Turkey and Barley Meatballs with Shishito Peppers, Cheesy Polenta and Sriracha Sauce
After my recent article, My Family is on a Budget, But I Still Buy Organic Meat. Here’s How. , featured on the PennyHoarder.com, I decided it was time to show you how I do it. The next couple of articles will feature recipes showing you how I’m able to stretch my grocery budget
Today’s recipe is Turkey and Barley Meatballs loaded with veggies, served over a cheesy polenta, charred shishito peppers
The Turkey and Barley Meatballs only uses 1/2 pound of organic ground dark meat turkey that I purchased for $3.99 a pound. The rest of the meatballs are made up of barley
For those who want a vegan dish, leave out the turkey in the meatballs and use more barley, farro
For such a visually amazing and tasting dish, it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to make. I figured it ran about $9.57 to make 12 servings with two meatballs 
Not only is this recipe good for the main course, but it will also make awesome appetizers for a get-together. Or serve as a tapa
Hubby LOVES these Turkey and Barley Meatballs loaded with veggies, served over a cheesy polenta, charred shishito peppers, wilted bitter greens and a creamy sriracha sauce and has already reminded me that it’s time to make them again. Looking forward to sharing them with friends very soon.
Turkey and Barley Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground dark meat turkey
- 1 cup cooked barley
- 1/2 medium-size zucchini shredded
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 large sweet onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp sunflower or olive oil + more for frying
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a cast iron or regular skillet.
- Saute onion until soft, then add the zucchini, carrots and bell pepper. Cook about 1 minute before putting in the ground turkey.
- Saute until the turkey is cooked through, then toss in the barley and garlic. Continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute, and then remove from the heat.
- Lightly beat the egg in a large bowl. Pour in the turkey/barley mixture, basil and season with salt and pepper. Stir together until well mixed and then form into meatballs by taking about 1 tablespoon of mix and rolling in the palm of the hand until you form a meatball. Set aside on a pan or a dish and continue until done.
- For cooking: cook in a lightly-coated, oiled skillet over medium heat, turning occassionally to brown all sides, until done. Or, place meatballs on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F until browned and cooked through.
- Serve as is, with sauce, or add to other dishes.
Notes
Creamy Cheese Polenta
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk or almond milk Plus more to reached desired creaminess
- 1/2 cup polenta
- 3/4 cup grated cheese your choice of cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add water and 1/2 cup of milk to a medium-size pot. You will need a pot with a lid for this recipe.
- Bring liquids to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the polenta, turn the heat down to low and cover with a lid.
- Continue to cook, stirring occassionally to keep from sticking, until polenta is done, about 40 to 45 minutes unless you are using the quick-cooking variety.
- Remove polenta from the heat and stir in cheese. Stir in a little more milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately.
Turkey and Barley Meatballs served with Shishito Peppers, Sriracha Sauce, Bitter Greens and Polenta
Ingredients
Creamy Sriracha Sauce
- 3 Tbsp sunflower oil
- 1/4 large onion finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups milk or almond milk
- 2 Tbsp mayo
- 3 to 4 Tbsp sriracha
- Salt and pepper to taste
Charred Shishito Peppers
- 8 oz shishito peppers
- 2 tsp sunflower or olive oil
- juice from 1/2 fresh lime
Assembly: Turkey and Barley Meatballs served with Shishito Peppers, Sriracha Sauce, Bitter Greens and Polenta
- 1 batch Turkey and Barley Meatballs
- 1 1/2 batch Creamy Cheese Polenta I used monterey jack cheese for this recipe
- 1 batch Charred shishito peppers
- 3 cups bitter greens I used baby kale, beet greens and spinach mixed
- 1 batch Creamy Sriracha Sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 or 6 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
Instructions
Creamy Sriracha Sauce
- Heat sunflower oil in a small skillet or pot.
- Add onions and cook until soft before adding the flour. Cook and stir flour in the oil for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly begin to add milk, stirring constantly to prevent clumping. After adding reaching desired thickness, stir in the mayo and sriracha.
- Season with salt and pepper and set aside for topping your meatballs or the dish of your choosing.
Charred Shishito Peppers
- Heat a cast iron skillet to high or use the broiler. Toss peppers in oil.
- Put peppers in hot skillet or under broiler in oven. Cook until skin is blistered and blackening.
- Remove from heat, toss in lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
Assembly: Turkey and Barley Meatballs served with Shishito Peppers, Sriracha Sauce, Bitter Greens and Polenta
- Slice about 10 to 12 of the shistito peppers into rings, leaving the rest whole.
- To assemble your dish: Make sure you have all ingredients ready and cooked.
- Using bowls: add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of polenta into the bowl of a bowl.
- Top with a small amount of the wilted greens, topped with two meatballs.
- Sprinkle with some of the shistito pepper rings and drizzle with sriracha sauce.
- Top with a whole shistito pepper and sprinkle on some of the sliced basil.
- Serve and enjoy.
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