"We are having meatballs for dinner! I love meatballs!"

Yes, those words actually came out of my picky 3 year old's mouth.

She doesn't say this about anything. Not chicken nuggets. Not pizza. Not hot dogs. Maybe popcorn- she's a snack food junkie, what can I say?

Maybe picky is the wrong word, I'll go with "selective" instead. She won't eat chicken, but she'll eat teriyaki beef. She won't eat lasagna, but she'll eat spaghetti. She won't eat grilled cheese, but she'll eat a piece of bread with cheese melted on top. She loves hummus. She loves chinese noodles. She loves frozen peas. She loves Olive Garden salad. She loves any, and all, fruit.

She won't eat meatloaf, but she LOOOVES meatballs.

See? Selective. This girl knows what she wants and she inherited both her mother's and her father's stubbornness.

Lord, help us.

Back to the meatballs. This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law, Jena. She served them at a party last year and they were so delicious I had to have the recipe. They are a cinch to throw together and you just throw them in a pan, pour on the sauce and put them in the oven! We serve ours over rice (because we are a saucy rice eatin' family) with a side of green peas (frozen for the selective one, of course).

They are like little two bite meatloaves, smothered and cooked in a sweet, salty, tangy teriyaki barbecue sauce.

Man, I wish my husband hadn't just taken the leftovers to work this morning. Yes, it is only 8:52 am. They would make a delicious breakfast. (Says the girl who ate turkey sandwiches on Vienna bread for breakfast every morning of middle school-- and maybe last week, as well.)


I like them a little sweeter than the original, so I added sugar. There was a bit too much oil in the first batch, so I cut that down. There can never be enough sauce, so I doubled it. I didn't have fresh garlic on hand this time, so I used the powdered stuff. I should've used a bigger pan to give the little guys some space because I like my meatballs on the drier side. That's the awesome part about cooking- you can do whatever you want!

Here is my version:

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
Serves 8


Sauce:
1/4 cup canola oil (vegetable is fine)
1 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder (or 4 cloves minced garlic)
1/2 cup sugar

Meatballs:
2 lb. ground turkey
1 cup italian style breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped (I use my mini food processor- saves tears)
2 eggs

1. Mix meatball ingredients and form into golf ball size balls. Place in large baking dish (I used an 11x15 glass dish and had to stuff them in) sprayed with cooking spray.
2. Mix sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs, making sure they are all covered.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Baste meatballs with sauce every 10 minutes or so.
4. Serve over rice (or potatoes!)
5. Enjoy!

6. Hide leftovers in the back of the fridge;)