Chicken Free Apple-Sage Turkey Meatballs
Ground turkey steps in beautifully here, delivering juicy, satisfying meatballs without a single trace of poultry you're trying to avoid. The real magic is in the mix — grated Honeycrisp apple, fresh sage, ginger, and a whisper of Ceylon cinnamon turn a simple protein into something genuinely craveable, warm, and a little unexpected. Squeezing the apple dry before combining everything is a small but crucial move that keeps the texture light and tender rather than dense. A quick sear in coconut oil builds a gorgeous golden crust, and then the meatballs finish right in the pan alongside a glossy sauce of unsweetened apple cider, bone broth, and fresh thyme — so every bite is coated in something deeply savory and slightly sweet. The arrowroot slurry pulls the sauce together into a silky, spoonable consistency that feels far more impressive than the effort involved. This is the kind of weeknight dinner that tastes like you spent the afternoon on it, and it works beautifully over roasted vegetables or alongside a simple green salad.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the meatballs
- 1 ½ lb ground turkey
- 1 medium apple (such as honeycrisp or fuji), peeled and finely grated
- 2 tbsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup green onions (green tops only), thinly sliced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ceylon cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
For searing
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
For the pan sauce
- 1 cup apple cider (unsweetened, unfiltered)
- ½ cup bone broth (homemade or aip-compliant brand)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch, mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp cold water (for arrowroot slurry)
For serving
- fresh sage leaves, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Grate the apple on the large holes of a box grater, then squeeze the grated apple firmly in a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towel to remove as much liquid as possible — the apple should feel nearly dry. This keeps the meatballs from becoming dense or wet.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, squeezed grated apple, sage, garlic, green onion tops, ginger, turmeric, Ceylon cinnamon, salt, and arrowroot starch. Mix with your hands until just combined and uniform — do not overwork the mixture.
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