Description
These Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs are a delicious and healthy twist on traditional meatballs, combining lean ground turkey with nutrient-rich sweet potatoes for a moist and flavorful dish. Served with a tangy maple-mayo dipping sauce, these meatballs are perfect as appetizers, snacks, or a main course addition.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 small onion (finely chopped or grated)
- 1 pound ground turkey (lean)
- 2 cups sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed)
- 1 large egg
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (Panko or regular)
- ½ cup parsley (fresh or dried, chopped if fresh)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (for frying)
Dipping Sauce
- ½ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the finely chopped or grated onion, ground turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, egg, minced garlic, maple syrup, hot sauce, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined to form the meatball mixture.
- Form Meatballs: Shape the mixture into small 1-inch diameter balls, ensuring they are compact to hold their shape during cooking.
- Heat the Oil: In a large skillet, heat approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. You will use the oil to fry the meatballs in batches.
- Fry Meatballs: Add the meatballs to the skillet without overcrowding (about half the batch). Fry them, turning regularly, until golden brown on all sides, approximately 7 minutes. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a plate and repeat this process with the remaining meatballs, adding more oil if needed.
- Make Dipping Sauce: While meatballs are cooking, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth and well combined.
- Serve: Serve the warm sweet potato turkey meatballs with the maple dipping sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- You can use regular breadcrumbs if Panko is not available.
- Adjust the hot sauce quantity to control the spiciness of the meatballs.
- For a lighter dipping sauce, substitute mayonnaise with Greek yogurt or use all Greek yogurt.
- Cook sweet potatoes by boiling or baking them until soft, then mash thoroughly before mixing.
- Do not overcrowd the skillet to ensure even browning of the meatballs.
