Hungarian Turkey Meatballs
A light, spicy, and creamy version of a traditional Hungarian classic goulash sauce using turkey meatballs and orzo in a cast iron skillet.
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet or oven-safe deep skillet/pot
Ingredients
For the Turkey Meatballs
- 1 lb Ground turkey
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 medium Onion, chopped
- 1/2 each Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers (the variation is your choice, so a total of 1 1/2 peppers, chopped
- 1/2 Long hot pepper -Chinese/Turkish style), chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs or 2 slices of white bread soaked in milk for 10 mins
- 1/4 cup Tomato sauce
- 1 large Egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup Parsley
- 1 tsp Red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 pinch Caraway seeds, optional
- 1 tbsp butter
For the Sauce
- 3 tbsp Olive oil for cooking
- 1 medium Onion, chopped
- 2 Bell peppers, chopped --preferred variety--
- 1 Long hot pepper, chopped
- 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 cup White wine
- 1/2 cup Tomato sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Pinch Caraway seed, optional
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1.5 cups Chicken stock
For the Orzo
- 1 cup Orzo
- 2 cups Water, boiled
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- Pinch Salt
For the Finish
- Additional Olive oil
- Additional Chicken stock (if sauce needs thinning)
- Additional Parmesan cheese to taste
- 1/2 cup Sour cream
- Any additional seasoning to taste
- 1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Combine all ingredients except butter and olive oil and form 20-24 meatballs with your hands (or whatever size you like or best fits in your skillet). Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
- In your cast iron skillet, heat to medium high and add olive oil and butter. Once pan is hot, add the meatballs and brown on both sides, about 5-7 mins each side. You may need to lower heat slightly if too dark (like some of mine!) and/or add additional olive oil. Set aside and allow to drain on paper towels.
For the Sauce
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In the same pan, add olive oil and heat to medium. Saute onions, peppers, and garlic until translucent and soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste, turn the heat to high and add the white wine. Allow to bubble and stir, scraping up any turkey bits leftover from the meatballs. Once the alcohol reduces, about 8-10 minutes, lower the heat back to medium.
- Add the tomato sauce, spices, and mix together. Add in the chicken stock and turn up the heat to near high and allow the sauce to boil. Once it does, add in the bay leaf and lower to a gentle, but solid simmer. Add the turkey meatballs back in and move the skillet to the oven for 30 minutes. Check throughout and make sure the meatballs aren't getting too dark; you may want to cover with foil.
For the Orzo
- While the meatballs are in the oven, in a separate sauce pan, saute the orzo on medium-low heat, along with a squeeze of olive oil, pinch of salt, and one minced clove of garlic. Move the orzo around to toast for 5 minutes, while you boil water.
- Turn up the heat and add in 2 cups of already boiling water to the orzo. Once mixed in, turn the heat to medium/high and cover, simmering for about 8-9 minutes, until all the water is evaporated.
For the Finish
- Take the skillet from the oven (watch out, you may forgot how hot it is!) Remove the meatballs for a moment, and put the skillet on medium/low heat. Remove the bay leaf and add the orzo into the skillet. Incorporate the orzo into the sauce by mixing.
- Depending on the amount of sauce, you may need to add a little more chicken stock. Add in a little more Parmesan if you're a cheese hound like me, any additional seasoning needed.
- Add in the sour cream and mix into the sauce until the color is a lovely creamy orange.
- Add the meatballs back in on top and remove from heat. Sprinkle parsley over the top and serve while hot!
Notes
- When making turkey meatballs, make sure to refrigerate the prepped meatballs, since the turkey will be too soft to saute and might fall apart. With refrigeration, I only lost two out of 24!
- When baking, as said, you might need to cover with foil or stir the sauce a little bit to make sure it doesn't stick. Hopefully, your skillet is oiled and seasoned properly (it helps!)
- The finishing touches in the skillet are up to you. If you have enough sauce, no more stock is needed. If you prefer less Parmesan, that's fine, and/or more or less sour cream, but the sour cream is an integral part of Hungarian stews nd comfort foods--it will help cool down the heavy handed heat of the peppers and spice, and you can always go with low fat or fat free;)
- Also, I am in love with orzo and find it works ideally in a skillet dish, not taking up the room that pasta does, yet more comforting than rice. You can substitute your carb however you like.
- These meatballs would make a terrific sandwich, which I will definitely put together here one day very soon!