Protein, veggies, and fruit packed, these Turkey, Kale, & Apple Meatballs come together in less than 30 minutes and are paleo, gluten free, and Whole30 compliant!
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It’s about time I get this recipe up on the blog! I made these meatballs for a client of mine and he raved about them. If you are thinking client, what client? Well if you didn’t know, I just started a healthy meal delivery service! Pretty much I am making healthy meals for people based on their likes, dislikes, needs, and activity level. Right now it is just people at my CrossFit and it has only been two weeks, but I am loving it so far! You can find some examples of my meals here and here. So if you are in the Austin area and need some healthy meals prepped for ya, let me know!
Anyways, I make these the other week and after getting great reviews I decided to share them with y’all. I made a batch for myself because I needed to see what all the hype was about and loved them. I added a sauce this time because all meatballs should have sauce. My go to is always tahini so that is what I did here. The apple gives it a little sweet to balance out the savoriness. My favorite brand of tahini is Soom – if you are looking to try it, use this link to save 10%.
These are paired with a zucchini noodle, but you can pair with anything you like. I think sweet potato noodles with be great or just some roasted potatoes. They make for great meal prep for lunches or just an easy protein packed healthy snack. One morning I even topped them with an egg for a quick breakfast!
If you don’t want to use your oven, you could also panfry them! Cooking them in a cast iron would add the perfect crispy brown to the outside while keeping the inside juicy! And for a less fat, try using 99% lean ground turkey. I think a little fat keeps them moist (sorry if you hate that word ha), but either one will work!
Turkey, Kale, & Apple Meatballs with Apple Tahini Sauce
ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey breast - I used 93% lean
- 1 medium apple, diced (120 grams)
- 3 cups packed kale, chopped (100 grams)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon avocado oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon tahini
- 2 tablespoons applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- salt, to taste
instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat a medium-large sauté pan over medium heat. Add avocado oil and let it get hot, about 30 seconds. Add kale sauté for 2 minutes. Add apples and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add to a medium sized bowl and let cool for a minute.
- Add ground turkey, coconut flour, and seasonings to the same bowl. Mix to combine. Using a tablespoon as a scoop, form into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- While the meatballs bake, make the sauce. Add all ingredients into a small jar or cup and blend with an immersion blender for 1 minute until combined. You can also add it to a blender.
- Place meatballs over noddles of choice and top with sauce. Enjoy!
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I made these for my picky 4 year old the other day, and he absolutely loved them! These are a hit in my house, a great afternoon summer snack or dinner with marinara too. The taste of the kale is hidden underneath the stronger turkey flavor! Thanks Kelly- love your blog
Xo Robyn
Yay!! So happy to hear that Robyn, thank you so so much!
WANT TO MAKE THESE TOO — ANY SUBSTITUTES YOU CAN THINK OF COCONUT FLOUR AND AMINOS?
any suggestions?
Yes! You can just leave out the coconut flour in the meatballs! As for the coconut aminos, that is a tough one if you want to keep it Whole30 complaint. I would maybe just try a little balsamic vinegar (maybe like a tablespoon and adjust accordingly). Or you can just leave it out all together! If not Whole30 compliant, you can use a gluten free soy sauce!
awesome thank you so much!!
Ok I miiiiiiight fly to Austin just so you can make these for me!!! Such a great, inventive Whole30 recipe!
Yes come to Austin and I’ll make some for you 🙂 Thanks Chrissa!
Turkey and apple go so well together. It’s been a while since I made turkey meatballs – I typically stick with a mixture of ground sirloin and chicken. I’ll have to give these a try next time. 🙂
Yes I love adding a little sweet to savory dishes! I need to try ground sirloin and chicken meatballs, sounds so good!
I think it is SO incredible Kelly that you do meals for other people as a small side business; that is the BEST business ever!
Thanks Emily! I am really enjoying it so far! Feels awesome to be making a positive impact in their lives!
sounds great
I think you guys need to make them for your new healthy eating ways 🙂