Spinach and Mushroom Turkey Meatballs

I love meatballs, as it turns out though, ground beef isn't on the menu for me. Turkey meatballs are usually not something to love, runny, grainy, and lacking flavor, not with these. The texture is a great selling point, they are firm, they hold together, there is flavor! The secret for the texture is oatmeal and ground flax seed meal, these ingredients actually make the meatball have some spring to them, pushing on them with a fork does not turn them in to crumbles. The flavor is due to the mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and spinach, feel free to add anchovies, cumin, and red pepper flakes.

• 8 ounces mushrooms, diced 
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup gluten free french fried onions (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup frozen spinach, defrosted

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Dice mushrooms, lightly oil cast iron skillet with oil, toss in mushrooms. Flip to brown evenly, once the mushrooms brown add salt and pepper. Move cooked mushrooms into a large bowl, or my favorite new appliance, a stand mixer.
3. In the stand mixer add to the mushrooms: oatmeal, spinach, flax seed meal, nutritional yeast, fried onions, salt, and basil. Mix on low to combine. 
4. Add turkey to the mixer, mix on low until combined. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes. This will give the oatmeal and flax seeds time to absorb moisture from the turkey, really improving texture.
5. Lightly oil a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.
6. This is where I cook a small meatball sized patty in the cast iron skillet to see if I need to add any more salt or other seasonings.
7. Using a small scoop make one inch meatballs, roll into nice circles.
8. Bake 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, the bottoms will be browned. Top with sauce of your choice, these are mild in flavor and would be great topped with tomato, buffalo, gravy, or whatever you want over meatballs. Yum! 

 For more flavor add to recipe above (read a meatball that can be eaten alone and without sauce) these are great with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar:

•  2 ounces anchovies in oil
• 2 tablespoons A1
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper