Kick off your summer cookout with turkey meatball appetizer served on skewers
If you’d like a healthy appetizer for your summer barbecue, this recipe for mini turkey burgers on skewers may be the perfect one. Our seasoned turkey with burger fixings tastes like a burger without the bun.
These mini turkey burgers offer 5 grams of protein per serving. Protein is crucial for repairing and maintaining healthy bones, muscles, skin and blood. Our bodies can’t store protein for later use, so it’s important to consume protein every day. Turkey also offers vitamins like B6 and B12 and minerals like magnesium, niacin and selenium.
In today’s recipe, we’ve used ground turkey breast. Health professionals encourage people to use lean cuts of meat because most of the fat in animal products is unhealthful saturated fat, which can raise the risk of heart disease and cancer. Often, ground turkey is a combination of light and dark meat, averaging about 7% fat. In this case, the label on the meat package would state 93/7, meaning 93% lean meat and 7% fat. When less dark meat is used, the fat content will be lower. For example, ground turkey breast can contain as little as 1% fat. (For ground beef, look for labels that state the meat is at least 90% lean.)
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In our recipe, we accentuate the savory burger flavors by adding garlic and black pepper to the ground turkey. The tomato, lettuce and American cheese help to create a familiar comfort-food feeling, but without the extra calories of a fatty meal.
To simplify meal preparations, you can prepare the meatballs a few days in advance and assemble the skewers close to party time. These skewers are easy to make so you can spend more time doing what matters most — enjoying the get-together with friends and family.
Bethany Thayer is a registered dietitian nutritionist with Henry Ford Health. For more recipes and health information, visit henryford.com/blog. For questions about today's recipe, email HenryFordLiveWell@hfhs.org.
Turkey Burger Mini Skewers
Makes: 12 / Prep time: 20 minutes / Total time: 45 minutes
½ pound ground turkey breast
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup romaine lettuce, cut in 2-inch pieces
12 cherry tomatoes
3 slices fat-free American cheese, cut into quarters
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a sided baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium-size bowl, combine ground turkey, garlic, and black pepper. Form the meat mixture into 12 meatballs.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool. On a short skewer or toothpick, spear a cherry tomato, a piece of lettuce, a piece of American cheese, and a cooked meatball. Repeat to make 12 skewers.
From Henry Ford LiveWell
48 calories (37% from fat), 2 grams fat (0.5 gram sat. fat), 1 gram carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 78 mg sodium, 18 mg cholesterol, 46 mg calcium, 0.5 grams fiber. Food exchanges: 1 protein..
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Recipe: Turkey Burger Mini Skewers appetizer tastes like a burger
