Butternut Squash Stuffed Cranberry Quinoa Turkey Meatballs

There are classic combination of fruit and meat that some folks just love. These meatballs remind me a little bit of a creative charcuterie board that has various meats, cheeses and fruits to make that perfect bite out of.

Butternut Squash Stuffed Cranberry Quinoa Turkey Meatballs

Prep Time: 7

Cook Time: 25

Servings: Meatballs

There are only a couple of things that I love about fall. One is when the leaves start to change but it's still warm out. I do love the smell of fall at the beginning of the season and I love when the leaves are changing and there are so many colors in the woods. I also love the food that's in season during fall. All the different types of squash, apples, and cranberries. Since it's the perfect time to harvest most of these things - at least here in Minnesota - fall seems like the best time to utilize them. I get motivated this time of year to start creating recipes incorporating vegetables that I just picked from the garden.

This recipe is warm and comforting and gives a little twist on a pork dinner that's served with butternut squash. I eat quinoa a lot and wanted to incorporate that texture into this recipe as well. The cranberries give these meatballs little pops of sweetness and tartness that pairs well with the butternut squash. These meatballs are for a specific taste so I hope you enjoy them.

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Ingredients

Butternut Squash Pucks

1 small butternut squash chopped in cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream

Turkey Quinoa Cranberry Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup dried cranberries finely chopped
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
12 butternut squash frozen pucks

Instructions

For the Butternut Squash Filling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
For the butternut squash frozen pucks - chop a small butternut squash into cubes
Place the butternut squash cubes onto a pan and drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper
Roast the squash until they are soft and lightly browned - it should take 25 - 35 mins
Let the squash cool for a bit and add it to a food processor with the heavy cream
Blend the squash until smooth
Take the squash puree and spoon it into silicon molds and place them on a tray in the freezer
Freeze the butternut squash pucks for at least 6 hours until solid

For the Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
In a large bowl add, the ground turkey, cooked quinoa, breadcrumbs, cranberries, eggs, and salt and pepper and mix together well
Take the frozen butternut squash pucks out of the freezer
Take a portion of the meat mixture into your hand and flatten it out - make sure you have enough to thoroughly cover the butternut squash pucks
Gently wrap the meat mixture around the frozen butternut squash and place the meatballs onto a greased baking sheet
Bake the meatballs for 25 mins
Take the meatballs out of the oven and let cool briefly but serve warm

Bowl of ingredients for Butternut Squash Stuffed Cranberry Quinoa Turkey Meatballs with frozen butternut squash next to the bowl

This is a specific recipe for some specific folks. It feels like a comfort food to me and it gave me another way to utilize the butternut squash that I grow in my garden. I also eat a lot of quinoa for lunch so we always seem to have some in the fridge. This one does take some planning since you have to roast the butternut squash and puree it to get it into molds to freeze. This is one way for you to get the butternut squash into the meatball as a filling. The puree is nice an smooth and creamy. You could stuff the meatballs with one of the roasted butternut squash cubes too to save some time.

The squash puree can be made out of any squash really. If you prefer delicata squash, buttercup squash, or acorn squash you can totally use any one of those. The only squash that I wouldn’t use for this recipe is spaghetti squash. I don’t think the texture of that squash would work for this application.

Baking sheet lined with tinfoil with 12 raw Butternut Squash Stuffed Cranberry Quinoa Turkey Meatballs

I really like this recipe because these meatballs because I fill them with a lot of squash puree. These meatballs turn out to be rather large which makes them perfect for a simple entree that goes well with your favorite vegetable side dish. Pictured below these meatballs are served with asparagus topped with parmesan cheese.

Since I live in Minnesota I had to throw some wild rice into these balls to add a little different texture. The wild rice we have in Minnesota can be different that the kinds that you can find at any grocery store around the country. Our wild rice is much lighter in color and cooks in about 30-45 mins. It doesn’t have that typical hard black shell or kind of crunch to it like the generic wild rice you can find in the store.

Closeup shot of the Butternut Squash Stuffed Cranberry Quinoa Turkey Meatballs cut open so you can see the stuffing

These meatballs might be something that is better made over the weekend when you have a little more time to devote to making them. The butternut squash puree needs time to freeze in the freezer to set up properly so that you can stuff them into the meat mixture. That’s one of the lessons that I learned when going through my meatball adventures. Having a frozen center to wrap the meat around allows me to be able to stuff meatballs with less conventional fillings and it also helps the filling stay in the meatball while cooking.

I hope you find the time to try these meatballs out – especially if you’re a fan of fall flavors and any type of squash. It will be an interesting meal that will delight your guests and family.