Another thank you to Molly Baz, author of Cook this Book and More is More for creating this punchy recipe with herb-packed meatballs, salsa and pickle rice. I love recipes that use the same ingredient in several different ways. It’s an easy trick to layer lots of flavor, especially when cooking with healthier ingredients. In this recipe, the same herbs are used in the meatballs, salsa and rice, not only building flavor but eliminating food waste because you’re not left trying to figure out what to do with the leftover herbs.
I know this recipe has a longer list of ingredients and several steps but I chose it because of how cleverly it uses ingredients and the directions are easier than they look. You’re overlapping steps by chopping once and using ingredients in several ways. Molly’s original recipe uses ground pork and quite a bit more salt but to keep saturated fat and sodium levels lower, I swapped the pork with ground turkey and found that you could use less salt without compromising flavor (you may need more or less salt for your taste or health needs). You could use brown rice, which us usually my preference, but for this recipe, I think a short or medium grain white rice works best with the herby, pickle salsa.
Herby Meatballs with Pickle Rice
Ingredients
Herby Pickle Salsa
2-3 bunches mixed tender herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, chives), finely chopped, about 2-3 cups, divided (about 1 cup for salsa and 1 cup for meatballs)
1 English cucumber, diced
8 baby dill pickles, diced
4 tablespoons pickle brine
4 scallions, thinly sliced, divided (used for both salsa and meatballs)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
Rice
2 cups short or medium grain rice
Meatballs
2 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup panko or whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tablespoon fennel seeeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 # ground turkey, 93% lean
Garnish
1 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt
Directions
For Herby Pickle Salsa
- In a medium bowl, add about 1 cup chopped herbs, diced cucumber, diced dill pickles, pickle brine, 1/2 of the sliced scallions (2 scallions), minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes and 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil. Stir until combined. Set aside.
For Rice
- Cook 2 cups rice according to the directions on package. Once cooked, fluff the rice with a fork and stir in 2 cups of the herby pickle salsa (you’ll have extra salsa for serving). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
For Meatballs
- In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add panko or bread crumbs and stir until combined. It will become thick mixture. Add the fennel seeds, coriander, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and black pepper. Stir together. Add ground turkey and remaining 1 cup chopped herbs. With hands, gently mix until ingredients are evenly distributed. Shape into 12 equal-sized balls (about 1/4 cup per meatball). Place meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place baking sheet on oven rack placed at the lowest rack setting. Bake 15-17 minutes, turning over half way. Meatballs should be cooked through but not dry.
Serve meatballs over herby pickle rice. Top with remaining pickle salsa and a dollop of yogurt.
Recipe adapted from Molly Baz, author of Cook this Book and More is More.
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