Turkey / Bean Meatballs

This recipe came out of desperation! I only had 1 lb of ground turkey and needed to make about double that in meat balls. But I also had an ulterior motive to get more fiber and veggies into the fam after the holiday indulgences – so I added the beans, carrots and tomatoes.

I keep a wide variety of dried beans on hand and with the trusty Instant Pot I can have them ready to go (and easier to digest) in less than 30 minutes. I’d read about the benefits of Adzuki beans years ago and found them at Whole Foods so I gave them a try in this recipe.

I made this batch and they form a soft textured mixture since I don’t use breadcrumbs, so I scooped them onto a parchment-lined pan and baked.

I froze the extra and I’m excited to have them on hand to heat-and-eat during sports nights this week!

Turkey / Bean Meatballs

  • 2 cups Adzuki beans
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 medium carrot chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 3 Tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon dry rosemary
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2-24oz. jars tomato sauce
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Combine beans, onion, carrot and sun-dried tomatoes and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until you have a smooth paste.
  3. In a large bowl add the ground turkey and bean mixture.
  4. Crack in the eggs and sprinkle on the rosemary, parsley, red pepper, salt and Parmesan cheese. Mix together with your hands.
  5. Use a 2 Tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop to portion meat balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
  6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
  7. Once meatballs have finished baking, add them to a large stock pot with your sauce and simmer for 15 minutes to let all the flavors combine.
  8. SERVE over pasta or zucchini noodles, or along side a green salad. These would also work on a meatball sub or eaten plain as an appetizer.
  9. Leftover meat balls can be frozen prior to saucing, flat on a sheet pan and then once frozen solid stored in a freezer-safe container.