If you’re looking for a light, delicious, and seasonally spiced blend of flavors – and you’re not over turkey already – try these savory autumn spiced turkey meatballs on a bed of buttery couscous!
As much as I want to keep on with the holiday baking, I also want to share some of the recipes we keep on standby around here to combat against the feeling of too-full-face. It would be so easy to lapse into the winter comfort foods we all love, all the pastas, all the sauce, all the soups, and let’s make sure to add an extra dose of cream and butter. Delicious, but…I want to fit into my clothes.
So instead of sharing a bunch of holiday baking recipes this year, I want to share one of my favorite recipes for fighting against the holiday food coma blahs that sometimes come around during these cold winter seasons. I don’t often share recipes that are complete meals, but this one is a complete meal and we often have it on repeat around here – because it’s simple and delicious and healthy, and all of the ingredients are readily available and inexpensive.
If you can’t find the veggies you need, you can always substitute a medley of canned veggies mixed together and thrown in the microwave with a pat of butter and some seasoning, or a package of Birds Eye frozen veggies – no affiliate link here, the microwave steamer packets they sell are legitimately my favorite thing to cook and serve when I can’t get fresh. I gain nothing from recommending them to you, but I absolutely do. They’re inexpensive, they’re nutritious, and when you throw the packs in the microwave, you’d never know that they were microwaved!
They’re one of those brands that if I could figure out my pitch, I’d pitch to collaborate with in a heartbeat. In the meantime, I just love their stuff and serve it up whenever I can. This recipe itself showcase a Birds Eye mixture of corn, carrots, and asparagus that we absolutely love. You seriously can’t tell it wasn’t fresh steamed veg. You can add whatever steamed veggies you want to it, whether Birds Eye or not, but I absolutely recommend their product.
Did I mention they’re not paying me? I’m an idiot. I need to figure out how to set up a collaboration with them and soon, because I seriously use their veggies in my meal plans all the time.
So here we go – let’s make some mealtime magic!
Turkey Meatballs with Couscous + Steamed Vegetables
Ingredients
For the Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/2 cup panko crumbs
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- fresh chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Couscous:
- 1 pkg couscous
- 2 cups chicken stock hot
For the Vegetables:
- 1 pkg Birds Eye steamer veggies or other veggie pack
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground turkey, panko crumbs, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, and egg. Shape into about 20 meatballs.
- Pour the couscous in a bowl. Heat chicken stock until simmering, and pour over the couscous. Cover with cling wrap and let stand and cook for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork when done, and add butter, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a large wide skillet. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook, turning often, for about 10 minutes or until they're browned all over and cooked through (165F).
- Microwave or steam the veggie pack as needed. Birds Eye packs normally go in the microwave for about 4 minutes and stand 2 minutes to cool.
- Serve up the couscous on plates, topped with meatballs, and veggies on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition
This is a really easy meal that’s light and delicious and that everyone in the family will enjoy. Or at least everyone in my family enjoys. And that’s all you can hope for, especially on a weeknight!
Here’s hoping your week is going a little more easily than mine is. It feels like everyone is trying to stuff every requirement possible in before the end of the calendar year – or more probably, before the entire government starts its massive shuffle in January before the inauguration. Fun times!
What are your favorite weeknight family pleasing meals?
