A Grateful Meal

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Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs Recipe

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These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are quick and easy to make, not to mention super tender and flavorful! This is a great all-purpose recipe that can be used in multiple dishes.

Everyone loves meatballs. They’re so versatile! You can put any type of sauce you want with the meatballs, and it seems like you have an entirely different food. Use them in marinara, and it’s the classic Italian spin, or you can use teriyaki sauce, and it’s got a bit of an Asian flair. You can use them as an appetizer or a main dish to pair with sides.

These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are a great all-purpose recipe. They make 12 larger meatballs, but you can certainly roll them into 24 mini meatballs that you can use for soups like Italian Wedding Soup or as an appetizer. Plus, these meatballs are made in the air fryer, which you know how much I love my air fryer.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for air fryer turkey meatballs in a yellow bowl on a white background.

Ground turkey: Turkey is one of my favorite meats to make meatballs, but you can certainly substitute other ground meats if you prefer.

Egg: This helps bind the meatball together.

Panko breadcrumbs: This kind of breadcrumb is much bigger than regular breadcrumbs, giving the meatball a less dense and more airy texture.

Parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese makes everything better, am I right? I’m all for easy swaps and buying pre-cut things whenever needed, but grating the parmesan yourself yields a superior taste, in my opinion, compared to pre-grated parmesan cheese.

Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce are my go-to seasonings for meatballs.

Olive oil: Since ground poultry is relatively lean, I like to add a little bit of fat back into the meatballs with some olive oil. Fat helps with feeling satisfied from food, which is one of the Intuitive Eating principles. You can skip the olive oil though if you swap for a fattier cut of ground meat like pork or beef.

A black air fryer basket with 4 turkey meatballs inside.

How to Make Air Fryer Meatballs

You can put all of the ingredients in one big bowl. I typically mix everything together with my (clean) hands as it’s much easier to get all of the ingredients evenly distributed rather than using a mixing spoon or spatula. No one wants to bite into a chunk of breadcrumbs because the ingredients weren’t evenly mixed. Also, don’t overwork the mixture. When you’re mixing together all of the ingredients, be careful not to overmix. If you do, the meatballs might become tough. Mix just long enough for the ingredients to be evenly distributed.

I usually use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to scoop out the mixture from the bowl to get uniform meatballs. They will cook more uniformly when they are uniform in shape.

I preheat my air fryer so that when I put the meatballs in the air fryer, they’ll get a light sear on the bottom. After cooking them for about 10 minutes or until they reach 165 degrees F internally, the air fryer turkey meatballs are ready to be tossed in your favorite sauce.

White plate of air fryer turkey meatballs on a white background with a blue and white napkin on the side.

Why use the Air Fryer for Meatballs?

Air frying works so well because it uses very hot air that circulates rapidly around the food. This allows the food to crisp or sear quickly. When we sear meat, we lock in the moisture. When moisture seeps out, we can get dried out meatballs, which aren’t pleasant. Air fryers is just a small convection ovens, but they are an incredibly easy and efficient way of cooking, which is exactly why I have so many air fryer recipes on my site.

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Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs

White plate of air fryer turkey meatballs on a white background with a blue and white napkin and a white bowl of tomato sauce on the side on the side.

These Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are quick and easy to make, not to mention super tender and flavorful! This is a great all-purpose recipe that can be used in multiple dishes.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 meatballs (or 24 mini meatballs) 1x
  • Category: meatballs, dinner, appetizer
  • Method: air fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer at 400 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until all is evenly distributed.
  2. Divide the meat into 12 (or 24 for mini meatballs) equal balls. Place in air fryer basket and cook for 10-12 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Serve with your favorite sauce. 

Keywords: meatballs, dinner, appetizer

Air Fryer Steak Bites

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

These Air Fryer Steak Bites are quickly marinaded and then air fried for an easy weeknight meal idea that you can make in just 30 minutes.

