Hawaiian Turkey Meatballs

Our plan for tonight was baked ziti from the freezer, but I forgot to take it out to thaw this morning so I had to come up with another plan. I had one package of ground turkey in the fridge so I decided to search through some of my cookbooks for something I could use it for. We had mexican food the past few days, so I was craving something sweet. While flipping through a cookbook that we got from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the hospital our children stayed at for so many weeks after their births, I found a recipe for Hawaiian Meatballs. I did a lot of modifying to make the recipe a bit healthier, and the result - absolutely delicious!

Hawaiian Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs Ground Turkey
• 2/3 cup Saltine Cracker Crumbs
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Salt
  
• 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Can Pineapple (reserve juice)
• 1/3 Cup White Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 4 Cups Cooked Rice
  

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey, cracker crumbs, onion powder, egg, salt, ginger, and milk. If mixture is too wet, add more crumbs, if too dry, add milk as needed. Form meat mixture into 1 inch balls (will make approximatley 24 meatballs) and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mix cornstarch and brown sugar in a small bowl. Stir in reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce until mixture is smooth. Pour mixture into a skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken and boil. Continue to boil and stir for one minute. Turn off heat and add meatballs and pineapple to the sauce. Stir to coat meatballs and pineapple evenly. Serve over rice.