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    Home » Entree

    Healthy Leftover Turkey Mushroom Meatballs

    November 13, 2018 by Chrissy Carroll 22 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Who else always buys a way-too-big turkey for Thanksgiving?  I’m not sure why I feel a 15-pound turkey is necessary for my tiny family of 3, but hey – it was $5.87 on sale so I’m going to roll with it. 😉 Of course, after that bird is cooked and I have about 10 pounds of leftover meat, I’m always on the hunt for good leftover turkey recipes.  These turkey mushroom meatballs are a favorite!

    Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by Monterey Mushrooms.  As always, all opinions are my own.

    Why these turkey mushroom meatballs are great for active folks

    Whether you’re a weekend warrior doing winter road races or you’re hitting up the gym to focus on strength work right now, these leftover turkey meatballs can help support your fitness goals. 

    In particular, a serving…

    • Clocks in at just 234 calories, making it a great base for building a healthy lunch or dinner
    • Is loaded with veggies – mushrooms, sweet potato, and carrots!
    • Contains 22 grams of protein, helping with muscle repair after those gym sessions as well as keeping you full longer
    • Contains 11% of your daily iron needs, especially important for female athletes
    • Packs in 12% of your daily potassium needs, an electrolyte involved in muscle contraction and blood pressure regulation.

    And of course, even if you aren’t active, these remain an excellent, nutritious choice for everyone! (And a great way to reduce food waste by making something new out of your leftovers).

    Leftover turkey meatballs with cranberry sauce

    How to make these leftover turkey meatballs

    This recipe really couldn’t be any easier.  You’ll just take a bunch of your leftover turkey and chop it up finely – or, if your food processor is always on the counter like mine is, just pop it in there!  Pulse it a few times so it looks more like ground meat and you’re good to go.

    As a heads up, I like to use a combination of about half light meat and half dark meat turkey for these, as I usually end up with plenty of each leftover.  But if you only have one or the other, that’s fine – it’ll work!

    Then you’ll mix that up turkey with the rest of your ingredients – Let’s Blend finely diced mushrooms, eggs, cooked sweet potato, carrots, olive oil, milk, and leftover stuffing.  Roll it into meatballs, bake it, and you’re ready to enjoy!  Start to finish, you can get these on the table in under 40 minutes.

    A sheet pan full of turkey mushroom meatballs

    Because these have a little bit of a sweeter side to them with the carrots and sweet potato, I love serving them with this healthy cranberry sauce.  The tartness pairs quite well.

    But really, you can serve them with whatever dip your family likes.  My kiddo likes these with ketchup (though I wouldn’t put a ton of faith in that; he would eat ketchup by the spoon).  My husband likes them with gravy.  I’ve even had them with a little applesauce on top and it weirdly works well.

    a hand dipping a healthy turkey meatball in cranberry sauce

    Why blend turkey and mushrooms together?

    Because they’re ah-mazing together, that’s why!  For real though, the combo is so much better than turkey alone in a meatball.

    You might notice that I specifically use Let’s Blend mushrooms for this leftover turkey recipe.  Essentially, Let’s Blend is package of pre-chopped, seasoned mushrooms that comes in three varieties – classic, Italian, and Mexican.  (And I love them all!)

    These are not much more expensive than whole mushrooms at the store – yet it saves a bunch of time compared to chopping, sautéing, and seasoning them yourself.  And by mixing them with different types of meat, you’re able to a) stretch your meat further, b) add a nutritious veggie to your meal, and c) enhance the texture and taste (hello, umami!).

    Find out where you can buy Let’s Blend here, and be sure to check out other recipe ideas using the product on the Monterey Mushrooms website.

    A plate with healthy turkey mushroom meatballs next to a package of lets blend mushrooms

    I hope you enjoy this recipe – be sure to rate it if you try it, or pin it for later so you can come back to it after Thanksgiving!

    Healthy leftover turkey mushroom meatballs

    Healthy Leftover Turkey Mushroom Meatballs

    Snacking in Sneakers
    These healthy leftover turkey mushroom meatballs are a perfect way to use up any extra turkey from your holiday dinners!
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 5
    Calories 234 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    For the meatballs:

    • 2 cups leftover cooked turkey
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 package Let’s Blend Italian finely diced mushrooms
    • 1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed
    • ½ cup shredded carrots (a smaller shred is ideal but any will work)
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 3 tbsp milk
    • ½ cup leftover cooked stuffing (or breadcrumbs or oats)

    For serving:

    • Cranberry sauce

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    • Either chop the cooked turkey finely, or place cooked turkey in the food processor and pulse a few times so it’s ground up a bit.
    • In a large bowl, whisk the two eggs. Add your turkey, Let’s Blend, sweet potato, carrots, olive oil, milk, and stuffing to the bowl. Stir until everything is well combined.
    • Shape into meatballs and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool before removing from pan with a spatula. Serve with cranberry sauce.