It’s no secret around here that I’m a fan of air fryers.  As I’ve mentioned in most of my posts, an air fryer is just a counter-top convection oven that is super handy and cooks food much faster and efficiently thanks to the hot air circulating rapidly in the air fryer. It allows the steak bites to get a good sear and cook up quickly. The cooking time is less than 10 minutes, and the steak bites come out perfectly seared, tender, and flavorful.

Ingredients

Soy sauce: I always use the reduced-sodium soy sauce to have better control over the sodium in a dish. You can always add salt, but you can’t take it away salt when cooking.

Worcestershire sauce: This is a classic umami flavor that pairs perfectly with the steak.

Garlic cloves: I love lots of garlic in steak marinades, so I used three minced cloves. Feel free to adjust based on your garlic desires (or proximity to vampires!)

Lemon juice: While there is some acid to the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, a little lemon juice helps tenderize the meat faster, which is vital since it’s a quick marinade.

Olive oil: Fat gives flavor and texture to recipes. Sirloin steak is leaner, so it needs a little fat added. If the steak bites are coated in a bit of oil before going into the air fryer, it’ll help give a quick sear to the meat, which locks in the juices and prevents it from drying out the steak bites.

Italian seasoning: Most Italian seasonings are made from herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, etc., which go great in this marinade. If you want to mix it up a bit, feel free to use your favorite all-purpose seasoning blend instead.

Raw steak bites in a single layer in a black air fryer basket.

How to Make Air Fryer Steak Bites

First, you’ll start by making the marinade by whisking together all of the ingredients except for the sirloin pieces. Then, you’ll put the steak bite pieces in the mixture to marinate about 20 minutes. You can do this in a shallow container or a Ziplock bag.

After, you’ll preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Put the air fryer bites into the air fryer (you’ll hear a nice sizzle) and make sure that they are in a single layer. If you double the recipe, you may have to cook in batches as you don’t want to overcrowd the air fryer. If you overcrowd the air fryer, you won’t get as good of a sear on the steak.  You’ll cook them for about 4 minutes. Depending on the size of your steak bites, this may give you a medium or a medium-rare cook to the steak. Cook for an additional 1-3 minutes for medium-well to well-done.

Close-up of air fryer steak bites with parsley garnished on top.

What to Serve with Steak Bites

You can certainly serve these bites with toothpicks and a dip like horseradish sauce as an appetizer, but if you’d like to serve them with some side dishes, here are a few to consider:

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Air Fryer Steak Bites

Close-up of air fryer steak bites with parsley garnished on top.

These Air Fryer Steak Bites are quickly marinaded and then air fried for an easy weeknight meal idea that you can make in just 30 minutes.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 7 minutes
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: air fryer, steak
  • Method: air fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice (or juice of ½ lemon)
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 lb. of sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces (or pre-cut beef tips)

Instructions

  1. Mix together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil, and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. Add steak bites and marinate for 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Once steak bites are done marinating, arrange steak bites in a single layer in the air fryer and cook for 4 minutes (for about medium doneness – depending on size). Flip steak bites and then cook for additional 1-3 minutes depending on the desired doneness. 

Keywords: air fryer, steak

3 Ingredient Beer Bread

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Exactly how it sounds in its name, this 3 Ingredient Beer Bread is made with just 3 ingredients – self-rising flour, beer, and honey. It’s so simple, yet so delicious!

Baking with yeast can be tricky. While I’d like to master the skill of baking with yeast someday, I’m pretty content using other leavening agents, especially when I can make things as good as this 3 Ingredient Beer Bread. Thanks to the beer, it’s got that yeasty and toasty flavor and aroma that you’d get from things like sourdough bread. It smells fantastic when it is baking!

The ingredients for 3 ingredient beer bread on a white background including a bottle of beer, a container of flour with a measuring cup inside, and a bear bottle of honey.

Ingredients

Self-rising flour: It’s essential to get the self-rising flour as the leavening agents (baking powder) are already in the flour. If you happen not to have a bag of self-rising flour, you can take all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour (or a 50/50 blend of the two), and add 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp. of salt for each cup of flour. This recipe uses 3 cups of flour, so you’d need 4 ½ tsp. of baking powder and ¾ tsp. of salt.

