Homemade Turkey Meatballs

We mixed up some tasty homemade meatballs today to go along with our marinara and shells dish for lunch. The children really enjoyed their lunch. These meatballs are easy to make and can be baked in the oven until tender.

1 cup of seasoned croutons, crushed

1 pound of ground pork

1 pound of ground turkey

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Mix all ingredients until incorporated. Roll into walnut-size balls and place on baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for twenty minutes, turning meatballs halfway through cooking process. Check for doneness; add additional cooking time as needed.

Variations:

*add fresh chopped herbs such as basil, oregano and parsley

*you may substitute seasoned bread crumbs for the croutons

*add fresh chopped garlic in place of the garlic powder

*add fresh grated parmesan [you may want to eliminate the salt if using mozzarella and parmesan in the meatballs]
*add finely grated onion to mixture