In an attempt to lose a little weight before my brothers wedding in May I’ve been working on some ideas for lightened up dinners like this one- Turkey & Spinach Meatballs in Homemade Broth . I’ll be perfectly honest, I’m not one of those that would be happy eating salad and chicken everyday, I love food way too much. The way I figure is if I make small changes here and there, really focus on getting more fruits and veggies in and some processed stuff out, then its a positive change!

I really enjoyed this one! So what makes this one a good for you meal? Well, instead of a high fat ground meat like beef I used lean ground turkey. The meatballs are baked not fried. Then of course I had to sneak in some veggie into the meatball so decided on a nice dark green, spinach. For the broth, while yes the store bought boxes are really easy and ok, they tend to be full of sodium and who knows really what goes in. So I decided to make my own broth and honestly it is so easy to do and the flavor is WONDERFUL! You could easily make a big batch in your slow cooker while you go about your day then freeze it in batches.

serves 6

1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey

1 bunch spinach, leaves only, finely chopped

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs

6 small garlic cloves, finely grated

1 gallon water (16 cups)

8 cloves garlic, smashed

1 onion, quartered

6 celery stalks, cut in half or thirds

6 large carrots, cut in thirds plus 2 large carrots peeled

1 bay leaf

3 heaping Tbsp tomato paste

salt and pepper

Get the broth going first. In a large pot, over medium low heat, add the water, garlic, carrots (the 6 cut ones only), onion, celery, bay leaf, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 1/2- 2 hours.

   

Now for the 2 peeled carrots, cut them into large pieces and pop them into a food processor. Pulse until very finely minced. Set aside.

       

Now for the meatballs. Mix all the ingredients into a bowl being sure to not get any thick stems in there. Mix to combine and form into small balls.

   

Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for approx 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden.

   

Once the broth is done simmering, remove all the veggies and bay leaf, discard. Add in your finely minced carrot and the meatballs. Simmer for another 30-40 minutes.

   

I served mine with no yolk egg noodles.

HAPPY EATS!!!!

*this is my original recipe*