Beer: I used a nice dark stout beer, but most any beer would do. The amount needed for the recipe is about the equivalent of a standard bottle or can of beer.

Honey: This obviously adds the sweetness to balance out the salt and beer’s salty and sour flavors. If you need to substitute honey, you can use another syrup like maple syrup or agave syrup. This recipe wasn’t tested with dry sweeteners like sugar.

How to Make 3 Ingredient Beer Bread

This recipe really couldn’t be any simpler. You’ll mix together the flour, honey, and beer in a large mixing bowl. You don’t need an electric mixer; it can be done by hand. The dough will be a little sticky but start to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

A two photo collage of the the beer bread dough. The top picture is the beer and the flour in a yellow bowl without stirring. and the second photo is of the dough mixed together for the 3 ingredient beer bread.

You’ll then pour the dough into a greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. As tempting as it is to dive right into the bread while it’s hot, allow enough time for the bread to cool before slicing into it. It’s hard; I know when you’ve been smelling those delicious aromas coming from the oven for the better part of an hour.

3 slices of 3 ingredient beer bread stacked with pat of butter on top on a white background with the loaf of beer bread in the background and a butter knife in the foreground

How to Serve Beer Bread

The 3 Ingredient Beer Bread isn’t quite a bread for making a sandwich (although, if you try it, let me know how it goes) since it’s more of quick bread. I like to serve it on the side like dinner rolls or buttered as part of my breakfast. It would be perfect with soups, like this Potato, Leek, and Kale Soup, or a hearty chili like these. Or as part of any St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

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3 Ingredient Beer Bread

A loaf of 3 ingredient bread sliced on a cooling rack with a blue and white napkin, butter knife, and a little bowl of butter on the side on a white background

Exactly how it sounds in its name, this 3 Ingredient Beer Bread is made with just 3 ingredients – self-rising flour, beer, and honey. It’s so simple, yet so delicious!

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
  • Total Time: 50-55 minutes
  • Yield: 1 loaf 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups of self-rising flour 
  • 12 oz of beer
  • 1/3 cup honey 

Instructions

  • Preheat to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl with a large spatula until the dough begins to form together and begins to pull away from the sides.
  • Pour into a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.

Keywords: beer, bread, honey, beer bread, baking

Ground Turkey Slow Cooker Recipes [Crockpot or Instant Pot]

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These recipes are the best ground turkey slow cooker recipes for using up any ground turkey meat you may have hanging around your fridge.

 Who doesn’t love a good slow cooker recipe? It’s basically set it and forget it. I thought I would highlight a few recipes, so I’ve rounded up a few easy and delicious ground turkey slow cooker recipes all in one spot.  

The Best Ground Turkey Slow Cooker Recipes Round-up

Taco Soup: This recipe doesn’t call for ground turkey specifically, but it is recommended in the recipe. You can use any type of ground meat – and that’s generally true of most of these recipes, but this recipe uses simple pantry recipes to bring together a cozy, one-pot, slow cooker meal! Bonus – this recipe also tells you all the details on how to freeze the soup properly if you want to have leftovers that you can pull from the freezer when you’re short on time.

Ground turkey slow cooker recipe with a taco soup with avocado and tortillas on top on a white background with spoons and a blue towel on the side.

Pumpkin Chipotle Chili: Um, hello, yes, please. It’s no secret around here that I’m a huge fan of pumpkin and chipotle peppers. Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos in a smokey, adobo sauce. Putting those together with pumpkin and ground turkey sounds like a perfect chili to me.

