BBQ Chipotle Turkey Meatballs

Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.

Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.

Heat Scale
Submit Recipe

Servings: Makes about 30 meatballs

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa, chilled (approximately 1/3 cup uncooked)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey (I used 93% lean)
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped chipotles- (first rehydrate in hot water, then drain; use more for spicier meatballs)
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (+ extra for dipping, if desired)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
cooking spray

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package. Once cooked, spread out the quinoa on a large plate and chill in the refrigerator until cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Sauté the onion for several minutes, until softened.

4. In a mixing bowl, stir together the ground turkey, quinoa, onion, and the remaining ingredients (except the cooking spray). Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Using your hands or a miniature cookie scoop, shape the mixture into balls (between 1 and 1.5 inches in diameter) and place them on the baking sheet.

5. Bake the meatballs for 16-18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Adapted from putonyourcakepants.com