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    Home » Entrees » Poultry Recipes

    Baked Butternut Squash & Turkey Meatballs Recipe

    Published: Mar 13, 2014 · Modified: Jun 21, 2019 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 9 Comments

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    Bolster the vitamins and flavor in a classic turkey meatball recipe with some butternut squash puree. The kids will never know! Thanks to General Mills for helping me share this recipe with you.
    Bolster the vitamins and flavor in a classic turkey meatball recipe with some butternut squash puree. The kids will never know!

    Here's the deal. My kids are pretty good eaters. When it comes to fruits and veggies, there is a pretty wide array that they will dig into and they will always try something at least once. Whether my husband, Steve, and I had something to do with this or they were just born that way, we thank our lucky stars that they have a pretty balanced diet. But when it comes to butternut squash or sweet potatoes, they stick up their noses.

    Every day Steve and I witness the difficulties that parents face when their kids have a very restrictive diet. Yes, there are a couple of our friends who struggle with this with their kids, but it is something that we see regularly at work. You see, Steve and I work with kids diagnosed with autism, and many of the kids have food refusal issues that frustrate their parents to the point of tears. They wonder how their children will get the proper nutrients to grow and thrive.

    Of course, this is not a problem specific to autism. Many children eat a limited selection of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.

    Meatball ingredients in a bowl.

    There are different schools of thought on slipping vegetables into kids' foods. Some ask, "Shouldn't we be teaching them to eat and appreciate the fresh form of the vegetable rather than sneaking it into food?"

    The rebuttal is often, "If I can't get my kids to eat the vegetables, or it's going to take a long time to reach that place, what's the harm in bolstering some of our regular recipes with a dose of pureed vegetables?"

    Turkey meatballs lined up on a baking sheet, ready to bake.

    I understand both sides of the arguments. But for some of the kids we work with, it sometimes takes weeks or months for them to accept a new food. In the meantime, parents do their best to work pureed vegetables or fruits into smoothies or other recipes.

    For our own boys, I would love for them to benefit from the vitamins in butternut squash, whether or not they are ready to eat our favorite Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa.

    Baked turkey meatballs, simmering in a tomato sauce.

    We are true-blue meatballs lovers in our house, so I decided to switch up one of our favorite meatball recipes by adding some butternut squash puree in the form of Veggie Blend-Ins, which is made from 100% pure butternut squash.

    Could you simply make your own butternut squash puree and store it in the freezer? Of course you could. But I know that we all get bogged down in the day-to-day rush of work, school, activities...I get it. Sometimes a little convenience goes a long way in maintaining one's sanity.

    I tossed all of our regular turkey meatball ingredients in a bowl and added one package of the butternut squash puree. Cut and squeeze. That's it! To compensate for the extra moisture, I increased the amount of breadcrumbs.

    So, what did my kids think? To be honest, they didn't notice a difference. I could taste a slight sweetness from the butternut squash, but it was only discernible because I knew it was there.

    I asked, "So, how was dinner guys?"

    "Awesome as always, Mum. Can we have meatballs every night?" Success!

    Butternut Squash & Turkey Meatballs - Sneak in some butternut squash goodness. The kids will never know!

    Other meatball recipes:

    Cookin' Canuck's Cannellini Bean Vegetarian "Meatballs" with Tomato Sauce
    Cookin' Canuck's Italian Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
    The Perfect Pantry's Curried Turkey Meatballs
    Yummy Addiction's Pork & Beef Meatballs Stuffed with Avocado

    Bolster the vitamins and flavor in a classic turkey meatball recipe with some butternut squash puree. The kids will never know!

    Baked Butternut Squash & Turkey Meatballs Recipe

    Bolster the vitamins and flavor in a classic turkey meatball recipe with some butternut squash puree. The kids will never know!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entrees
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Poultry Recipes
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 36 meatballs
    Calories: 196.4kcal
    Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

    Ingredients

    • 1 ¼ poound ground turkey
    • ½ onion grated
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 large egg
    • ¾ cups breadcrumbs preferably whole wheat
    • ½ cup Veggie Blend-Ins butternut squash
    • ¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley
    • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoons ground pepper
    • your favorite tomato sauce
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
    • In a large bowl, stir together the ground turkey, onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, pureed butternut squash, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper until combined.
    • Using a rounded 2-tablespoon portion of the meat mixture, form meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
    • Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
    • Heat your favorite tomato sauce in a large saucepan. Add the meatballs and simmer for a few minutes. Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked pasta or rice.

    Notes

    From the kitchen of Cookin' Canuck | cookincanuck.com

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6Meatballs | Calories: 196.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.9g | Protein: 24.9g | Fat: 4.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.3g | Cholesterol: 85.2mg | Sodium: 461.7mg | Potassium: 52.1mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 2g
    Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

    22Shares
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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Lisa

        June 12, 2014 at 7:18 pm

        Hi Dara,
        I was looking for a recipe that included butternut squash in a meatball recipe and came across your website for the first time. Your photos are wonderful.
        Since you and your husband both work with autistic children, with picky eating habits, I thought I would pass along some info to you. Have you every heard of the gut-brain connection? There is a great book called 'Gut and Psychology Syndrome' and I HIGHLY recommend it to you and the parents of those children.

        http://www.amazon.com/Gut-Psychology-Syndrome-Depression-Schizophrenia/dp/0954852028

        Hope this is of interest to you.
        Thanks!

        Reply
      2. Margaret

        March 15, 2014 at 10:29 pm

        What is "Veggie Blend-Ins" butternut squash? Is it a mix or a seasoning? Would a cooked veggie do the same thing?

        Reply
        • Dara (Cookin' Canuck)

          March 16, 2014 at 4:47 pm

          Hi Margaret, Veggie blend-ins are pouches of butternut squash puree (i.e., time savers). Yes, you can absolutely substitute a homemade butternut squash puree!

          Reply
      3. Laura @ My Friend's Bakery

        March 14, 2014 at 9:30 am

        Those look delish! I have one son who won't eat any fruits or veggies. I'm hoping that as he ages, his palate will change and he will learn to love all types of food, but until then I have learned to be a sneaker. 😉

        Reply
        • Dara (Cookin' Canuck)

          March 16, 2014 at 4:49 pm

          I'll bet that he learns to love those fruits and veggies over time. It definitely takes persistence on the parent's part though, doesn't it? I always want to say..."You don't know what you're missing out on!"

          Reply
      4. cheri

        March 13, 2014 at 9:34 pm

        It is interesting, at the farmers market I see kids with veggies in hand. Where we spend our summers we see kids have snacks of carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. I'm not sure what drives what, but I believe part of it mite be what you know.

        Reply
        • Dara (Cookin' Canuck)

          March 16, 2014 at 4:50 pm

          Cheri, I completely agree that kids will start to munch on whatever foods they are surrounded with on a regular basis. I'm always a proponent for getting kids involved in growing their own veggies and helping with cooking the meals. When they take ownership, it seems that they're far more likely to try a new veggie or fruit.

          Reply
      5. Danae @ reciperunner

        March 13, 2014 at 1:23 pm

        Love this recipe! My nephew is autistic so I know exactly what you are talking about with the restrictive diet, he very often flat out refuses to try new things. I don't have kids myself, but if they are in need of extra nutrition then I don't see the harm in adding pureed vegetables in to their favorite foods. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

        Reply
      6. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl

        March 13, 2014 at 8:45 am

        I love and share your philosophy and also see both sides to the "sneaking in the veggies" story. The fact is, sometimes I just like using veggies in place of cream or other fillers - whether I'm trying to be sneaky or not! These look amazing!

        Reply

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