Ground turkey slow cooker recipe with chipotle pumpkin turkey chili on a gray background with a white napkin and gold spoon

Turkey Green Chili: Chilis are usually made with crushed tomatoes, but this chili has no tomatoes. Instead, it relies on jalapenos, chicken broth, spices, ground turkey, and hominy. Hominy is coarsely ground corn that is used to make grits. It gives this chili a unique texture and flavor.  I also love the idea of topping it with pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds).

picture of ground turkey slow cooker recipe with a green turkey chili on a dark background

Slow Cooker Turkey, Lentil, and White Bean Chili: This chili is similar to classic chilis, but I don’t usually see lentils and white beans together in chili. I love them both, so it’s nice to see them packed in along with the ground turkey as an additional source of protein.

Ground turkey slow cooker recipe with a turkey, lentil, and white bean chili on a burlap background with an orange napkin and spoon.

Why should I choose ground turkey over any other meat? Is turkey “healthier” than other ground meats?

Ground turkey is milder in flavor than ground beef or pork. It’s very similar in taste to ground chicken, but a little more game-like. If you’re making something with a lot of lighter flavors that you don’t want to conflict with by using beef, turkey may be the way to go (like in the green chili above).

As far as nutrition goes, it depends on your goals and what kind of turkey you choose. People often choose chicken or turkey, thinking it has less saturated fat (saturated fat is linked to high cholesterol). However, if you’re comparing lean turkey (93% lean, 7% fat – labeled on the package) to lean beef (93% lean or higher and 7% or less fat), that might not be the case. There isn’t any reason to avoid one or the other if you’re choosing lean ground meat and want to watch your cholesterol, so personally, I choose a lean cut either way and go with the one that would compliment the flavor profile in the recipe the best.

Ranch Chex Mix

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This Ranch Chex Mix is the ultimate party mix or simple snack that can be made right in the microwave! Crunchy, savory, salty, and tangy, this snack mix is definitely a crowd-pleaser.

Everyone loves a good snack mix, and this Ranch Chex Mix is a winner.

Ranch chex mix cooling on a sheet pan

Ingredients

Butter and oil: Butter and oil are what you need to make sure the seasoning spreads and coats the snack mix evenly. It also makes it so that the mix is extra crunchy. You can use only one or other, but I like to have a blend of the two.

Worcestershire sauce: This sauce adds an umami flavor, which makes the flavor pop with some boldness.

Dill: Dill is one of the main ingredients and flavors in ranch flavoring and dressing. It’s an absolute must. Dried works best in this snack mix instead of fresh.

Garlic and onion powder: These two flavors are necessary for the ranch and savory flavor of the Chex mix.

Dried chives: Chives add a little extra oniony flavor with a nice burst of green color.

Cayenne pepper: Keeping the cayenne to about 1/8 tsp. works well for most palates, but if you want a little extra kick, you might want to up the cayenne to ¼ tsp.

Chex cereal: I used three different kinds of Chex cereal: rice, wheat, and corn. If you want a gluten-free snack mix, use only rice and/or corn Chex, but you’ll also have to trade out pretzels for a gluten-free version.

Pretzels: You can use salted or unsalted pretzels, depending on your taste desire for salt or if you’re watching your sodium.

Mixed nuts: Feel free to use mixed or your favorite nut by itself. You can’t go wrong here. Use salted or unsalted depending on your preferences.

How to Make Ranch Chex Mix

Chex mix is so easy because it involves merely mixing ingredients together and “cooking” it in the microwave. It doesn’t get much more straightforward.

You’ll need to first melt the butter and oil in the microwave, then add the seasonings. After this, you’ll need to add in the cereal, pretzels, and nuts to evenly coat with the butter, oil, and seasoning mixture. Then you’ll microwave the mixture for about 5-6 minutes, stirring the mixture every 2 minutes or so. Lastly,  you’ll need to spread the mixture out on a sheet pan to cool. At this point, you’ll only need to try to refrain from snacking on the mix until it’s cool. Good luck.

