This recipe might work better cooked inside, but it includes corn and barbecue sauce – that means summer, and summer means grilling. Meatballs, unfortunately, are tricky on the grill. You’d think putting them on skewers would work fine, but they tend to slide right off. You could, instead, grill barbecue turkey burgers to serve over quinoa, but then you’re just eating bunless burgers, and that doesn’t sound nearly as delicious as meatballs.
So I’ve compromised on something a little bigger and a lot flatter than a meatball, but smaller than anything you’d put on a bun. The best name I can come up for these is, unfortunately, “patties”, which doesn’t sound nearly as tasty as meatballs. But it’s the same tasty ingredients; in this case, scallions, cilantro, and mustard add some interest to the meat mixture. The best part is the barbecue sauce slathered over the patties at the end of grilling.
The quinoa has plenty going on with smoky grilled corn and chunks of cheddar cheese, but the flavors don’t compete with the meatballs. The whole thing goes together really well, and it ends up feeling like a treat despite how healthy it is. It’s become one of my favorite summer meals.
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Barbecue Turkey Meatballs with Cheddar-Corn Quinoa (adapted a bit from Pink Parsley)
Serves 4
I’m keeping ‘meatballs’ in the title because it sounds a lot more delicious than ‘patties’. We’ll just say these are flat meatballs.
Shredding cheese is faster, but I like to dice little cubes so I get bites of intense cheesiness.
I’ve been using this barbecue sauce, which has a strong molasses flavor. I’m not sure I’d like it for everything, but it’s great with this meal.
I was using part of an onion I’d already cut a chunk out of, so rings weren’t possible. Skewering works too, it’s just a little more work.
Meatballs:
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
1 large egg yolk
1 pound ground turkey
1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup barbecue sauce
Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1½ cups water
½ teaspoon salt
2 ears corn, shucked and rinsed
½ medium red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 scallion, sliced
1 cup (4 ounces) cubed or shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
black pepper
1. Prepare a medium-hot grill. In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the quinoa sit for 10 additional minutes, still covered.
2. In a large bowl, combine the panko and egg yolk. Set aside for about 5 minutes, then stir to form a paste. Add the turkey, scallion, cilantro, mustard, and salt; mix to combine. Form into 12 small patties.
3. Place the corn directly over the coals and grill for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender and caramelized in places. Grill the onions until browned and tender. Grill the turkey patties until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Generously brush the top of the patties with barbecue sauce, flip the patties, and brush the second side with the remaining barbecue sauce. Let cook for one additional minute.
4. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and stir in the apple cider vinegar, then the cilantro, scallion, cheese, olive oil, and black pepper. Cut the corn off the cob and add it to the bowl with the quinoa. Dice the grilled onions and stir them into the quinoa. Serve the turkey patties over the quinoa.
