Creamy Lemon Pepper Meatballs Recipe Is What to Make Tonight by Donna John

Meatballs are always a dinner winner at my house, and I love to try new seasoning blends. Lemon pepper is taking center stage right now. After making my lemon pepper potatoes, I was on a mission to find new ways to use this lemony seasoning. It was a no-brainer when I discovered a recipe for lemon pepper meatballs. With a few tweaks to the recipe, my husband and I sat down to a dinner we both enjoyed – and will enjoy often. These moist meatballs are coated in a creamy, but light, sauce and hits on all notes.

These flavorful meatballs can be made with ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey. Because I am overloaded with ground beef/venison, I took the beefy route, but next time will try them with ground chicken for an even lighter dish. To make these saucy meatballs you will need ground meat of choice, onion, garlic, fresh parsley (see Recipe Notes), panko, milk, an egg, salt, butter, flour, chicken broth and lemon pepper seasoning. The meatballs bake up in the oven while you stir together the quick and easy lemon pepper sauce. Combine the two and bake a bit more to thicken up the sauce even more and add color to the meatballs. The result is a delicious harmony of flavors!

Cooking Tips: If you want to use one less pan, bake the meatballs in the casserole dish. You may need to drain the pan of any fat depending on what kind of meat you use before adding the sauce. I used Kinder's Lemon Pepper Seasoning, but use your favorite. Do be aware if it has salt or not, so you can adjust the amount of additional salt, if needed.

Serve the meatballs and sauce over egg noodles, pasta, orzo, rice, mashed potatoes, quinoa or any grain you like. I served mine over rotini with a side of broccoli.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley, fresh chives or green onion tops (I used green onion tops)
• 1/2 cup panko
• 1/4 cup whole milk (I used evaporated milk)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, ground beef or ground turkey (I used ground beef)

Lemon Pepper Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk 
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

Here's how to make it: 

1. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl. (I didn't have fresh parsley, so chopped up some green onion tops. You could also use fresh chives, or try a combination of all of them.)
   
2. Mix until just combined. (Do not overmix the meatball mixture. Overmixing can make meatballs tough.)
   
3. Form the mixture into meatballs and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 425-degree F oven for about 15 minutes.
   
4. While the meatballs bake, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the flour and stir until smooth, about 1 minute.
   
5. Pour in the milk and chicken broth. Add the lemon pepper seasoning. Stir until smooth (no lumps) and cook until it begins to thicken, about 4 minutes.
   
6. Remove the meatballs from the oven.
   
7. Using tongs, transfer the meatballs to a baking dish.
   
8. Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Sprinkle with a little more lemon pepper seasoning and parsley flakes, if desired.
   
9. Return the meatballs to the oven for about 10 minutes.
   
10. Serve the meatballs over egg noodles, pasta, rice or your favorite grain. (I sprinkled my meatballs with a little parsley flakes for color.)
    
11. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. 
    

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