Crockpot Turkey Meatballs

This might be shocking but in all of my 20 years I have never had a meatball (GASP)! Strange right? Well maybe it's not that strange. There are a lot of foods I've never tried. And if you think that's weird list off classic childhood Disney movies and I bet I may have see one or two, maybe. 

Anyway awhile back I saw a posting about meatballs and I got an idea. Normally meatballs are made with ground beef, which I don't eat. But why couldn't meatballs be made with ground turkey instead? Even better why not do crockpot meat balls to get a really great flavor!?! I was really really happy with how the meatballs turned out and I promise they won't disappoint! Plus these delicious meatballs are low in calories and sodium, have practically no sugar and are packed with protein.

There are endless ways to enjoy meatballs. I love serving mine over cooked spaghetti squash, but you can eat them with pasta or over a salad (which is delicious!), you really can't go wrong serving them any way. You can even top them off with a little extra parmesan cheese if you'd like. My fridge is now loaded with delicious meatballs for the week and my apartment smells heavenly! 

Turkey Meatballs

• 2 pounds extra lean ground turkey
• 2/3 cup GF bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• pinch of pepper
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 28 ounce can peeled and crushed tomatoes, if you like extra sauce use an additional 14.5 ounce can

Line a large baking sheet with tin foil. 

In a large mixing bowl combine egg, olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, pepper and bread crumbs. Thoroughly combine.

Add ground turkey into mixing bowl. Use a fork to combine ground turkey and bread crumb/spice mixture. Stir just enough to combine without over mixing. 

Use your hands and roll the meat into small/medium meatballs. I was able to get over 40 golf balls sized meatballs.

Once all meatballs have been rolled spray a skillet with nonstick cook spray and heat to a medium heat. 

Brown both sides of the meatballs, do not cook them all the way through! I was able to brown 9 meatballs at a time so it did not take very long at all. You don't want to skip this step because it really seals in the flavor.

As I browned the meatballs I put the finished ones back on the tin foil. 

After all the meatballs have been browned place the diced onion at the bottom of a lined crockpot. Dump a bit of the tomatoes on top of the onion. 

Layer in the meatballs. Depending on the size of your crockpot you may have to double stack some.

Pour the remaining crushed tomatoes over meatballs. 

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze leftover meatballs and sauce for later use.

Nutrition (per meatball):

Calories: 48

Carbs: 3 

Fats: 2 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Sodium: 57 mg

Sugar: 1 gram