Baked Turkey Meatballs

I grew up having some of the best meatballs ever, thanks to my italian grandparents.  There's nothing like the smell of a fresh vat of sauce and meatballs cooking on the stove.  The meatballs were always made of beef so when I met my husband who doesn't eat red meat or pork I needed to find a good recipe that used turkey or chicken.  I've experimented a lot in the last few years and I really paid attention to the batch that I made this evening so I could write it down.  Now don't laugh, but most of the ingredient measurements are in handfuls.  Not exactly technical, but it seems to be consistent for me and less things to wash once I'm done! Enjoy!

Baked Turkey Meatballs

Notes:
A few things to mention - don't use ground turkey breast otherwise they will come out too dry. I use 93% lean ground turkey as a personal preference. There are 2 different types of cheese - fresh ground parmesan and dried canister parmesan.  I really like the flavor that parmesan imparts to these meatballs but I've found that if you use too much fresh there is too much moisture and the meatballs don't stay together as well.  Using the dried gives you an extra flavor boost without compromising the structural integrity of the meatball. These freeze well.  I just put them in a freezer ziplock bag and then take out as many as I need.

Ingredients

3 handfuls of plain panko breadcrumbs
Milk
2-3 pinches of coarse kosher salt
2-3 pinches of fresh ground black pepper
1 handful of fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 handful of canister dried grated parmesan cheese (like Kraft in the green canister)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion, grated on large holes of box grater
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 
1-2 eggs (I use egg beaters)
1 lb. ground turkey (I use 93% lean, not ground turkey breast) 

Instructions:

1. Place panko breadcrumbs in bottom of large bowl and add just enough milk to moisten them. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Add all other ingredients except for eggs. Add 1 egg to start and if the mixture seems a bit dry, then add another egg.
3. Roll into golfball sized meatballs and place on a lightly greased rimmed cookie sheet. (Makes about 28 meatballs)
4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes.