One Pot Turkey Meatball Stroganoff

Ingredients

 

Stroganoff (also Stroganov) is a Russian dish that dates back to the 1800s. There are, of course, lots of variations, but Stroganoff in the U.S. is classically made with strips of beef in a sauce of onions, mushrooms and sour cream.

There aren’t any surprising ingredients in this turkey meatball Stroganoff. You’ll also see the standard three ingredients for how to make meatballs: a pound of ground meat, one egg, and half a cup of breadcrumbs.

• Ground turkey – you can buy ground turkey with different fat percentages. More fat equals more flavor, but lean works just fine.
• Mushrooms – cremini or white button are best.
• Paprika – we liked smoked paprika in the meatballs and sweet paprika in the sauce, but use all sweet paprika if you like.
• Wine – beef Stroganoff traditionally uses red wine, but poultry versions sub in white. If you’re drinking white wine with your meal, go with a creamy Chardonnay. Otherwise I use dry vermouth because it keeps longer in the fridge than a standard wine, and I always have a bottle to make a dry martini.

Variations and substitutions

• Sub in ground chicken or ground beef for the ground turkey.
• Use gluten-free panko or any other breadcrumbs.
• No wine in the house? Sub in a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar for the acidity.

Recipe tips and tricks

The turkey meatball recipe starts with a panade just like in my Greek chicken meatballs. This paste-like mixture of breadcrumbs and milk helps keep your meatballs tender.

Add the ground turkey and rest of the turkey meatball ingredients to the bowl and mix them together with your hands. There’s no need to knead the meatballs mixture, or your meatballs may be tough.

If you have the time, refrigerate this mixture for 30 minutes or so before frying.

Use a medium-sized cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop about two tablespoons of the turkey meatball mixture. Roll the mixture into a ball and put the meatball on piece of wax paper while you scoop the rest of the turkey meatballs.

You can bake these turkey meatballs like I do for my Asian shrimp and pork meatballs. But it’s more convenient to just fry them in the same pot you’ll use for the rest of the meatball Stroganoff recipe.

Briefly fry the meatballs in a thin layer of oil in a large pot until they are browned on several sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs to a plate.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot and cook the onions until softened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Then add the chopped mushrooms, salt, paprika, thyme, and black pepper and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid and started to brown.

Add the egg noodles and return the meatballs to the pot. Stir everything into the liquid, cover the pot, and cook for the time specified on your package of noodles, stirring a few times.

When the noodles are cooked and the meatballs are at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, remove pan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream, Dijon mustard, and parsley and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Return the pot to low heat and cook slowly to warm the dish through.

Serve immediately in bowls, with more chopped parsley for garnish.

What to serve with turkey meatball Stroganoff

• Serve with a simple vegetable. When I think of Russian vegetables, I think of beets and cabbage or a hardy green. Or maybe a pickle?
• Make a kale salad or raw carrot salad.
• Add a garlic bread baguette to sop up all the sauce.
• With all of the mushrooms, Stroganoff is one of those times that I feel totally comfortable recommending a red with poultry. Make it a light to medium-bodied red so you don’t overpower the dish.

Recipe FAQs

Related meatball recipes

Check out other recipes for burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf from the Ugly Duckling Bakery recipe archives, including: