Turkey Meatball Sliders with Red Leaf Lettuce & Cucumber Salad

Turkey Meatball Sliders

with Red Leaf Lettuce & Cucumber Salad

40 MIN
4 Servings
Wellness at Blue Apron
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Vegetarian
These recipes don’t contain meat, poultry, fish, or seafood.* They’re made with fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. *Select artisanal cheeses may contain animal-derived rennet.
Carb Conscious
These meals have 48g or less of net carbs (total carbs minus dietary fiber) per serving. They replace refined carbohydrates from sources like white flour, rice, and cane sugar with high-fiber foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
600 Calories Or Less
Coming in at 600 calories or less per serving, these recipes are ideal for those choosing to monitor their caloric intake without sacrificing flavor. The US Food & Drug Administration uses 2000 calorie daily intake for general advice. The 600 calorie cap equates to 30% of the total 2000 calories per day based on 3 meals per day with 200 calories remaining for snack or beverage.
Wellness Grain
These recipes feature grains such as barley, quinoa, farro, orzo, couscous and more, handpicked by our Culinary team in collaboration with our Registered Dietitian.
Pescatarian
These recipes feature a wide array of nutritious seafood options like salmon, cod, tilapia, crab, and shrimp. While these dishes never contain meat, pork or poultry, they may contain animal derived ingredients such as milk, butter, cheese and/or honey.
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From the Test Kitchen

Sliders are, essentially, adorably undersized sandwiches. Here, we’re putting an Italian spin on the dish, using the meatball sub as inspiration! We’re filling ciabatta buns with homemade turkey meatballs slathered in tomato sauce and topped with melty provolone cheese. Flavored with traditional Italian spices and served with a delicate, red leaf lettuce and cucumber salad, these gourmet slider-subs are the perfect, family-friendly entrée.

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  • Nutrition
    PER SERVING
  • Calories
    700 Cals (est.)
fresh
ingredients
Turkey Meatball Sliders with Red Leaf Lettuce & Cucumber Salad
Title
  • 1⅛ lbs Ground Turkey
  • 8 Ciabatta Slider Buns
  • 1 28-Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
  • 8 slices Provolone Cheese
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 1 head Red Leaf Lettuce
  • 1 Kirby Cucumber
  • 1 Yellow Onion
  • 1 Shallot
  • 1 Tbsp Meatball Slider Spice Blend (Whole Fennel Seeds, Dried Oregano, Dried Thyme, Whole Coriander Seeds, Sweet Paprika & Crushed Red Pepper Flakes)
  • 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
  • ⅓ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • ⅓ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
time-saving
tips & techniques
Prepare the ingredients:
1 Prepare the ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Halve the buns. Peel and mince the garlic. Peel and small dice the onion. Thinly slice the cucumber into rounds. Cut off and discard the root end of the lettuce; separate the leaves. Peel and mince the shallot to get 2 tablespoons of minced shallot (you may have extra); place in a medium bowl with the vinegar.

Cook the aromatics:
2 Cook the aromatics:

In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, onion and spice blend; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Turn off the heat. Transfer half the cooked aromatics to a medium bowl, leaving the remaining aromatics in the pan.

Form & brown the meatballs:
3 Form & brown the meatballs:

Add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs and half the Parmesan cheese to the bowl of cooked aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Gently mix until just combined. Using your hands, form the mixture into 8 equal-sized meatballs. In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes, or until browned on all sides.

Make the tomato sauce & finish the meatballs:
4 Make the tomato sauce & finish the meatballs:

While the meatballs brown, stir the crushed tomatoes into the pan of cooked aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the browned meatballs. Increase the heat to medium and simmer, loosely covering the pan with aluminum foil, 7 to 9 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Assemble & finish the sliders:
5 Assemble & finish the sliders:

Place the buns on a sheet pan, cut sides up. Drizzle the bun tops with olive oil. Spread a layer of the tomato sauce onto each bun bottom (you may have extra sauce). Top each with a finished meatball and a slice of provolone cheese. Bake 2 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and top each slider with a toasted bun top. Transfer to a serving dish.

Make the salad & finish your dish:
6 Make the salad & finish your dish:

To make the vinaigrette, add the remaining Parmesan cheese to the shallot-vinegar mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until well combined. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce and cucumber. Add enough of the vinaigrette to coat the salad (you may have extra vinaigrette); toss to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve the finished sliders and salad with any remaining tomato sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Tips from Home Chefs

1 Prepare the ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Halve the buns. Peel and mince the garlic. Peel and small dice the onion. Thinly slice the cucumber into rounds. Cut off and discard the root end of the lettuce; separate the leaves. Peel and mince the shallot to get 2 tablespoons of minced shallot (you may have extra); place in a medium bowl with the vinegar.

2 Cook the aromatics:

In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, onion and spice blend; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Turn off the heat. Transfer half the cooked aromatics to a medium bowl, leaving the remaining aromatics in the pan.

Cook the aromatics:
3 Form & brown the meatballs:

Add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs and half the Parmesan cheese to the bowl of cooked aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Gently mix until just combined. Using your hands, form the mixture into 8 equal-sized meatballs. In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes, or until browned on all sides.

4 Make the tomato sauce & finish the meatballs:

While the meatballs brown, stir the crushed tomatoes into the pan of cooked aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the browned meatballs. Increase the heat to medium and simmer, loosely covering the pan with aluminum foil, 7 to 9 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Make the tomato sauce & finish the meatballs:
Assemble & finish the sliders:
5 Assemble & finish the sliders:

Place the buns on a sheet pan, cut sides up. Drizzle the bun tops with olive oil. Spread a layer of the tomato sauce onto each bun bottom (you may have extra sauce). Top each with a finished meatball and a slice of provolone cheese. Bake 2 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and top each slider with a toasted bun top. Transfer to a serving dish.

6 Make the salad & finish your dish:

To make the vinaigrette, add the remaining Parmesan cheese to the shallot-vinegar mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until well combined. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce and cucumber. Add enough of the vinaigrette to coat the salad (you may have extra vinaigrette); toss to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve the finished sliders and salad with any remaining tomato sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Make the salad & finish your dish:
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