Slow Cooker Morroccan Turkey Meatballs with Homemade Whole Wheat Naan
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Tender turkey meatballs spiked with subtly exotic spices and simmered in the slow cooker with a tangy sweet sauce. Pairs perfectly with easy homemade whole wheat naan!
How's your week going? Is it warming up for ya yet? We are finally getting some milder temperatures and I couldn't be happier about it! My boys have missed more baseball practices than they've attended, with all the cold, rainy days of late. The ground is still pretty soggy at this point, but I know it's just a matter of time before that works itself out. And, the upshot is, this:
So.... Things have been busy around here! Spring cleaning, and lots of fun projects going on behind the scenes here at Baking a Moment. It's been so busy, in fact, that I felt the need to pry myself out of bed at 5 am yesterday morning, just to get on top of the laundry situation and have an extra 20 minutes in my day to work out. Whew! It was a tough time getting through the day, but I'm not sorry I did it! It feels good to get a better handle on things.
Today I'm bringing you another savory recipe! And this one's a whole entire meal. I think you're really going to love it! For one thing, it can be made in the slow cooker. For another: homemade bread. YES! I am not an experienced bread baker. Cakes I may know, but bread is uncharted territory for me, so you know that if I can do this, so can you 😉 That said, if you are having a crazy busy week like I am, this meal will taste just as good with store-bought naan, and the slow cooker will save you all sorts of time on top of that.
And did I mention the flavors? Oh, right, the flavors are amaaaazing!
The turkey meatballs are so soft and pillowy, spiked with a subtly exotic spice blend, and every now and then you get a pop of sweetness from the golden raisins. The sauce is a little tangy, a little spicy, and full of robust tomato.
The homemade whole wheat naan is easy enough. There's a little bit of downtime, just waiting for it to rise, so I'd recommend starting it in the morning. About 20 minutes before you're ready to eat, you can preheat your griddle and roll out the rounds. They only take a few seconds to cook on the stovetop!
I layered my whole wheat naan with a little fresh spinach, and then ladled the saucy meatballs on top. A dollop of creamy Greek yogurt and a little fresh mint are such a great counterpoint to all the earthy flavors!
Everything can be made ahead and kept warm- the meatballs in the slow cooker, and the naan wrapped in foil in the oven, so it's perfect for those busy evenings when everyone's coming and going.
I hope you enjoy, and have a great weekend! 😀
**This post was featured on the What's Cookin' Wednesday link party at Buns In My Oven**
Slow Cooker Morroccan Turkey Meatballs with Homemade Whole Wheat Naan
Ingredients
For the Moroccan Turkey Meatballs:
- 2 ½ slices whole wheat bread
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) milk, (I used 1%)
- ½ sweet onion,, finely chopped and sautéed in olive oil until translucent
- ¼ cup (36.25 g) golden raisins
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound (453.59 g) ground turkey, (I used 93% lean)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
For the Sauce:
- 28 ounces (793.79 ml) tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 carrots,, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 cloves garlic,, finely minced
- ½- inch piece of fresh ginger,, peeled
- 2 ½ tablespoons orange zest, (zest of one orange)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the Whole Wheat Naan:
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) warm milk
- ¼ ounce (7.09 g) dry active yeast, (1 packet)
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) whole wheat flour
- ½ cup (62.5 g) all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) Greek yogurt, (I used nonfat)
- 2 tablespoons oil, (I used extra virgin olive oil)
Additionally:
- Greens, (such as spinach, kale, chard, or broccolini, raw, steamed, or sautéed in garlic oil until wilted)
- Greek yogurt, (I used nonfat)
- Fresh mint
Instructions
Make the Moroccan Turkey Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and lightly mist a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Place the bread and milk in a large bowl and squeeze the mixture together with your hands, breaking up the bread and combining it with the milk.
- Add the cooked onion, raisins, spices, and ground turkey. Stir to combine.
- Roll or scoop into 1-inch balls and place in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden around the edges.
Make the Sauce:
- Place all of the sauce ingredients in the crock of a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Add the meatballs and set to "low," for 8 hours.
Make the Whole Wheat Naan:
- Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the warm milk and set aside to proof.
- Place the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Make a well in the center, and add the milk/yeast, yogurt, and oil.
- Knead the dough (either by hand or on low speed, using the dough hook attachment), until soft and pliable. (If the dough seems too dry, add a little warm water to bring it together. It should come away from the sides of the bowl, and be soft but not sticky.)
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Preheat a cast iron griddle on medium-high heat.
- Punch down the dough and divide into balls about the size of a lime.
- Roll each ball with a rolling pin, to a thickness of about ¼ inch.
- Sprinkle the surface of the dough with water, and place on the hot pan.
- When the bottom is brown and there are lots of big bubbles on the surface, flip it and cook it on the other side. If desired, brown the surface over an open flame.
Allie, we have been missing out on our soccer practices and games because of the snow. WAY too cold to be outside playing Spring sports. You make such beautiful food! I'm loving the whole slow cook action with this recipe... looks delish!
