #tkwtreasurehunt
    These would also be wonderful on your hoagie rolls!

    Reply
    • TKWAdmin says

      February 8, 2020 at 11:28 am

      Sorry Jerri but this isn’t the right post. The Clue graphic isn’t on this post. Try another recipe!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  8. Cynthia says

    November 28, 2019 at 7:07 am

    Made these yesterday for our early Thanksgiving dinner. Oh my gosh, so good!! Moist and tasty, I will probably make these every year now. And definitely won’t wait til thanksgiving to make them again. They were gobbled up quickly. I made the smaller balls using medium cookie scoop. I was running low on cranberry relish so I didn’t include the relish in my recipe. To serve them I placed a spoonful of relish on the plate then set the meatballs inside, on top of, the relish. Very pretty and so delicious. I minced the onion and celery vs chopping. I also doubled the recipe. Mine took longer to cook as they were sharing oven space with stuffing. I used gluten free bread and oat milk.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Michelle says

    November 25, 2019 at 2:58 am

    These meatballs look delicious! And i’ll be honest, i’ll probably make them year round, not just at thanksgiving haha

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • TKWAdmin says

      November 26, 2019 at 9:03 am

      Girl I’m so with you! These are definitely a year-round type of recipe! Thank you so much for the kind words! Happy Thanksgiving!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  10. Jo says

    November 25, 2019 at 1:05 am

    Those meatballs looks amazing! I can gobble a couple of these meatballs soon as they come out off the oven. Such amazing flavors!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • TKWAdmin says

      November 26, 2019 at 9:04 am

      Thank you Jo! Oh I did just that very thing! I couldn’t wait! They are so, so delicious and they freeze beautifully!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
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