Turkey meatballs

Name: Turkey meatballs
Total time: 45 min
Yield: About 20 finger-shaped meatballs
Ingredients: 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) ground (minced) turkey; 1 small zucchini (courgette); ½ small onion; 40 g (scant ½ cup) quick or rolled oats; ½ tsp dried mixed herbs or oregano; 1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

Soft turkey and zucchini meatballs bound with oats and baked, shaped into fingers for babies and rounds for the rest of the family. No egg or breadcrumbs, and they freeze well.

From: 6 months
Time: 45 min
Makes: About 20 finger-shaped meatballs

No top allergens

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb 2 oz)ground (minced) turkeythigh or a mix of thigh and breast, not extra-lean, so it stays moist; plain, with nothing added (check the label for salt, broth or seasoning)
1 smallzucchini (courgette)about 150 g (5 oz)
½ smallonion
40 g (scant ½ cup)quick or rolled oatsplain, with no added sugar or salt
½ tspdried mixed herbs or oreganooptional, with no added salt
1 tbspvegetable or olive oilfor the onion and the tray

Steps

1Wash your hands. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking tray. Rinse the zucchini and onion under running water. Trim the zucchini, grate it finely and squeeze out the extra water in a clean towel. Peel the onion and chop it finely.
2Cook the onion gently in 1 tsp of the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring, until very soft and see-through. Don't add salt or stock cubes. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
3Put the turkey, zucchini, onion, oats and herbs in a bowl and mix well with a fork or clean hands, then cover and rest it in the fridge for 10 minutes so the oats soften. Don't rinse the raw turkey: washing it splashes bacteria around the kitchen, and only cooking kills them. Don't taste the raw mixture. Wash your hands, the board and anything else that touched raw turkey in hot, soapy water.
4For your baby, shape the mixture into fingers about 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), flattened rather than round. Roll the rest into meatballs for the family. Place them on the tray and brush them lightly with the rest of the oil.
5Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning them halfway, until cooked through and 165°F (74°C) in the center of the thickest one, checked with a food thermometer. Don't judge doneness by color alone (see the US and UK note). Larger meatballs may need a few minutes more.
6Let them cool on the tray. Break one open and squash it between your thumb and finger: it should be soft and moist, not firm or rubbery, with no dry or chewy oat flakes. Trim off any crisp edges, and check they're only just warm before serving.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Offer one or two whole finger-shaped meatballs to hold and gnaw. Each one should squash easily between your thumb and finger. Keep round meatballs for older children and adults.

9 months+

Cut the fingers into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) for pincer-grasp practice, or keep offering whole soft fingers to bite. Serve with soft-cooked vegetables or pasta.

12 months+

Serve with pasta or rice and a sauce made without salt, as part of the family meal. Cut round meatballs into bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) rather than serving them whole.

Where US and UK guidance differ on this recipe

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The AAP says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning. It doesn't give an age for herbs. If you'd rather follow that line closely, leave the herbs out until 12 months, or ask your pediatrician. Cook ground turkey to 165°F (74°C), checked with a food thermometer: the USDA says safely cooked turkey can still look pink, so color isn't a reliable sign.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says not to add salt, stock cubes or gravy to your baby's food or cooking water. Its own recipes for babies from 6 months use herbs (lemony chicken strips) and spices (garam masala in sweet potato patties). The NHS doesn't give a temperature: it says to cook turkey all the way through, until the juices run clear and there's no pink or red meat left.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Cool leftover meatballs quickly and keep them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months (freeze them in a single layer on a tray, then pack them together once frozen solid). Reheat from frozen or thawed, only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), then let them cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl. Don't leave meatballs at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).

For the grown-ups

Bake the family's round meatballs on the same tray and simmer them in a tomato sauce. Take your baby's portion out before adding salt, chili or cheese to the rest.