Skillet Turkey Meatballs with White Beans in Tomato Sauce
- Total
- 47 min
- Active
- 15 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- easy
Ground turkey is lean enough to dry out fast, so these meatballs get a milk-soaked panko panade to stay tender, then finish cooking right in the sauce instead of the oven. White beans go in alongside them, so there's no second pot of rice or pasta needed to make it a full meal — just bread, if you want something to mop up the sauce with.
Ingredients
Method
-
Stir the panko and milk together in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes so the crumbs soften — this keeps the lean turkey from turning dense.
5 min -
In a large bowl, combine the turkey, soaked panko, egg, parmesan, 1 clove of the garlic, 2 tbsp of the parsley, 1/2 tsp of the salt and the pepper. Mix just until combined, then shape into 16 meatballs about the size of a golf ball. Overworking the mixture is what makes meatballs tough, so handle it as little as you can.
10 min -
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in two batches, turning every couple of minutes, until coloured on all sides, about 5 minutes a batch. They don't need to cook through yet — set them aside on a plate.
10 min -
Lower the heat to medium and add the onion to the fat left in the pan. Cook until soft and starting to turn gold, 4 minutes, then stir in the remaining garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
5 min -
Add the oregano, red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes and stock, scraping up the browned bits stuck to the pan — that's where a lot of the flavour is. Bring to a simmer.
3 min -
Nestle the meatballs back into the sauce along with the white beans. Cover, lower the heat so it's just simmering, and cook until the meatballs reach 165°F (74°C) in the centre and the sauce has thickened enough to cling to a spoon, 12 to 14 minutes.
13 min -
Stir in the remaining parsley and remaining salt to taste. Serve straight from the skillet, with extra parmesan grated over if you want it.
1 min
Substitutions
- Ground turkey — Ground chicken works the same way and is a little more forgiving if you're worried about dryness.
- White beans — Cannellini, navy or great northern beans are interchangeable here.
- Panko breadcrumbs — Fine fresh breadcrumbs work just as well; skip the soak and mix them in dry if that's what you have.
Storing leftovers
Keeps up to 4 days in the fridge in a sealed container. The sauce thickens as it sits, so add a splash of stock or water when reheating gently on the stove or in the microwave. The meatballs also freeze well in their sauce for up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Questions
Can I bake the meatballs instead of browning them in the skillet?
Yes — bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, then transfer them to the sauce to finish simmering. You'll lose some of the browned bits that flavour the sauce, but it's a hands-off option.
Why did my meatballs turn out dense?
Overmixing is the usual cause. Combine the ingredients just until they hold together and shape the meatballs loosely.
The sauce is too thin — how do I thicken it?
Simmer it uncovered for the last few minutes, or mash a few of the white beans against the side of the pan — they break down and thicken the sauce without any extra ingredients.
What should I serve this with?
Crusty bread for mopping up the sauce is enough. Rice or a simple green salad works too, though the beans already make it a full meal on their own.