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LunchSpanish · 40 min · 4 servingsAlbóndigas de pavo en salsa de tomate

Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce

Each serving has 226 kcal, 27.9 g of protein, and 3 g of fiber, or 12.3 g of protein per 100 kcal. Ready in 40 minutes; makes 4 servings.

  • High in protein
  • Easy to digest
  • Low energy density

Per serving

  • 226 kcalCalories
  • 27.9 gProtein
  • 3 gFiber

Calculated ingredient by ingredient from USDA FoodData Central. 12.3 g of protein per 100 kcal.

Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce, seen from above
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Published
Sources
8 primary

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Ingredients

4 servings

Plus, with no meaningful nutrition (not counted in the table):

  • Garlic, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

Weights are for each food as described on its page: raw, cooked, or drained, as noted. Grams are the reference used for the math; ounces and cups are rounded US equivalents.

Directions

  1. Mix the turkey with the egg, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper.
  2. Shape the mixture into about 16 walnut-sized meatballs.
  3. Brown them in a skillet with half the oil and set them aside.
  4. In a pot, cook the onion and carrot in the rest of the oil for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Add the meatballs, cover, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Why it is filling

Turkey breast is one of the leanest meats, so almost all of its energy is protein. Ground and simmered in sauce, it turns soft and easy to chew, and the tomato and carrot sauce adds volume and vegetables without extra fat. Small meatballs let you serve just the amount you feel like eating.

In numbers, each serving has 27.9 g of protein and 3 g of fiber, with an energy density of 77 kcal per 100 g of the dish. In the satiety index by Holt and colleagues (1995), the foods that were most filling per calorie were those with more protein, fiber, and water and less fat.

High in protein
At least 15 g of protein per serving and 6 g per 100 kcal.
Easy to digest
A soft dish with little fat (20 g or less per serving) and no large amounts of ingredients that often cause gas or nausea. This is an editorial call, not a measurement.
Low energy density
100 kcal or less per 100 g of the dish: plenty of volume for few calories.

If your appetite is small

  • Freeze the meatballs with their sauce in portions of four; they reheat in 10 minutes.
  • If four meatballs are a lot, have two now and two at dinner.

Nutrition facts

Values per serving and for the whole recipe (4 servings), calculated from the ingredients. Protein per 100 kcal: 12.3 g.
NutrientPer servingWhole recipe
Calories226 kcal906 kcal
Protein27.9 g111.7 g
Carbohydrates12.6 g50.3 g
Fiber3 g12 g
Fat7.1 g28.5 g
Approximate weight295 g (10 oz)1,180 g (42 oz)

How it is calculated

Each ingredient contributes its per-100 g values from the site’s food database, multiplied by the amount in the recipe. Seasonings, water, and lemon or lime juice are not counted. It is an approximation: the actual size of the foods and how you cook them shift the result a little.

What each ingredient contributes to the whole recipe.
IngredientAmountCaloriesProteinFiber
Turkey breast400 g456 kcal94.8 g0 g
Egg55 g79 kcal6.9 g0 g
Whole-wheat bread30 g76 kcal3.7 g1.8 g
Tomato500 g90 kcal4.4 g6 g
Carrot100 g41 kcal0.9 g2.8 g
Onion80 g32 kcal0.9 g1.4 g
Olive oil15 g133 kcal0 g0 g

To plan your meals

More recipes

See all recipes

Sources

Nutrition values for each ingredient (USDA FoodData Central) and the satiety reference, with the access date.

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Turkey, whole, breast, meat only, raw (FDC ID 171098).accessed .
  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC ID 171287).accessed .
  3. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared (FDC ID 172688).accessed .
  4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC ID 170457).accessed .
  5. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Carrots, raw (FDC ID 170393).accessed .
  6. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Onions, raw (FDC ID 170000).accessed .
  7. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC ID 171413).accessed .
  8. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (PubMed).Holt SH, Miller JC, Petocz P, Farmakalidis E. A satiety index of common foods. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1995;49(9):675-90.accessed .