The best turkey meatballs I’ve ever made

By Emily Weinstein The New York Times I certainly met a turkey meatball I love after years of trying Ground turkey is bland compared with beef and pork which sets me up for a lackluster meatball The texture is often problematic too dry dense or both But Ali Slagle borrowing a trick from cookbook author Julia Turshen adds a good amount of ricotta cheese to the turkey mixture The impact is a pan of meatballs so tender that you can easily slice into them with a spoon as you scoop up saucy bites from your bowl When I made these meatballs for dinner last week it was far too hot outside for a buttery sauce and mashed potatoes on the side as the recipe suggests delicious but wintry So I tossed about a pint of halved cherry tomatoes into the pan and let them cook down along with the meatballs and then served it all with toast Light bright This is my summer meatball dinner Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs Julia Turshen author of the cookbook Small Victories Chronicle Books cracked the code on turkey meatballs Ricotta adds milky creaminess and acts as a binder Taking her lead the first two policies of this recipe produce all-purpose turkey meatballs that are light in texture and rich in flavor and the final step of basting the meatballs with an herb-and-garlic-infused butter turns them into a weekday luxury Eat with mashed or roasted potatoes or other root vegetables polenta whole grains or a mustardy salad For oven instructions see Tip below By Ali Slagle Yield servings Total time minutes Ingredients For the meatballs pound ground turkey cup whole-milk ricotta cup finely grated Parmesan teaspoon red-pepper flakes or black pepper garlic clove finely grated Kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal tablespoons neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed plus more for your hands For the herb-butter sauce tablespoons unsalted butter sliced sage sprigs rosemary sprig or teaspoon dried oregano garlic cloves smashed and peeled Preparation In a medium bowl mix together the turkey ricotta Parmesan red-pepper flakes garlic and teaspoon salt Using oiled hands roll into meatballs a heaping tablespoons each In a large skillet preferably cast-iron heat the oil over medium Add the meatballs and cook until browned on two sides to minutes per side lowering the heat as necessary if the meatballs are getting too dark Add the butter sage and garlic As the butter melts tilt the skillet and baste the meatballs by spooning the butter over them Flip the meatballs every so often and continue to baste until the butter is browned and nutty and the meatballs are cooked through to minutes Eat the meatballs with the butter spooned over top Tip You can also broil the meatballs in a greased oven-safe skillet for to minutes or roast at degrees for to minutes until browned on one side and nearly cooked through Continue with step on the stovetop Sheet-Pan Salmon and Broccoli With Sesame and Ginger Soy and sesame sheet pan salmon with broccoli Linda Xiao The New York Times A healthy sheet-pan dinner that comes together in just minutes Sign us up Brushing a simple sesame-ginger glaze onto the salmon before it roasts promotes caramelization on the fish a feat not easily accomplished when roasting salmon fillets The garnishes give this dinner a professional finish A squeeze of lime juice a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a handful of thinly sliced scallions make for a beautiful plate By Lidey Heuck Yield servings Total time minutes Ingredients tablespoons toasted sesame oil tablespoons soy sauce or tamari tablespoon rice vinegar tablespoon honey -inch piece fresh ginger peeled and finely grated about tablespoon garlic clove finely grated pound broccoli trimmed and cut into florets thick stems discarded scallions trimmed and cut diagonally into -inch segments plus thinly sliced scallions for garnish tablespoon olive oil plus more for brushing the salmon Kosher salt and black pepper -ounce skin-on salmon fillets lime for serving Sesame seeds for serving Preparation Heat the oven to degrees In a small bowl whisk tablespoons sesame oil with the soy sauce vinegar honey ginger and garlic until smooth Set the glaze aside Place the broccoli florets and -inch scallion segments on a sheet pan Drizzle with tablespoon olive oil and the remaining tablespoon sesame oil Sprinkle with teaspoon salt and teaspoon black pepper toss well and roast for minutes While the broccoli and scallions roast place the salmon fillets on a plate and pat dry with paper towels Brush all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper Toss the broccoli and scallions and move to the edges of the pan clearing spaces in the center for the salmon fillets Place the salmon fillets evenly spaced on the center of the pan Brush the fillets generously with the glaze Return the pan to the oven and roast until the salmon is cooked through but still slightly rare in the center about minutes Squeeze the lime over the broccoli and sprinkle with salt Scatter the sliced scallions and sesame seeds over the salmon and serve hot Butter Paneer Butter Paneer Food Stylist Cyd Raftus McDowell Armando Rafael The New York Times Paneer cubes are cooked in three types of fat here ghee butter and cashew butter for a luxurious vegetarian main Traditionally roasted and crushed cashews are pureed with cooked onions and tomatoes but this version skips the hassle and achieves the same creamy nutty richness Red chile and fresh Thai green chiles layer in a touch of heat Substitute firm tofu for paneer to make the dish vegan and spoon the leftovers over noodles for another meal By Zainab Shah Yield servings Total time minutes Ingredients pounds paneer cut into -inch cubes tablespoons ghee or vegetable canola or other neutral oil teaspoon freshly grated ginger or ginger paste teaspoon freshly grated garlic or garlic paste small white onion finely chopped teaspoon Kashmiri red chile powder teaspoon garam masala -ounce can of crushed tomatoes or plum tomatoes chopped tablespoons cashew butter tablespoons unsalted butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper Thai green chiles chopped optional