Le Creuset Collaboration: Festive Herbed Turkey Meatballs

With the holidays in full force, I have an incredibly exciting collaboration to share with all of you because it is with one of my favourite cookware brands: Le Creuset!

I was gifted their 7-Piece Cast Iron Essentials Set in Sage and I absolutely adore it. I used the 3.5L Braiser to make some Herbed Turkey Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy and I was able to whip this up in no time! This is also perfect for potlucks because the Braiser comes with a lid. So if you want to transport it right after cooking, you just put on the lid and you’re good to go (given you let it cool first :P).

Seriously…. Christmas came early this year! I am so in love with this set.

This 7-Piece Cast Iron Essentials Set comes with a 5.3 L Round French Oven, a 26 cm Iron Handle Skillet, a 2 L Saucier Pan and a 3.5 L Braiser. Lids are counted as individual pieces so that’s why it’s called a 7 Piece Set.

Did you know that the enamelled cast iron helps retain heat much better and is ideal for all forms of cooking like roasting, searing, stir-frying, or baking? The black interior of their skillets is also specially formulated for high temperature cooking, and does not require seasoning (whoo hoo!).

Okay, on to the herbed turkey meatballs.

Herbed Turkey Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

Turkey Meatballs

2 packages (~32 oz) lean ground turkey
1 package Stove Top of any other dry stuffing mix
2 eggs
1 tablespoon garlic
2 tablespoons chicken stock (or water)
1/4 cup dill
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup mint (or any other herb you have on hand!)

Mushroom Gravy

1 cup crimini mushrooms (sliced)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock (add more to reach desired consistency)
1 tsp salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Add all of the Turkey meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated. No need to salt the mixture as the stuffing will already have a lot of salt and seasoning.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax liner.
3. Gently roll the ground turkey mixture with your hands into balls and place on prepared baking sheet.
4. On medium high heat, heat a tablespoon of oil in your Braiser and place enough turkey meatballs to fill the pan, while leaving enough space in between them as to not overcrowd them.
5. Gently flip the meatballs to the side as they brown until all sides have a good sear on them. Remove them and set aside. They’re not fully cooked inside yet.
6. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and saute crimini mushrooms until soft and brown.
7. Add flour and thoroughly incorporate it into the mushrooms until you see no more raw flour. The mixture should be quite chunky and thick like a paste.
8. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly add chicken stock while mixing the paste into the liquid. Do not stop stirring and continue to add more chicken stock until it reaches your desired gravy consistency.
9. Finish with salt and pepper.
10. Place turkey meatballs back into the Braiser and mix gently to incorporate the gravy. Reduce heat to low and place lid. Simmer the meatballs and gravy for 5-7 minutes until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
11. Enjoy!

It was my first time cooking with enamelled cast iron and I have to tell you, I could really tell the difference! The sear on my meatballs were much more beautiful and golden brown than if I were to use my regular non-stick skillet.

Look at the golden brown marks! Because of the great heat retention and distribution of enamelled cast iron, everything cooked very evenly.

I served my herbed turkey meatballs with some sauteed kale and it was an absolute hit in my house. You gotta try this recipe out. 🙂

Le Creuset has always been a brand I adore and now that I have tested their cookware, I can tell you that the quality truly lives up to its name. If you don’t know what to get, I would highly recommend starting with one of their French Ovens or Braisers. look here They’re so versatile and I love the option of a lid, as sometimes it’s necessary to cover whatever food you’re cooking to give it a good steam.

Disclaimer: I was gifted this Cast Iron Essentials Set from Le Creuset Canada. All thoughts are my own.

Happy Eating!