The Secret To Making Meatballs From Canned Turkey In A Pinch

When you don't have the time to prep meatballs just like mamma used to make them, pre-cooked canned turkey can be a life saver. Simply chop it up, add in your seasonings, shape, and fry to upgrade your ready-to-use tinned protein in minutes. However, there's one secret to making them even better — avoid incorporating ingredients that need to be cooked through, like beaten egg, and stick to using flavorful add-ins such as fresh herbs and dried spices.

While eggs are the perfect binders for meatballs made with fresh ground beef or chicken, they aren't suitable for mixing into canned turkey. This is because canned turkey is fully cooked — it doesn't need to simmer in a bubbling sauce to become deliciously tender; any raw eggs added into the mixture may not have enough time to cook through. The same rules goes for chunkier add-ins, such as chopped onion or minced garlic, that need a lengthier cook time to soften and mellow. 

The key to making turkey meatballs is to incorporate seasonings before shaping and searing them so the surface browns evenly and develops a delicious flavor. This guarantees that the protein remains succulent, which is especially important when cooking with turkey because it's a lean, low-fat white meat that easily dries out if cooked for a lengthy period. Serving your meatballs Swedish style with a cream sauce or in a broth can also combat some of that dryness, lending your dish a satisfying texture and moisture.

An easy way to add more flavor and moisture to meatballs made with canned turkey is to incorporate a panade, a blend of mashed bread that's been soaked in milk. Featured in this recipe for baked turkey meatballs, a sticky panade hydrates the mixture, which helps the shreds of protein to bind together, resulting in a juicier end product. Moreover, because it doesn't contain any raw ingredients, the panade only needs to be warmed through, which occurs when the meatballs are seared and speedily simmered in their accompanying sauce.

If making a panade doesn't tickle your fancy, try stuffing each of your canned-turkey meatballs with a small piece of mozzarella to combat the inherent dryness of the canned turkey meat. As your meatballs reach a piping hot temperature, the cheese will melt and ooze out once your polpetta are split open. Pretty flecks of green herbs are also a fantastic addition to canned turkey because they lift the appearance of turkey meatballs while imbuing them with an inviting fragrance. Moreover, because the meatballs are cooked at speed, any delicate herbs that tend to lose their flavor when exposed to high heat, are able to retain their appetizing aroma.