Turkey Saltimbocca Meatballs – Low Carb and Gluten Free
Try this Turkey Saltimbocca Meatballs – Low Carb and Gluten Free recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Turkey Saltimbocca Meatballs – Low Carb and Gluten Free recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil for frying
- 1 lb ground turkey (or veal if you prefer)
- 2 tbsp chopped raw pancetta (or bacon)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 cup chopped pancetta (or bacon)
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 1 tsp granulated sugar substitute (swerve splenda, etc.)
- Carbohydrate 2.64723510503506 g
- Cholesterol 31.8781250394565 mg
- Fat 15.9016812649903 g
- Fiber 1.23845206349312 g
- Protein 2.51998041719657 g
- Saturated Fat 7.88924650947691 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (146g)
- Sodium 257.422377198136 mg
- Sugar 1.40878304154194 g
- Trans Fat 1.05900687606051 g
- Calories 163 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine the ground turkey, egg, almond meal, parmesan cheese, chopped pancetta, chopped sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly.
- For into 12 meatballs.
- Heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan and cook over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through - about 3 minutes per side.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside.
- Add the pancetta to the same pan that you cooked the meatballs in, leaving all the brown bits in the pan (unless it burned, then start with a fresh pan.)
- Cook the pancetta for about 2 minutes or until crisp.
- Add the white wine, sage, lemon juice, garlic powder, and sugar substitute to the pan and cook until reduced by half - about 3 minutes.
- Add the butter and whisk until melted and the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the meatballs back into the sauce and stir until well coated.
- Serve hot.
Why is the pan dry before the sauce even begins to reduce? Keeping the browned fond intact without scorching requires dropping the burner to medium heat immediately after searing the meatballs in olive oil. Ground turkey inherently lacks the dense fat network of traditional veal, meaning almond flour acts as the structural binder rather than wheat breadcrumbs; handling the mixture gently prevents the proteins from tightening prematurely. Crisp the chopped pancetta in the residual rendered fats for precisely two minutes to extract maximum salinity before deglazing with dry white wine. Fresh sage leaves release volatile aromatic oils instantly upon hitting warm pan juices, whereas dried herbs remain stubbornly muted and require higher fat ratios to yield flavor. Whisking cold butter into the reduced wine and lemon juice emulsion creates a glossy sheen that clings to the textured meat exterior. Simmering the assembled dish for longer than thirty seconds post-coating causes the dairy solids in the parmesan to break. Portioning the raw mixture into exactly twelve equal mounds guarantees uniform three-minute per side browning times across a standard nonstick skillet. Acid from the citrus juice balances the high sodium content of the cured pork without masking the herbal notes of the sage.
