Polish-Style Turkey Meatballs in Gravy (Klopsiki)
Turkey meatballs in gravy feature soft, juicy meatballs with herbs cooked in a delicious, creamy gravy. This Polish comfort food classic is simple to make, surprisingly low in fat and full of flavour.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 404kcal
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1⅓ pounds ground turkey 7-10% fat
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 7 tablespoons breadcrumbs I used a mixture of fine and coarse, see *Notes
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1⅔ teaspoons dried mixed herbs e.g. herbes de Provence
- ⅔ teaspoon fine sea salt plus pepper to taste (be generous)
- 1½ tablespoons oil vegetable or olive
For the gravy
- 1⅓ cup stock any (hot), use ½ stock cube
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose/plain flour
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1½ teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon butter
Instructions
- Cook onion: In a small pan heat ½ tablespoon of oil, add the onion and cook over a low/medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Prepare turkey meatball mixture: To a large mixing bowl add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, onion (once cooled), herbs, salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients thoroughly with your hand (take a few minutes to do this). The mixture will be soft.
- Form meatballs: Form 16 meatballs (the size of large walnuts) by rolling the meat mixture between the palms of your hands. Do this thoroughly to make sure the meatballs keep their shape in cooking.
- Brown meatballs: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil then one by one add the meatballs and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes turning several times until they are nicely browned all over (but are still raw inside). The meatballs will be soft so it’s best to turn them over gently one by one (rather than shake the pan).
- Add stock: Pour in the hot stock, cover and simmer gently for 5-6 minutes.
- Prepare thickening mixture: In a bowl whisk together the flour, cold water, mustard, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce until smooth and creamy.
- Thicken gravy: Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the hot broth from the pan then move the meatballs a little to the side and whisk the entire flour mixture into the broth. Stir gently to make sure the flour is distributed throughout the gravy then cover the pan and simmer for another 4 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through (avoid overcooking them).
- Serve: Remove from the heat, add the butter, adjust the seasoning if needed and enjoy!
Notes
- Mix the meatball ingredients thoroughly to make sure the meatballs feel firm before you brown them.
- Do not overcook the meatballs. Once you’ve browned them, they shouldn’t need more than 10 minutes of additional cooking time.
- Best served immediately. Leftover Polish-style turkey meatballs and gravy can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- You can also freeze just the meatballs (browned and cooled) on top of a tray for 3 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag and return to the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost on top of a plate in the fridge overnight then cook the meatballs in the gravy (as per Steps 5-8). Note that you can freeze the meatballs only if using ground turkey that hasn’t been previously frozen.
- *If using only fine breadcrumbs add 1 tablespoon less than the recommended amount.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 820mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 226IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 4mg