Recipe

How to Sneak Kale into Turkey Meatballs Without Changing How It Tastes

By Crisanta Simon at University of Guelph

This video has been created in partnership with Men's Health. 

We’ve all heard of kale—it literally popped up out of nowhere in the past few years. It’s one of those new trendy superfoods. While some are unsure of its benefits, others are firm believers of the kale movement. 

Although kale has a bitter taste, it is extremely nutritious and when snuck in properly, you can barely taste it. Before we get into some of our favourite kale recipes, let’s talk about the benefits of kale. 

- High concentrations of Vitamin A, K and C, all of which are excellent antioxidants and have a wide variety of benefits including: growth, development and reducing the risk of cancer

- Rich in minerals (such as copper, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, and iron)

- Lowers blood cholesterol levels

- Reduces risks of heart disease

You can literally put kale in EVERYTHING, and it will taste so good. You can add it into pasta sauces, soups, smoothies and even these turkey quinoa meatballs.

Turkey and Kale Meatballs

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
  • 5 chives
  • 1 jalapeño
  • 1 cup kale
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 lb. extra lean ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 3 large eggs

Step 1

Finely chop garlic, onion, kale, spinach, chives and jalapeño.

Crisanta Simon

Step 2

Put chopped vegetables into a bowl with ground turkey. Add tomato paste, eggs and a handful of breadcrumbs to mixture.

Crisanta Simon

Step 3

Cook quinoa and once cooled, add to mixture (find directions on how to cook quinoa here).

Christin Urso

Step 4

Season with salt, pepper, chili powder and crushed chili flakes.

Jennifer Elias

Step 5

Use your hands and mix the contents of the bowl.

Step 6

Spoon out bits of mixture and shape into a ball.

Tiffany Guan

Step 7

Put a skillet on medium-high and add butter. Add meatballs to the skillet once the butter starts to sizzle.

Crisanta Simon

Step 8

Cook until golden brown on all sides (approximately 6-7 minutes on each side). Be sure to lower the heat so that the meatballs don't burn.

Crisanta Simon