Which one are you?

Are you a bowl person or a plate person? Strange question, right? I know… but I am curious. I am a bowl person. If a I am eating a pasta dish or a rice dish with the sauce/meat/veggies served over it I want it all in a bowl. So I can stir and mix and mash and so every flavor of can mesh and mingle together. Now if I were having a meal with a meat and two sides of course I want a plate with everything separated. But if I am eating Sheppard’s Pie, stir-fry, or Eric’s Yellow Rice Dinner, I want a bowl. Eric is the same way (good thing)! Bowls make things less messy- you don’t have to worry about your food sliding off you plate and you can really get in there and dig deep. Are you like me and prefer bowls over plates sometimes, or is this a crazy/weird little habit/obsession and Eric and I are the only ones? Or have you never really put much thought into it? (I guess now that I think about it, in some situations a plate is preferred for all things because it is more classy/elegant or better for food styling.)

Well these Sweet-and-Sour Turkey Meatballs fall into that category of meals that must be eaten out of bowl. There is the rice, the meatballs, and the sauce/veggie mixture. Eric and I thought these were good but there is a sweet-and-sour chicken recipe and sweet-and-sour meatball recipe that I make regularly (I keep meaning to take pictures and blog about these recipes but they are those ‘go-to’ recipes for a busy night when you are starving and want a quick meal and I always forget to take pictures) that we both think is better. We did love the turkey meatballs in this dish. A lot of people don’t like to cook with ground poultry because it can be dry and flavorless. But if you know what ingredients to add to the turkey to make it more moist and flavorful, turkey/chicken is usually a better option (and what I prefer) because it is cheaper and healthier. These meatballs have zucchini added to them (perfect to get a picky eater to eat extra veggies and perfect since zucchini season is coming up and everyone needs extra recipes to use the over abundance of zucchini) which help make these turkey meatballs moist!

Notes: Another thing we didn’t like about this recipe is how runny the sauce was. I even let the sauce cook a little bit longer than suggested and made a roux to try and thicken it up but it was still pretty thin. I would suggest using a little less of the chicken broth.

Sweet-and-Sour Turkey Meatballs
Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 30 minutes Makes: 4 Servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 sweet green pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks, packed in juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1 slice white bread
2 tablespoons milk
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 medium-size zucchini, shredded
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups quick-cook rice

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion, green pepper and carrot; sauté 5 minutes, until onion is softened.
Remove cooked veggies from pan. Add butter to pan and melt. Stir in flour. Continue to stir making sure all lumps are out .

Stir in broth, tomato sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, pineapple with juice and ketchup. Add previously cooked onion, green pepper, and carrot to pan of liquids. Simmer, uncovered, 10 – 12 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, soak bread in milk in large bowl until milk is absorbed. Add turkey, zucchini, egg, salt, pepper and garlic. Shape turkey mixture into 10-12 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each.

Drop meatballs into simmering sauce; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until cooked through; turn over once during cooking.

Remove from heat. Serve over rice.

recipe adapted from Family Circle All Time Favorite Recipes