Buffalo Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Feta Ranch
Buffalo turkey meatballs are a unique twist on a game day classic, yet perfect as a weeknight dinner. They're spicy, saucey, and absolutely delicious!
Servings 5 servings
Calories 580kcal
Cost $20
Equipment
- skillet, stock pot, or dutch oven
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey (can also use ground chicken)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
For the Buffalo Sauce
- ¾ cup Frank's red hot sauce
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- a few dashes of cayenne optional, for additional heat
- ½ cup unsalted butter
For the Creamy Feta Ranch
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- cayenne optional
Instructions
For the Turkey Meatballs
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients, besides the olive oil, in a medium bowl. Mix them all together.
- Scoop out around 20 meatballs. (I used about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture for each meatball.) Set them aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, stockpot, or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the meatballs. Brown the meatballs for a few minutes or until they are perfectly golden brown and lift up easily from the bottom of the skillet.
- Flip them and brown on the other side for another few minutes. Remove browned meatballs from the stove and place them on a clean plate.
For the Buffalo Sauce
- Add all of the sauce ingredients, besides the butter, into the empty skillet. Stir them to combine.
- Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for a minute. Carefully add in the butter and whisk to combine it with the rest of the sauce.
- As the butter melts, add the meatballs back into the skillet. Coat them in the sauce.
- Cook the meatballs until they’re fully cooked in the middle, about another minute or two.
- If the sauce breaks, meaning the fat from the butter separates from the rest of the sauce, simply take the pot off the heat, remove the meatballs, and whisk the sauce to combine and thicken it again.
- Serve buffalo turkey meatballs covered in homemade buffalo sauce with a side of celery and carrot sticks, as well as creamy feta ranch for dipping.
For the Creamy Feta Ranch
- Mix together all of the ranch ingredients in a small bowl.
Notes
- Instead of ground turkey: you can use ground chicken, which has a little less poultry flavor. However, I would NOT recommend ground beef in this recipe because the additional grease and meaty flavor will overpower the sauce.
- Frank's is commonly used for buffalo sauce, but if you prefer a different hot sauce you can give it a try.
- For a blue cheese dressing: swap out the ¼ cup of feta for a ¼ cup of blue cheese crumbles instead.
- If you don't have buttermilk, you can double the sour cream instead.
- Turn the meatballs into a complete meal by serving them alongside white or brown rice, quinoa, or other grains, on top of pasta or salad, or wrapped in pita, naan, or a hoagie roll for a buffalo meatball sandwich.
Nutrition
Calories: 580kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 2057mg | Potassium: 390mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 785IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 2mg