Ranch chex mix in a bowl next to a sheet pan of ranch chex mix

Other appetizers or snacks to serve for get-togethers

Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

Pepita and Red Pepper Salsa

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

Air Fryer Calamari

Pepper-Pepperoni Rolls

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Ranch Chex Mix

Ranch chex mix in a bowl next to a sheet pan of ranch chex mix
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 11 cups of snack mix 1x
  • Category: snacks, appetizer
  • Method: microwave

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. light-colored oil (light olive oil or avocado oil)
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp. dried dill
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. dried chives
  • Salt/pepper, to taste
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne
  • 3 cups of rice Chex
  • 3 cups of wheat Chex
  • 3 cups of corn Chex
  • 1 cup pretzels
  • 1 cup of mixed nuts

Instructions

  1. Melt oil and butter in microwave. Add in seasonings.
  2. Pour butter/oil/seasoning mixture over cereal, pretzels, and mixed nuts in a very large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave uncovered for 5-6 minutes – stirring every 2 minutes.
  3. Spread out on sheet pan until cool.

Keywords: snacks, appetizer, chex mix

Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

These Air Fryer Tortilla Chips are incredibly easy and delicious – they are warm, crunchy, and taste just like restaurant-style tortilla chips, but without all the fuss and excess oil. 

We all know what happens when we go to Mexican restaurants. They bring the basket of chips, and before you know it, 3 baskets have come and gone before the food even gets to the table. There is just something about those crunchy, warm, and salty chips that make us all powerless. 

Tortilla chips at home just aren’t the same. If you buy the bagged, the taste isn’t right. I don’t like frying foods at home, and baking tortilla chips don’t quite get the texture right. These Air Fryer Tortilla Chips are the right answer for a healthy homemade alternative that mimics the restaurant-style chips.  

Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need:

  • Corn tortillas: You could use flour, but corn tortillas give the best flavor for chips. I used the six-inch round corn tortillas. 
  • Light-colored oil or spray oil: I usually brush the tortillas after cutting them with light tasting olive oil. You could also use avocado oil. If you have spray oil, that works just as well. The bottom line is to make sure that the oil is light in color. The lighter the color, the less likely the oil will burn.  
  • Seasonings: I sprinkled the chips with salt, fresh cracked pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice. If you really want to mix it up, try seasoning with cumin or chili powder – both would taste great. 
Close up of a basket of air fryer tortilla chips

How to Make Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

You’ll need to cut the tortillas into wedges like a pizza shape. I actually use a pizza cutter and cut them in stacks of 3-4 tortillas at one time. Once you have your shapes, it’s just brushing (or spraying) with oil and seasoning them before tossing them into the air fryer. 

One of the key techniques with air fryers is to arrange the food in a single layer so that the hot air circulates and cooks the food evenly. You don’t have to worry about that with tortilla chips in the air fryer. The first time I turned the air fryer on with the chips, I heard this clinking noise coming from my air fryer. Turns out, the chips are so light that the air circulating around the chips tosses them around while they cook. Long story short, TLDR: just dump all the seasoned tortilla wedges into the air fryer – don’t worry about putting them neatly in a single layer. After cooking them for about 3 minutes, I still go ahead and open the air fryer to toss them around to make sure they are evenly cooking. All that’s left is to cook another 2 minutes, and boom – serve them up with some salsa and gauc. 

Basket of air fryer tortilla chips with salsa

How to Serve 

I really don’t need to tell you what to serve with tortilla chips, but if you’re looking for some recipes to accompany your chips – I got you covered with the following:  

Pepita and Red Pepper Salsa

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

Instant Pot Carne Asada

Cilantro Garlic Sauce

Chicken Tamale Dumpling Soup

Healthier Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

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Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

Overview of basket of chips with salsa
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Mexican, snacks, appetizer, side dish
  • Method: Air Fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into wedges
  • Light-colored oil or spray oil (light tasting olive oil or avocado works well)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 lime (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 360 F. Brush oil or spray oil on to tortilla wedges. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice (if using).
  2. Put all the wedges in the air fryer (it doesn’t matter if they are in a single layer) and air fry for 3 minutes. Then shake the air fryer basket to redistribute, then cook for an additional 2 minutes or until golden all over. Best served immediately. 

Keywords: tortilla, chips, snacks