Turkey Meatballs & Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower - Whole 30 Recipe

Photography by Jennifer Glover of Carolina Girl Cooks

Who doesn't love a great meatball?!  I know I do and these turkey meatballs are divine.  Comfort food at its best yet in a much healthier form.  Jenn, of Carolina Girl Cooks, has perfected this meatball.

More recently, I've really enjoyed eating cauliflower and this garlic cauliflower mash is just about as yummy as real deal garlic mashed potatoes.  Make a large batch of these and reheat them the next day...delish!

Whether or not you are on Whole 30, this meal is sure to become one of your go-to's!  Hope you enjoy this one...recipe details are below!

p.s if you have wrapped up Whole 30, I'd love to hear your thoughts and how you are feeling!

Aioli Recipe

Roasted Garlic Recipe

Turkey Meatballs and Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

SERVES 6

Ingredients

• 1 lbs of ground turkey
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup of sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of almond flour
• Olive oil
• 2/3 cup of marinara sauce
• 1 heaping Tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1/3 cup of Roasted Garlic Aioli, link to recipe above
• 3-4 cloves roasted garlic, link to method above
• 2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat up a skillet to medium heat. Add two teaspoons of olive oil and add the chopped onion with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook for about 7-10 minutes until the onion begins to soften and becomes translucent.
2. Add the minced garlic to the onion and cook for another minute or so. Transfer the onions and garlic to a food processor and set aside.
3. Heat the same skillet back up to medium heat. Add two teaspoons of olive oil and add the mushrooms along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms begin to brown. Transfer the browned mushrooms to the food processor.
4. While the mushrooms and onion mixture are cooling, preheat the oven to 350. Also prepare the meatball pan. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil into each hole of a jumbo muffin pan and grease the bottom and sides.
5. Add the egg, parsley, almond flour, ground turkey, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the food processor that already has the onions and mushrooms in it. Process until everything is combined.
6. Divide the turkey mixture in the muffin tin to make 6 meatballs.
7. In a small bowl, mix together the marinara sauce and tomato paste. Spoon a little on top of each meatball. 
8. Cook the meatballs for 30 minutes on 350. 
9. While the meatballs are cooking, make the mashed cauliflower.
10. Steam the head of cauliflower. To do this, I fill a large stock pot with about 1-2 cups of water and place a steamer basket in the bottom. Bring the water to a boil. Cut the cauliflower head up into large pieces and place it in the pot. Cover the pot and steam until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.
11. Clean out the food processor you used to make the meatballs with hot, soapy water and dry.
12. Place the steamed cauliflower in the processor along with the roasted garlic cloves, Dijon Mustard, roasted garlic aioli and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until the cauliflower is smooth and resembles mashed potatoes. Taste to adjust the seasoning.
13. To serve: Serve a turkey meatball with a big scoop of mashed cauliflower and a side of green beans. You can add a little extra tomato sauce to the meatballs for good measure.