My son goes to an amazing school, Creative Children’s Center. It’s a co-op, so the parents are very involved, and I get to be the parent helper a couple times a month. There is a kitchen in the classroom so lunch is brought in and prepared by a different parent each day. The kids get to help out and they are more willing to try new things when they’ve had a hand in making and they can see their friends enjoying it. When I think of things to bring to make with the kids I think of how easy it’s going to be and what they can help with. The other day I brought in prepared Pineapple & Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs to have in a rice bowl. They were so delicious that I wanted to be able to make them myself at home from scratch, so they morphed into these Pineapple Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs.
With Easter coming up I’m thinking about holiday foods and that shifts my focus to appetizers, side dishes and desserts! These Pineapple Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs could easily be an easy dinner or made into a delicious appetizer! We had them in a rice bowl with stir fried bell pepper, onion and pineapple chunks and topped with teriyaki sauce, and the kids really enjoyed them. When I made them into an appetizer at home I was inspired by my Glazed Kielbasa Bites. I made the meatballs and then once they were cooked I topped them with a pineapple chunk and glazed them with the dipping sauce. They were out of this world. If you are making them for a party you could cook the meatballs the day before and then reheat in the oven with the pineapple and sauce. If you’re making them for a party you may want to make a double batch because they go fast!!
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 8 oz. crushed pineapple in pineapple juice
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 1/2 cup green onion chopped, both green and whites
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
dipping sauce
- 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp teriyaki
- 1 tbsp soy
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- green onions for garnish
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- **optional pineapple chunks for skewers**
Instructions
- in a large mixing bowl add the crushed pineapple (juice included), panko, garlic, egg, teriyaki, soy, and green onion and mix well.
- add the ground turkey to the bowl and mix until just combined
- heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat and preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- roll about 2 tbsp of the turkey mixture into a golf ball sized ball and repeat with all of the turkey mixture
- placed the meatballs into the hot skillet and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes until dark golden
- place on a foil lined baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven
- bake for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through
dipping sauce
- combine all ingredients in a bowl
appetizer
- place a pineapple chunk on top of the meatball and secure with a toothpick
- baste the dipping sauce on top of the pineapple and meatball.
- place back in oven for 5 minutes
- enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Teresa says
I obviously did something wrong! These were horrible! The meat mixture was way too loose and even with the addition of panko crumbs, the texture was mushy and would not hold together.
Julie @Real Housemoms says
Hi Teresa! I’m sorry you had trouble with the recipe. Depending on the pineapple brand there may be more liquid in the can. The addition of panko was a great fix idea, I’m not sure why it was still mushy. You could also add extra turkey to help balance the moisture level out. I hope you’ll give them another try.
Christine from Cook the Story says
These look SO good!