Squash Blossoms with Turkey Meatball and Tomato Basil

5 from 1 vote

Squash blossoms are growing like crazy in the garden right now! Why not stuff them with a turkey meatball and top them with a tomato basil sauce? The most common preparation people tend to do with them, is to stuff them with a variety of cheeses and fry them.

Because we have been staying away with from red meat, ground turkey sounded like a great alternative! Regardless of what sort of meat you decide to use, the end result will be delicious!

This is a fantastic appetizer for the spring going into summer days especially if you have them growing in your backyard. Here is the recipe for how to make turkey stuffed squash blossoms, I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

10 people

Turkey Meatball

2 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup onion small diced
4 cloves garlic grated
1 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
1 tbsp fennel seed
1 1/2 cup panko
4 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
2 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt

Tempura Batter

1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 cup all purpose flour
cup soda water
1 tsp salt

Tomato Sauce

4 cups tomato
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp chili flakes
2 1/2 cup water
5 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup basil leaves
salt pepper to taste

Squash blossoms

20 each squash blossoms cleaned

Nutritional information

Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 28gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 1284mgPotassium: 521mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1089IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 189mgIron: 2mg

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 5

Servings 10 people

For the tomato sauce

The better the tomatoes the better the sauce! This is my basic tomato sauce but I have plenty of variations on this website. In a sauce pot add 3 tbsp of olive oil with onion, chili flakes, and garlic.
Cook for 3 minutes and then add the tomatoes. Add the water and 1 1/2 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and cover with a lid. Cook for about 30-45 minutes and then add basil leaves. Then with a hand blender or vitamix puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper if needed. I would add a touch of cream if desired. Set aside and keep warm.

For the meatball

Add all the ingredients to stainless steel bowl and season aggressively. Mix well so all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Take a small saute pan on high heat with a tsp of olive oil and cook 1/2 oz of the meatball mixture.
Taste the meatball to see how it tastes. If everything tastes perfect then set aside for the blossoms, if not adjust the meatball to what you think it needs. Place the meat into a large plastic piping bag.
Being careful, open up the blossoms and fill each blossom with some of the meatball mixture. Continue the process until all are filled. (save leftover meat for meatballs or breakfast sausage. )

To finish

Take your blossoms and dip them into the tempura batter a few at a time. Being careful not to burn yourself, drop them into the fryer. Cook for roughly 5 minutes until they are golden brown and the meat is cooked all the way through.
Strain out the blossoms onto a paper towel and immediately season with salt. Continue until all are fried. Serve with tomato basil sauce and enjoy!