These healthy turkey meatballs are first baked in the oven and then mixed with a super delicious red pepper sauce. I learned how to cook this red pepper sauce when I was living in Austria. I had a friend who cooked the most amazing stuffed bell peppers with this super delicious red pepper sauce.
This time I decided to pair the sauce with healthy turkey meatballs and it turned out amazing!
Don’t worry about the number of ingredients. This recipe is really easy to make.
For the sauce, you just need to put the liquids, spices, and red bell pepper chunks in a pot and cook it for about 40 minutes.
In the meantime, you can make the meatballs. Once the meatballs are in the oven, puree the peppers. Then place the meatballs into the sauce and you are done.
This recipe (or should I say these 2 recipes? ) is very versatile. You can use the sauce recipe with other dishes or serve the healthy turkey meatballs with a different kind of sauce.
To keep this meal healthy, serve the meatballs over healthy grains such as black rice, barley, quinoa, or buckwheat, or with roasted vegetables.
Turkey Meatballs in Red Pepper Sauce
This Turkey Meatballs in Red Pepper Sauce Recipe is very versatile. You can use the sauce recipe with other dishes or serve the meatballs with a different kind of sauce. Tastes great over healthy grains such as quinoa or buckwheat, or with roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
For the Red Pepper Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp coconut sugar or regular white sugar
- 1 Tbsp red paprika
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 4 large red bell peppers, cored and chopped into large chunks
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 pound ground turkey
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 free range egg
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to caramelize, for about 6 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, white vinegar, sugar, red paprika and garlic powder. Mix to combine and add the bell pepper. Stir so that the bell pepper is covered in the broth and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook for 40 minutes until the pepper is soft.
- Puree the peppers using an immersion blender or transfer the peppers into a kitchen processor and blend until smooth. (I prefer a food processor, I think it does a better job. On the other hand, an immersion blender is more convenient).
- Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper if desired.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400F.
- Place the ground turkey in a bowl. Add the tomato paste, egg, bread crumbs, garlic powder and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Using a tablespoon or your hands, scoop the turkey mixture and form it into small meatballs. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet setting them 1 inch apart. Bake the meatballs for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.
- Transfer the meatballs into the sauce. Bring to a simmer and turn off the heat.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 4 meatballsAmount Per Serving Calories 299Total Fat 14.8gSaturated Fat 3.3gTrans Fat 0.1gUnsaturated Fat 10.1gCholesterol 105.5mgSodium 574.6mgCarbohydrates 15.6gFiber 3.2gSugar 8gProtein 26g
Nutrition facts provided on this website are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a qualified health care provider for personalized diet advice and make sure that each of the ingredients is allowed in your diet.
Lyla
Saturday 5th of October 2019
I love this recipe so much.
Nicole
Tuesday 19th of June 2018
Looks delicious! How much sauce does this recipe make?
Maria Ushakova
Tuesday 19th of June 2018
Hmm, it's a good question. I've never measured the sauce. Enough for this amount of meatballs. I think maybe about 1.5 to 2 cups of sauce depending on how juicy the bell peppers are.
Cat Crain
Wednesday 14th of October 2015
This was my first time to the site (thank you Pinterest!) and after trying this one out, I can't wait to try more!! Super delicious and healthy too!!!
Maria Ushakova
Thursday 15th of October 2015
So glad you like this recipe! Thank you for letting me know. It made my day :)
Carol Borchardt
Friday 23rd of January 2015
Yum! Love great meatball recipes, especially turkey and the sauce sounds amazing!
Maria Ushakova
Saturday 24th of January 2015
Thanks Carol! Coming from a professional chef, your comment means a lot to me :)
Anne|Craving Something Healthy
Friday 23rd of January 2015
This red pepper sauce looks amazing Maria! Can't wait to try this. Gorgeous photos!
Maria Ushakova
Friday 23rd of January 2015
Thanks Anne! It was delicious. I am very happy with the photos. Although, I have to say that this sauce is very easy to photograph because of the color.