The Meatball Shop's Gobble Gobble Balls and Garlic Croutons

The Perfect Thanksgiving Meatballs

Meatball Shop owners Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow discuss their new book.

From the kitchen of The Meatball Shop

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Servings:Over 8

Difficulty: Easy

Cook Time: 30-60 min

Try these delicious Thanksgiving inspired meatballs tonight.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds ground turkey

2 cups garlic croutons (see below) or stuffing cubes

1 cup dried cranberries

2 large eggs

¼ cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoons salt

Pinch of ground cinnamon

For the garlic croutons:

1 large loaf stale country bread, crusts removed

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup fresh oregano, finely chopped

¼ cup olive oil

Salt

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.

Combine the ground turkey, croutons, cranberries, eggs, bread crumbs, sage, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-size meatballs (about 1 ½ inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.

Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.

Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

For the garlic croutons:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Tear the bread into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the garlic and oregano and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss gently to combine and season with salt.

Place the croutons on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Stir and continue to bake until the croutons are golden brown and crunchy, checking and stirring every 5 minutes.

This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.

From the book, THE MEATBALL SHOP COOKBOOK by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow. Copyright (c) 2011 by Michael Holzman and Daniel Chernow. Reprinted by arrangement with Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved."