Paprika-Spiced Turkey Meatballs + A Glass of Gamay
📖 Read Time: Approx. 4 to 5 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 5 hours 15 minutes | Total Time: 5 hours 35 minutes | Serves: 6-8
Last Wednesday, I decided to make meatballs. Not because I had some grand plan, but because I had turkey shoulder from the butcher and it was getting cold outside. You know how it is—sometimes you just want to cook something that takes all day.
I made about twenty meatballs and threw them in a pot with tomatoes, paprika, garlic, and a bit of chili. Let it bubble away for five hours while I did other things. The house smelled incredible.
But here's the thing everyone gets wrong: I didn't eat it that night. I put the whole pot in the fridge and waited four days. Sounds crazy, but trust me on this.
Why Turkey Shoulder Is Everything
Regular ground turkey is awful for slow cooking. It's so lean it turns into little rubber balls. But turkey shoulder has actual fat in it, maybe 15% compared to the sad 3% in regular ground turkey. It stays tender and has this natural sweetness that you just don't get with other cuts.
My butcher told me about it a few years ago and it changed how I cook turkey completely. Now I won't use anything else for dishes like this.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
907 grams ground turkey shoulder (ask the butcher, they'll grind it fresh)
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Splash of milk (makes them tender)
For everything else:
Good olive oil
1 onion, diced small
4 garlic cloves, minced
794 grams crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sweet paprika
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt, pepper, bay leaf
Handful of spinach at the end
Some parsley if you have it
Instructions
Get started: Mix the meatball stuff gently, don't overwork it or they'll be tough. Roll into about 20 meatballs. They don't need to be perfect.
Brown them: Heat oil in your heaviest pot. Brown the meatballs all over, then take them out. Don't worry about cooking them through.
Build the sauce: Cook the onion in the same pot until soft. Add garlic for 30 seconds, then the tomatoes, paprika, chili flakes, and seasonings.
The long cook: Put the meatballs back in, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 5 hours. Stir every hour or so. The sauce will get darker and thicker, and your kitchen will smell amazing.
Finish: Stir in spinach in the last few minutes. Add parsley if you want.
The Wait …
This is the part that makes the difference. Let it cool completely, then put it in the fridge. Even one day makes it better, but four days? That's when it becomes something special. The meatballs soak up the sauce and everything tastes deeper and more connected.
I know it's hard to wait when it smells so good, but just do it once and you'll understand.
Serving It
Reheat gently, don't blast it or the meatballs might break apart. I serve it with crusty bread and a glass of Gamay wine. The wine has these berry flavours that work really well with the paprika, but honestly, drink whatever you like.
Sometimes I put it over rice or polenta, but it's great on its own too.
Comfort Food That Actually Comforts
This isn't fancy cooking. It's just understanding that some things get better when you give them time. The meatballs absorb the sauce, the flavors settle in together, and you end up with something that tastes like it took forever but really just took patience.
I make this when I want comfort food that actually comforts. When I want my house to smell like someone's been cooking all day. When I want to remember that the best meals aren't always the most complicated ones.
Bon appétit, darlings 🥂
P.S. This doubles easily and freezes well. I often make extra and freeze half for those nights when I need comfort but don't have the energy to start from scratch.