Herbed Turkey Ricotta Meatballs with Eggplant Parmesan

Today I want to share a delicious immune boosting recipe with you that my 6 yr old daughter and I made last week. There’s so many bad colds going around right now so its the perfect time to ramp up your immune system with awesome recipes like this one.

Before that though, I’d like to share a few tips about how busy folks like you who get stressed out at the thought of cooking can make it more fun.

Making Cooking & Meal Prep Fun

Once a week, make a date with yourself, and possibly a friend or family member, to prepare a meal together.
Why will this be good for you, you might be wondering?
2 reasons:
1) We’re all so busy with work, family, errands, social life. Cooking together  is multitasking at its finest! It’s a great way to connect with each other, relieve some stress, have fun, and turn food prep–which many of us find boring–into a teamwork experience.
2) I know I’m not alone here: cooking can feel like a chore. But when you prepare a meal with someone, you share the workload. This is especially nice for parents who work all day and don’t want to have to make dinner–they want to relax and spend some quality time with their kids and spouse. If you’re cooking with your kids, give them simple things to help with and then talk about something they find fun or interesting. Make it so they’ll want to cook with you. It’s a win-win. They learn great life skills (knowing how to prepare yummy healthy food is awesome!), they also learn the importance of contributing, and you get to hang out and talk as you work together to put dinner on the table.

Meatball time!

This recipe is a great immune booster because its loaded with fresh Italian parsley, basil and garlic. These ingredients pack quite an immune boosting punch so if you are getting sick or recovering from getting sick, this recipe is:

• Full of antioxidants which help you fight colds and other infections.
• Garlic is anti-bacterial and anti-viral.
• The fresh herbs and marinara sauce are loaded with vitamin C, a classic immune boosting vitamin.
• Basil can also be helpful for both coughs and fevers.

These meatballs go well with a side salad or eggplant parmesan for extra vitamins and minerals (we ate them with eggplant parmesan last week, which was super yummy).

Ingredients for meatballs:

• 2 lbs ground turkey thigh
• 1.5 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 3/4 Tablespoon sea salt

*Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients for marinara sauce:

• 1 large can organic crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
• 4-5 cloves of finely chopped or minced garlic (set aside for about 10 minutes before cooking so all the good immune boosting components get activated).
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

How to:

1. Get 2 cookie sheets and coat them with coconut oil so the meatballs don’t stick.
2. Preheat your oven to 425.
3. Get a big bowl and mix up all ingredients thoroughly.
4.  Roll into meatballs about 1.5-2 tablespoons big in size.
5. When your baking trays are full, stick them in the oven for 30-45 minutes (smaller meatballs cook faster).
6. While they’re baking, put all the sauce ingredients into a medium-sized pot and heat on low-med heat.
7. When the meatballs are done, toss them into the sauce. You can eat it right away or let them cook together for 10 minutes or so to blend the flavors. We served them with eggplant parmesan which was SO good!

Eggplant Parmesan Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper (ea)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• olive oil (for baking sheet)

How to:

1. Coat baking sheet with olive oil (and preheat oven to 350.
2. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices.
3. Beat egg and leave in bowl.
4. On large plate, mix up almond flour, cheese and all spices and mix well.
5. Dip slices of eggplant one at a time in egg, then coat in flour/spice mixture, and then place on baking sheet.
6. Bake for 30 mins and broil for 2-3 mins until golden brown. Serve with meatballs.

SOOOO good! And so good for you!

If you’re loving recipes like this one, email me and let me know. And while you’re at it, I’d love to hear about what health successes you’ve had lately or where you may be feeling stuck with your health progress so that I can provide tips or recipes that can help you out.

Wishing you health and happiness!
~Rebecca