020 / 75 · Skillet Chicken and Turkey

Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Butter Bean Sauce

12 turkey meatballs in bean-tomato sauce; 6 meatballs and half the bread per serving · Active 30 min · Total 1 hr 5 min

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These small turkey meatballs simmer in a tomato sauce with already cooked butter beans. Equal portions matter more than perfectly round shapes: similar sizes reach a safe temperature together. A brief resting step lets breadcrumbs absorb the egg and meat juices, making the mixture easier to handle. The bread for serving is measured and included in the meal rather than appearing as an uncounted extra.

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Original hand-drawn illustration of turkey meatballs in tomato butter bean sauce.

Mix enough, then pause

Stir the egg and breadcrumbs before adding turkey so the dry crumbs get evenly damp. Finely grated onion belongs in the meat mixture; the larger chopped portion starts the sauce. Mix with a fork or clean hand just until everything is distributed. Repeatedly squeezing and kneading the mixture can make the cooked texture compact. Leave it for ten minutes, then divide it into twelve portions with damp hands. A kitchen scale is helpful but not compulsory: make two equal halves, divide each into six and correct any obviously larger ball.

Use the sauce to finish the centers

The first pan turn is only for light color, not proof that the meat is cooked. Put the balls on a clean plate briefly while the onion softens, then nestle them into the tomato sauce. Keep a gentle simmer so they hold together, turning with a spoon rather than stabbing them. The beans are already fully cooked and only need to heat through; dry beans will not cook in this window. Check several meatball centers for 165°F/74°C, especially the largest. Divide all twelve, the sauce, beans and bread between two portions. Canned butter beans are a practical variation, but their label and drained weight should replace the unsalted-boiled nutrition basis rather than quietly keeping its numbers.

Ingredients

  • 10 1/2 oz 93%-lean ground turkey (300 g raw)
  • 1 large egg (50 g edible contents)
  • 1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (25 g)
  • 1 medium onion (120 g prepared), divided: 40 g finely grated and 80 g diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced (6 g)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley (5 g)
  • About 1 1/3 cups fully cooked unsalted butter beans/large lima beans, well drained (240 g)
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes (400 g/about 14 oz), including juice
  • 1/2 cup drinking water (120 ml)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 ml/about 9 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g), divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (0.3 g)
  • 4 thin slices whole-wheat bread (100 g total), for serving

Set out

28 cm/11-inch deep skillet with lid, Mixing bowl and fork, Kitchen scale, Grater, Knife and separate raw-poultry board, Clean holding plate, Spoon or tongs, Food thermometer

Allergens

Egg, Wheat; check breadcrumbs and bread for milk, soy or sesame. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Beat egg in the bowl and stir in breadcrumbs. Add turkey, 40 g grated onion, parsley, half the salt and half the pepper. Mix gently just until combined and rest for 10 minutes. Wash hands and clean raw-poultry equipment.
  2. With damp hands, divide into 12 equal meatballs, roughly 3.5–4 cm/1 1/2 inches across. Wash hands after forming the raw meatballs. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat and brown the balls lightly for about 5 minutes, turning carefully. Transfer to a clean holding plate; they are not yet fully cooked.
  3. Add the remaining diced onion to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring; add garlic for the last 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, water and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
  4. Return the meatballs and any plate juices, cover loosely and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes, turning once. Add the cooked butter beans and heat for another 5 minutes. Check several meatball centers reach 165°F/74°C; simmer longer if needed.
  5. Divide the 12 meatballs, beans and all sauce between 2 bowls. Serve each with 50 g of the measured whole-wheat bread.

A useful kitchen skill

Portion meatballs evenly and check their centers with a thermometer. Browning is one stage; the gentle sauce simmer finishes the ground poultry.

A useful detail

The 65-minute total includes a 10-minute mixture rest, forming and the sauce finish. Butter beans start fully cooked and drained; cooking them from dry is a separate task. The base estimate uses unsalted boiled large lima beans.

Another way

  • Use 240 g well-drained canned butter beans instead, following the label and recalculating from that product.
  • Replace parsley with 5 g chopped basil in the meat mixture for a different herb flavor; the estimate changes slightly.

Keep it well

Refrigerate meatballs and sauce promptly in shallow containers at 40°F/4°C or below, within 2 hours or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Use within 3 days. Reheat the needed portion to 165°F/74°C in meatball centers and throughout the sauce. Keep bread separately according to its package.