Juicy turkey meatballs on pumpkin orzo
For your cozy dinner tonight, especially during this transitional period between summer and autumn, juicy turkey meatballs on creamy pumpkin orzo are just the thing! The warm notes of sage meet fresh lemon and parsley, letting you dream of summer one last time while you slowly prepare for autumn.
Ingredients · Servings 4
- 500g minced turkey
- 1 Hokkaido pumpkin
- 400 g Orzo
- 2 onions
- 30 g breadcrumbs (or stale white bread cut into small pieces)
- 60 g Parmesan
- 10 g sage
- 1 lemon
- 20 g parsley
- 280 ml milk
- 1 No
- 1 toe of garlic
- 2 g fennel seeds
- 400 ml vegetable broth
- 1.5 tbsp Butter
- 2-3 g salt
- 1-2 g Pfeffer
- Oil (for frying)
Method · 40 min
- Soak the breadcrumbs in a bowl with the milk for about 5 minutes. Then add the egg, salt, and pepper. Finely grate the Parmesan and garlic and stir them into the mixture. Finely chop one onion and half the parsley. Grind the fennel seeds in a mortar. In another bowl, combine the onion, chopped parsley, and fennel seeds with the ground turkey. Now add the breadcrumb mixture to the meat mixture and combine everything with your hands or a wooden spoon until evenly distributed. With damp hands or an ice cream scoop, form golf ball-sized meatballs. Cover and set aside.
- Cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Finely chop the remaining onion. Zest the lemon. Place a pot over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with oil. Brown the meatballs in the pot on all sides for about 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Then remove them and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Sauté the pumpkin cubes for about 10 minutes, until softened, stirring regularly. Season with salt. Add the butter, chopped onions, sage, and lemon zest to the pot and sauté for about 2 minutes. Pour in the milk and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the sage and purée the mixture with an immersion blender. Add the orzo and stock and simmer according to package directions. Finally, add the meatballs to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve the orzotto with the meatballs and garnish with the remaining parsley and Parmesan cheese.
