Juicy Meatballs in Lemon Sauce
I created this recipe to be made during a weeknight in 30 minutes. Since the weather is getting warmer, this lighter meatball dish replaces heavy meatballs in marinara. The bright flavor of lemon goes well with ground chicken or turkey.
Anita Sankar, Create Cooking Challenge: Easy Peasy Top 10 finalist, WLIW viewer
Recipe Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey or chicken
- 1/4 cup grated yellow onion
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 lemon (you will use 1 tbsp lemon zest and 1/4 cup lemon juice)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1.5 cups plus 2 tbsps water
Recipe Instructions
- Using a peeler, peel lemon and finely chop rind to equal 1 tbsp.
- Put ground meat in a bowl and add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, onion, parsley and lemon zest. Mix well.
- Use an ice cream scoop to get even sized meatballs, about 10-12.
- Heat up a wide pan and add olive oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs and fry them on all sides until brown, about 10 minutes. You may need to do this in two batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan as the meatballs will steam instead of brown. Set them aside when done.
- Pour in 1.5 cups of water, scrape up all the fond or brown bits. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. When it comes up to a boil, add the meatballs, cover and simmer for 5 minutes to fully cook them.
- Put 1 tbsp cornstarch in a bowl and add 2 tbsps cold water, mix well.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the pot slowly while stirring. Boil for a minute. Add 2 tbsps chopped parsley.
- These saucy and satisfying meatballs are great served over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.
