Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Orzo

Homey, hearty and healthy, Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Orzo hits all the right buttons.

Tender, Parmesan-laced turkey meatballs are the flavorful centerpiece of this recipe. These little beauties outshine most ground beef meatballs that have graced my fork. A simple tomato-based sauce, jazzed up with colorful bell peppers, simmers the meatballs to perfection. Optionally you can add capers to the sauce, which I did, because I am big caper-lover. But you can opt out if they’re not your jam.

Our saucy meatball and pepper mixture then teams up with a satisfying mound of creamy orzo. This rice-shaped pasta actually tastes like a dreamy, creamy risotto. That happens when we stir in more Parmesan and a delicious dollop of creaminess. I used creme fraiche because I had it on hand. But you can use sour cream, cream cheese, or a variety of other options (listed in the recipe.) A final flourish of more Parmesan and parsley and it’s time to tuck in. Mmmm.

Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Orzo

Making & Browning the Meatballs

Granted, it does take a little time to make and brown these little buggers. But they are soooo worth it. I formed the meatballs a few hours in advance, which made browning them and finishing the recipe pretty streamlined. That’s because both the sauce and orzo come together quickly.

Additional Veggie Options

There are a variety of additional options you can add to your saute step if you want to veg it up. Onions or zucchini both come to mind. I think a can of diced tomatoes would be a nice addition with the tomato sauce. You could also add frozen peas during the last few minutes of the simmering process.

Reheating

I reheated my leftover meatballs by gently simmering them with a little extra tomato sauce in a covered pan for a few minutes. Of course, a microwave always works in a pinch. But I wanted to make sure they stayed tender and this method worked perfectly.

For the orzo, I stirred in a little extra creme fraiche (us your creamy ingredient of choice) and microwaved on 50% power until warm.

Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Orzo

Tender Parmesan-laced meatballs simmered in a bell pepper-tomato sauce served with Creamy Orzo pasta

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 4

Author: Adapted from Pinch of Yum’s Chicken Meatballs with Peppers and Orzo

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 pound ground turkey (or chicken)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt

Sauce

• 2 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 cups sliced or coarsely chopped bell peppers
• 1/4 cup capers, drained optional
• 1 14- ounce can plain tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt more or less to taste

Orzo

• 8 ounces uncooked orzo
• 1/4 cup of something creamy sour cream, cream cheese, creme fraiche, goat cheese, cream, mascarpone or butter
• kosher salt to taste
• 1/4 cup Parmesan plus additional for garnish, if desired
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley plus additional for garnish, if desired

Instructions

Meatballs

• Mix meatball ingredients together. Roll into meatballs (about 22-25.) Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Add meatballs and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Note – I left mine uncovered while they sat.

Sauce

• Add peppers to the same pan, plus a little more oil if you need it. Saute, scraping browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Sauté for 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional 30 seconds.
• Add meatballs back into the pan. Stir in tomato sauce and capers (if using). Bring to a low simmer and cook for about 10 minutes (add a little water if it gets too dry).

Orzo

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and toss with your creamy ingredient of choice. Season with salt, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and parsley.
• Serve meatballs and orzo with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan and parsley, if desired..