Tasty Teriyaki Turkey

Try to say that 3 times, fast! I had some ground turkey in the freezer that I wanted to use, so I went out searching for a recipe, and found this one on the Tasty Kitchen website. Baked Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs. Sounded better than turkey meatloaf did, so I decided to give it a whirl. They were actually surprising easy to make, and I served them up with white rice and a yummy side salad. I made some modifications to the original recipe, using dried, minced onions and ground ginger instead of fresh grated...but it turned out pretty dang good!

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

• 1-¼ pound Ground Turkey Meat
• ½ whole Medium Yellow Onion, Grated (I used Dried, Minced Onions)
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 teaspoons Grated Ginger (I used Ground Ginger)
• ¼ cups Chopped Italian Parsley
• ¾ teaspoons Chinese Five Spice Powder
• 1 whole Egg
• ¼ cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Of Dry Breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper

FOR THE SAUCE:

• ⅓ cups Rice Vinegar
• ¼ cups Packed Brown Sugar
• ⅓ cups Water
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• ¼ cups Canola Oil
• 2 teaspoons Minced Fresh Ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Seeds

Preparation Instructions

Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, grated onion, garlic, ginger, parsley, five-spice powder, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.

Mix well to combine. Using a 2 tablespoon portion of the turkey mixture, form meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.

Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Sauce:

In a small saucepan, combine rice vinegar, brown sugar, water, soy sauce, 1/4 cup canola oil, ginger, garlic, flour, and sesame seeds. Whisk the sauce together and place over medium heat. Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Keep warm.

At the 15 minute point, remove the meatballs from the oven and brush the meatballs liberally with the sauce. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately, with sauce.