tablespoon chopped cilantro optional Rice or roti for serving Preparation If using store-bought paneer soak the cheese in hot tap water for minutes drain In a medium pot heat ghee on high until it melts to seconds Stir in ginger and garlic and cook until the smell of raw garlic dissipates about seconds Add onion and continue cooking stirring occasionally until onion is translucent to minutes Add chile powder and half of the garam masala and cook until deliciously fragrant about seconds Stir in the tomatoes and cashew butter Cook stirring occasionally until the tomatoes start to break down to minutes Adjust heat to medium and add the butter Cook until butter has melted into the mixture about seconds Stir in teaspoon salt and add water if a thinner sauce is desired Taste and add more salt if necessary Stir in the paneer cubes Simmer for minutes on low until the flavors have melded Top with the rest of the garam masala and the green chiles and cilantro if using Serve with rice or roti Pork Chops With Jammy-Mustard Glaze Pork chops with jammy-mustard glaze David Malosh The New York Times Fruit and mustard are two classic accompaniments to pork and really a juicy chop doesn t need much more than that for a sweet and tangy sauce Mix together water grainy mustard and any fruit preserve that s good with pork like cherry fig peach or apricot Sear bone-in pork chops mostly on one side to prevent overcooking then pour the fruit-mustard mixture into the skillet while they rest The pork will stay moist and its juices will have time to mingle with the sauce Then just slice the pork and drape it in the velvety two-ingredient glaze Eat with mashed or roasted potatoes and a green salad By Ali Slagle Yield servings Total time minutes Ingredients tablespoons cherry fig peach or apricot preserves plus more if needed tablespoons whole-grain mustard plus more if needed - to -inch-thick pork rib chops to pounds Kosher salt and black pepper tablespoons neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed Preparation In a small bowl stir together cup water the preserves and the mustard Set near the stove Pat the pork chops dry and season all over with salt and pepper In a large -inch cast-iron skillet heat the oil over medium-high Add the pork chops and cook occasionally pressing down to make good contact with the skillet until browned to minutes Reduce the heat to low flip the chops and cook until opaque on the other side to minutes Pour in the jam-mustard mixture turn off the heat and let rest for minutes Transfer the chops to plates then return the skillet to medium-low heat and simmer scraping up browned bits until the sauce has thickened slightly to minutes Taste and adjust seasonings Every jam is different so if it s too sweet add more mustard salt or black pepper if it s too salty add a little more jam if it s too intense or thick add a little more water if it s flat add salt Spoon sauce over the pork chops Chickpea Picadillo Chickpea Picadillo Food Stylist Barrett Washburne Bryan Gardner The New York Times This plant-based take on a Mexican picadillo trades the traditional ground meat for a deeply savory mix of mushrooms tofu and chickpeas simmered with tangy tomatillos poblano and scallions until everything melds into a rich comforting hash A box grater gives the tofu a ground meatlike texture that crisps beautifully in the pan while the tomatillos add a tart freshness that keeps each bite lively and light This weeknight-friendly dish is flavorful and deeply satisfying especially when served alongside rice and beans or made into tacos or burritos Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers This is the kind of comfort food whose flavor gets better with time By Rick A Mart nez Yield servings Total time minutes Ingredients tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ounces mushrooms such as cremini chopped ounces extra-firm tofu grated on the large holes of a box grater large scallions chopped green and white parts separated medium poblano chile seeds removed chopped to jalape os chopped use seeded jalape o for a milder dish with seeds for medium heat garlic cloves finely chopped ounces tomatillos about husked rinsed and chopped Salt cups vegetable or mushroom stock -ounce can chickpeas undrained cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems Rice and beans for serving Preparation Heat tablespoons oil in a large well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet over high Cook mushrooms tossing occasionally until browned on all sides to minutes Transfer to a medium bowl Heat tablespoons oil in the same skillet and cook tofu tossing occasionally until any liquid has evaporated and the edges are browned tofu should look like shredded and browned egg whites to minutes Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms Related Articles Recipe Spicy beef tostadas reinvigorate the Taco Tuesday tradition Pucker up lemon recipes to perk up your meals for spring Recipe Brunch on potato crust quiche with spinach feta and bacon Recipe This vegetarian pad thai hits the spot Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with crisp-fried shrimp tacos Heat remaining tablespoons oil in the same skillet and add the scallion whites poblano jalape o garlic tomatillos and salt and cook tossing occasionally until the scallions are just starting to brown and the tomatillos begin to break down about minutes Reduce heat to medium-high and return the mushrooms and tofu along with any juices to the pan Stir in the vegetable stock and the chickpeas along with their liquid Bring to a simmer and cook stirring and scraping up browned bits until all the vegetables are tender and largest part of the liquid has evaporated to minutes Season with more salt if needed Mix in cilantro and scallion greens just before serving Serve with rice and beans Tip Picadillo without cilantro or scallion greens can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to days or frozen for up to months Reheat in the microwave or in a small saucepan covered on low This article originally appeared in The New York Times Subscribe to our weekly newsletter In The Know to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox