Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs in Sage Gravy
If you’re hosting a small Thanksgiving, or you need to bring a dish to Friendsgiving, skip the bird and make these turkey meatballs in sage gravy instead! It’s a much cheaper, less messy, no-fuss way to serve turkey at Thanksgiving but still include the traditional Thanksgiving flavors!
An Easy Alternative to Thanksgiving Turkey: Turkey Meatballs and Sage Gravy
I truly do LOVE cooking Thanksgiving turkey, but for the past few years, I have felt very burnt out around holiday time. I live very far away from family, so Thanksgiving for the past few years has included dinner for two or potlucks with random friends and neighbors. I haven’t had the time or energy to cook an entire 15+ pound bird, but I still love turkey and Thanksgiving flavors. So, I came up with a super easy alternative to have my turkey and eat it, too: Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs!
Why you’ll love Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs
If you hate fussing over cooking a giant turkey for Thanksgiving, try this easier, cheaper way to serve Turkey for the holiday. No more letting your bird thaw for days, brining meat for 18 hours, or making a mess in your kitchen when it comes time to carving the bird. Meatballs are EASY to make. So easy, anyone can do it. They come together in minutes and make virtually no mess – all you really need is one mixing bowl, a plate, and a large skillet. These meatballs still have all of the flavor of Thanksgiving because they’re served in a luscious, easy to make sage gravy.
Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs: An Easier Alternative for your Thanksgiving Menu
Meatballs are so easy to make, and a homemade gravy is incredibly simple. This whole dish comes together in under 30 minutes, so you can skip the hours (or days) of Thanksgiving turkey prep and cooking. Whether you’re hosting dinner for two, bringing this dish to a Friendsgiving pot luck, or you simply want some comforting holiday flavors for a cozy, easy weeknight meal, you’ll absolutely love these Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Meatball ingredients:
- GROUND TURKEY: Use 85=93$ lean ground turkey. Don’t use anything leaner or your meatballs will come out quite dry! You can also use ground chicken, pork, beef, or plant-based meat if you’re not a fan of turkey.
- ONION: Onion adds some flavor and moisture to meatballs. Instead of adding raw, I sauté them first.
- GARLIC: You can never go wrong with garlic!
- BREADCRUMBS: Plain breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs work well.
- THYME: I love adding fresh thyme to these meatballs!
- EGG: An egg helps to bind the ingredients together and add some moistrue.
- CHEESE: I like to add about 1/4-1/2 cup shredded Gruyere to my meatballs. This is totally optional.
Sage Gravy Ingredients:
- BUTTER AND FLOUR: Use butter + flour to make a roux!
- SAGE: Adds flavor and aroma to your gravy.
- WHITE COOKING WINE: Use any white wine you have on hand. Since we don’t drink, I have cooking wine in my pantry.
- STOCK: If you can find turkey stock, use that instead. For a more accessible option, use chicken stock to make your gravy.
How to Store Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop, in the microwave, or oven until warmed through.
How to Freeze Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs
You can freeze meatballs cooked or uncooked! If you freeze them uncooked, line them on a parchment lined baking sheet first and pop them in the freezer until they firm up a bit (about an hour). Then place them in a large freezer zip-top bag. Let them thaw before you cook them. You can also freeze baked meatballs and save them in an air-tight container or zip-top freezer bag. The gravy can also be frozen and thawed for later use. Add gravy to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer.
What to Serve with Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs
You can serve all of your favorite Thanksgiving sides with these meatballs! Stuffing, cornbread, green bean casserole, roasted brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, and my personal favorite, white cheddar mac and cheese!
Equipment for Turkey Meatballs:
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Microplane
- Measuring cups for liquid
- Measuring cups for dry ingredients
- Mixing bowl
- Large skillet
- Whisk
Turkey Meatballs in Sage Gravy | A No-Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Meatballs
- Cuisine: American
Description
A no-fuss alternative to Thanksgiving turkey! This Thanksgiving-inspired meatball recipe is great whether you’re cooking a meal for an easy weeknight dinner or you’re bringing a dish to a potluck. Meatballs are coated in a luscious sage gravy. Serve with mac and cheese or your favorite Thanksgiving sides!
Equipment:
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 white or yellow onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1lb ground turkey
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup shredded gruyere
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For the Gravy:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 6–8 sage leaves
- 2 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp white cooking wine
- 1 cup turkey or chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the onion and garlic. In a skillet over medium heat, heat 1/2 tbsp oil. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the meatballs. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, gruyere, thyme, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix until just combined. Form 1.5 oz balls and set aside on a plate (1lb of ground turkey should yield about 10 meatballs).
- Cook the meatballs. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat about 2 tbsp oil. Add meatballs to the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes until browned, then flip and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate. The meatballs do not need to be fully cooked through yet!
- Make the gravy: In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add butter. When butter is melted, add sage leaves and toss them around in the butter. Let the sage cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove the sage and set aside. Add flour and whisk into the butter to create a roux, cooking until it begins to turn golden in color. Add in the cooking wine and continue whisking until smooth. Slowly add in the stock and return the sage to the skillet. Whisk constantly and scrape up any browned bits in the skillet. Bring the gravy to a simmer for 4-5 minutes until it begins to thicken.
- Cook the meatballs in the gravy: Return the meatballs to the skillet and toss them in the gravy. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat until meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve over mashed potatoes, with a side of mac and cheese and roasted veggies, or bring these to a holiday pot luck!
Notes
- If you can find turkey stock in your local grocery story, use that for turkey flavored gravy! If you can’t find turkey stock, chicken is just fine!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 582
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 1620.9 mg
- Fat: 36.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.1 g
- Protein: 41 g
- Cholesterol: 205.2 mg
