The American Heart Association talks about cooking techniques in the cookbook that I have. It’s one of several cooking methods that help retain vitamins and minerals so the food is good for your heart. Cooking food in a slow cooker takes several hours, but because you just fill and cover the cooker, then turn it on, it doesn’t require much time. When using a slow cooker, don’t fill it more than one-half to two-thirds full. Don’t lift the lid to check on the food because slow cookers work by keeping heat and moisture in. Layer the ingredients according to the recipe, because foods at the bottom will cook faster than those at the top. After your meats and vegetables are cooked, you can remove them from the cooker, and then thicken the remaining liquid into a sauce. You usually do this in a saucepan on the stove.
I love using my crockpot because it saves me so much time. So, I decided to share the Slow Cooker BBQ Turkey Meatballs Recipe with you.
You only need 8 ingredients for this recipe. That makes it very quick to prepare, and I’m all about saving as much time as I can!
Warm oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and let cool.
Place turkey in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, egg and oats. Use your hands to gently but thoroughly blend ingredients. Dampen hands lightly and form mixture into about 20 meatballs, each 1 ½ inches in diameter.
Pour a small amount of sauce over bottom of slow cooker. Add meatballs.
Top with remaining bbq sauce. Pour in ½ cup water. Cover and cook on high until meatballs are cooked through, 3 ½ to 4 hours.
Here are the finished meatballs on top of some brown rice. I also cooked some asparagus. These meatballs are pretty filling – I only needed 2 of them. It was enough to last 2 nights, for our family of 5.
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 lb. ground turkey breast
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 2 cups barbecue sauce
- Warm oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and let cool.
- Place turkey in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, egg and oats. Use your hands to gently but thoroughly blend ingredients. Dampen hands lightly and form mixture into about 20 meatballs, each 1 ½ inches in diameter.
- Pour a small amount of sauce over bottom of slow cooker. Add meatballs. Top with remaining bbq sauce. Pour in ½ cup water. Cover and cook on high until meatballs are cooked through, 3 ½ to 4 hours.