Italian Meatball Stew

Meatballs:
1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
16 oz lean ground turkey
3 sweet mild Italian sausages, casings removed
8 oz lean ground pork
1/4 cup Milk 1%
1 egg
1 tablespoon dried italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hearty Meatball Stew:
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups chopped leeks
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound large white mushrooms, quartered
2 8 to 10-ounce potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/3-inch slices
8 ounces green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch-long pieces
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
One 15-ounce can pinto beans, washed and drained
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

For the meatballs: Place the bread crumbs, milk and egg into a medium bowl. Mash to a paste with a spatula. Add the ground turkey, ground pork, sausage, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Blend the mixture thoroughly with your hands or a flexible spatula. Form the mixture into 16 meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until ready to use.

For the hearty meatball stew: Sprinkle the meatballs with the flour and turn to coat with any flour still on the foil. Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Drop the meatballs into the skillet, spaced apart. Cook until the bottoms are set and brown, about 2 minutes. Using a flexible thin spatula, turn each meatball onto an uncooked side and cook until the bottoms are set and brown, about 2 minutes longer. Turn and cook a third side, until set and brown, about another 2 minutes, so the meatballs are browned and set all over. Transfer the meatballs to a large plate.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, leeks, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook until soft, 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the remaining salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, pinto beans and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until the potatoes are tender and the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.


Serving Size: 16 1 cup servings with 1 meatball each

Number of Servings: 16

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SHY_GRRL.