ATTENTION!!

No matter what time you’re reading this… you need to stop everything you’re doing and make these meatballs RIGHT NOW. We get a Tuesday every week—it can wait.

This recipe idea lived for months in our shared Google doc full of random recipe ideas, and this weekend A STAR WAS [is] BORN! …See what I did there?… *insert starry-eyed emoji*

Really though, what started as an attempt to trap the essence of fall in a meatball—originally thinking we’d call them “Fall’s Balls” (lolz)—WAY exceeded our expectations. These meatballs literally taste like a bite of a Wawa Gobbler Hoagie. #health #YOLO (If you know me personally, you know I’m Wawa’s #1 fan, and it’s surprising they went this long without getting a shout out, tbh.) And, if you haven’t experienced a Gobbler, stop what you’re doing right now and get one on your way to the store to get the ingredients for these meatballs.

In all seriousness though, these balls take me straight to my parents’ dining room table for Thanksgiving dinner with the fam, minus the food coma and questionable portions. These meatballs are perfect for meal prep, and quickly become a complete, nutritious meal with a side of greens, like the roasted Brussels sprouts pictured below!

Turkey Gobbler Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 2 overflowing cups cubed butternut squash
• 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• pepper, to taste
• cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Toss butternut squash in oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast squash for 20 minutes, until softened. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
4. In a large bowl, combine turkey, roasted squash, breadcrumbs, egg, cranberries, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.
5. Using your hands, mix well, until combined.
6. Roll mixture into about 24 round balls, placing on prepared baking sheet when finished.
7. Bake meatballs for about 20 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Yield: 4 servings
Serving size: 6 meatballs

293 calories per serving • Fat: 10.2g • Carbohydrates: 19.9g • Protein: 24.7g