    Notes

    Notes:
    • This recipe makes approximately 15 large meatballs, and one serving = 3 large meatballs.
    • If you use breadcrumbs or oats in this instead of stuffing, you may need to add a little extra milk – as cooked stuffing already has a bit of moisture in it.
    • Be sure to let the meatballs cool before removing from the pan, as it helps prevent crumbling.
     
    Nutrition analysis (per serving of 3 meatballs, does not include cranberry sauce):
    234 calories, 8.5 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 515 mg sodium, 15.5 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 22 g protein, Vitamin A: 194%, Vitamin C: 14%, Calcium: 6%, Iron: 11%, Potassium: 12%

    Nutrition

    Calories: 234kcal
    Keyword healthy turkey meatballs, leftover turkey meatballs, turkey mushroom meatballs
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Share with me:  What’s your favorite type of leftover turkey recipe?  If you tried these leftover turkey mushroom meatballs, what did you think?

     
    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Chrissy Carroll
    Chrissy Carroll
    Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing nutrition and fitness tips, as well as recipes, for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.
    Chrissy Carroll
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    Comments

    1. Noelle

      November 15, 2018 at 7:49 pm

      5 stars
      Tried this today, it was amazing!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        November 20, 2018 at 6:39 am

        Yay, thanks Noelle!

        Reply
    2. Wilhelmina

      November 15, 2018 at 9:06 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a great way to use up leftovers! I will be looking for this product!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        November 20, 2018 at 6:39 am

        Awesome! Definitely check out the Let’s Blend mushrooms, I use them SO much in my kitchen these days!

        Reply
    3. Dini

      November 15, 2018 at 11:35 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a fantastic idea. I always end up making boring sandwiches with leftovers, but these meatballs sound so much better, and really healthy too! I’m SO making these next week, thank you so much for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        November 20, 2018 at 6:39 am

        I like boring sandwiches too though, haha! But always nice to mix things up. Enjoy them with your leftovers!

        Reply
    4. Abeer Rizvi

      November 29, 2018 at 12:18 am

      5 stars
      This is such a smart idea! I don’t like wasting any leftovers.

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        December 3, 2018 at 9:49 am

        Same – it pains me to throw away food. This is a great way to re-purpose!

        Reply
    5. Marisa Moore

      December 3, 2018 at 10:51 am

      5 stars
      Yum! I made something similar for Friendsgiving using cranberries and all the stuffing ingredients. I like your method to use up all of the leftover stuffing!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        December 9, 2018 at 3:58 pm

        Thanks Marisa! It’s always nice to have different options to use up leftovers!

        Reply
    6. Lisa | Garlic & Zest

      December 3, 2018 at 10:55 am

      5 stars
      I haven’t seen this brand of mushrooms in the market before, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout. Anything to make meal prep easier, right?

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        December 9, 2018 at 3:58 pm

        Yes! And the best part is they only cost a tiny bit more compared to regular mushrooms – but they save you so much time and are already seasoned!

        Reply
    7. Elaine

      December 3, 2018 at 11:07 am

      5 stars
      Loving all the healthy veggies in these meatballs! Pinning to save for Boxing Day!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        December 9, 2018 at 3:58 pm

        Awesome – enjoy!

        Reply
    8. Jessica Formicola

      December 3, 2018 at 11:11 am

      5 stars
      My family would love these meatballs! I can’t wait to make them!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        December 9, 2018 at 3:58 pm

        Hope you guys love them.

        Reply
    9. Taylor Kiser

      December 3, 2018 at 11:57 am

      5 stars
      These look delicious! What a great way to use leftover turkey!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        December 9, 2018 at 3:59 pm

        Thanks Taylor!

        Reply
    10. Diane

      September 16, 2019 at 5:24 pm

      Do these freeze well?

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        September 16, 2019 at 7:21 pm

        Great question – I probably wouldn’t freeze them since you’re using cooked turkey and re-cooking it for the meatballs – then freezing would mean a third cook cycle which probably would dry ’em out. I think they’re a better “day after Thanksgiving” kind of meal.

        If you did want a freezer-friendly version I bet you could do these with raw ground turkey though, cook them through (until the meatballs reach a min temp of 165 degrees), and then freeze those. You might just need to adjust the ratio of ingredients here – I’d probably use a pound of ground turkey and cut out one of the eggs and milk – and see how the texture looks.

        Reply
    11. Lyn

      September 2, 2020 at 5:27 pm

      Please I love that this ask re your opinion is for people that have tried it. I love that people are enthusiastic but try it first as your rating depends overall on what you’ve rated it and not know that you actually didn’t try it.
      So I made them tonight and followed the recipe using crumbs as I had not stuffing (but I will try that version). I loved, loved them and served them some just made Bacon, Tomato Jam which I found addictive. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        September 8, 2020 at 11:26 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them Lyn! LOVE the idea of bacon tomato jam on top – going to try that asap!!

        Reply

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    Welcome to Snacking in Sneakers! That's me, Chrissy, and I'm here to share all my favorite fitness, food, & wellness stories & tips. I'm a dietitian, personal trainer, runner, triathlon coach, foodie, not-so-extreme couponer, and all around fun lovin' gal.

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