Quinoa Turkey Meatballs [HMC]

Remember the famous episode of *I Love Lucy*, where Lucy slowly gets overwhelmed by the chocolate factory assembly line? Everything starts out fine, but before you know it she's stuffing chocolates into her mouth just to keep up. Making meatballs can feel that way--hand-rolling them gets stultifying mighty quickly. Here, you let the soup take the place of your hands; once the soup gets to a gentle boil, use a melon baller or tablespoon to form the meatballs and plop them into the broth. The broth does all the work, poaching each meatball to a perfect, fluffy roundness. You can also bake the meatballs and serve them with a sauce--like Roasted Tomato Sauce, or Signora Francini's Salsa Verde--or with vegetables.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

To make the meatballs, whisk the egg in a bowl. Whisk in the scallions, garlic, fennel seed, lemon zest, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked quinoa and stir to combine. Add the turkey, and mix with your hands or a spatula until just combined.

Step 2

Use a melon baller or tablespoon to scoop out balls of the turkey mixture, and either poach, bake, or freeze the meatballs. To bake, evenly space the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, slip into a 400 degree oven, and bake for 20 minutes. To freeze, evenly space the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes to 1 our, until they're solid. Then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container; the meatballs will and keep for up to 2 months. THey can go straight from the freezer into a soup (simmer for about 12 minutes to paoch), or bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Step 3

Substitute ground dark-meat chicken or grass-fed beef for the turkey meat.

Step 4

Poach the meatballs in the Italian Wedding Soup or any broth. The liquid should be just below the boiling point, with its surface barely quivering. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot, and work in batches so you can keep the cooking temperature up.

Step 5

Store cooked meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Calories: 116 per serving.