Thanks so much, Gloria! We have our first baseball game later today and the sun is shining, woo-hoo! Hopefully the cold wind doesn't get us, lol. I'm so happy you like this recipe- my mom and I really enjoyed it and it was pretty easy to make. Love to you and your family! 😀
Allie!!! Love this recipe! I always love finding new slow cooker ideas. . these Moroccan turkey meatballs look so delicious!!! I have been the same way. . waking up at the crack of dawn to try to get things done before everyone wakes up. . hoping the lack of sleep does not come back to bite me in the butt! 🙂 and today, I could actually sleep in . . and I woke up at 6am! no alarm clock. 😛
You are a superwoman, Alice! I have to admit, it bit me in the butt big time. I've been dragging my a$$ ever since, lol!
This is really delicious! Thanks for a great dinner!!
Awesome! You made it??? I'm so happy you enjoyed! Thank you so much for letting me know, Kristen! That's so great to hear. Hope you're having a great weekend 😀
You totally had me at meatballs, bu especially any kind of Middle Eastern spiced meatball just makes me crazy. I love the addition or orange into the sauce!
Oh I know! Right?! I love meatballs and so do my kids. And any kind of exotic spiced anything has my name written all over it. Sounds like you and I have the same kind of taste in food, lol! I'm so happy you like this one, Sue! Thanks so much for the great feedback 😉
Allie, this meal looks sensational! I love Moroccan flavors, and your whole wheat Naan is more than I can stand. I've been getting into bread baking myself lately -- it was something that always intimidated me -- but there's nothing better than fresh baked bread. 🙂 Have a great weekend!
You are so right, Marcie! I'm a little intimidated by bread baking too, but I would really love to get more comfortable with it. I'm so glad you liked the post and thanks for the encouragement. Hope you're enjoying your weekend!
This looks like an awesome awesome meal! I love crockpot meals ... and to go with homemade bread?? Yes please! I've seen a few recipes for homemade naan this week and now I'm dying to give it a try!
This was my first time trying my hand at it and it worked out great! The recipe was easy, and I'm definitely a novice when it comes to yeast. You should definitely give it a go, Ashley, I think you'd totally rock it! xoxo
Ahhhhhh Allie!!!!! I absolutely LOVE these kind of meals!!!!!!!! They are so wholesome and filling!!!! I loveeeeeeee the addition of raisins for that sudden burst of sweetness in a bite! And the way you have assembled it makes it such a complete dish with the spinach and the yogurt ! Oh yum!!!!!!!!! I need this in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3
Thank you so much Samina! I'm so happy you like the recipe so much. Hope you're having a great weekend, dear!
Your naan turned out beautiful! That fresh spinach look fabulous too!
Have a beautiful weekend Allie!
You too Melanie! And thanks for the encouragement. I'd love to get to be as good a bread baker as you are. Someday!
These turkey meatballs look amazing, Allie! I've only ever made naan once before, definitely need to give your recipe a go! 🙂
Thanks so much Jessica! I had no trouble with the naan at all, and I'm a first-timer! I pretty much followed Monsoon Spice's instructions to the letter, but then I just rewrote the method in my own words. It worked perfectly and came out delicious. Love the char flavor on those blistery bubbles!
I love to see flowers blooming! And can't wait to try these turkey meatballs. I love homemade Naan. Have a great weekend, Allie!
Thanks Ashley! Me too! Thank goodness Spring has finally sprung, lol. Hope you're enjoying your weekend too!
I would love to make homemade naan and all these flavor combinations sound do good!
Thanks Chloe! I hope you get a chance to give this one a try! I loved how it all came out and it was pretty easy to throw together too 😉
You have such beautiful, clean photos in this post, Allie ... definitely going to find a nice Pinterest board to post them to!
Every now and again a dish PARTICULARLY appeals to me and this definitely falls into that category. I like the idea of the lovely spices in the meatballs (the Greeks put cinnamon in their meat a lot and it works so well). I'd really like to try this some time (I'll let you know when I do!) with the homemade naan and all!
I'm so glad to hear that, Helen! I love cinnamon in savory dishes too- somehow it really brings out the rich flavors. Thanks so much for your kind words too! And for pinning!
This looks and sounds so good! I've made a Morroccan chicken stew before and my family and I all loved the flavor combinations. Pinned to try this... including the naan!
Ooh yay! I hope you have fun making it and I hope your family enjoys! Thanks so much for pinning Jill!
Gosh this looks insanely delicious! Wow!
Thanks for the great feedback, Jocelyn! So happy you enjoyed the post. Have a great weekend!
These look delicious, I love naan bread and I can imagine the meatballs go brilliantly stuffed inside one, yum!
Thanks so much Laura! It was a great combo 😉
Okay, this dinner has my name written all over it. I LOVE moroccan food and your meatballs look fantastic! And that naan?? Yeast-y perfection! The two look like they go so great together. So putting this on my dinner menu for next week. pinned! 😉
Thanks so much, Sarah! I'm so glad you like this recipe. This is just the kind of food I love too. I'm so into those ethnic flavors. And the yogurt and mint too! Thanks so much for pinning and for the awesome feedback 😉