Slow cooker buffalo ranch turkey meatballs give you all the flavor of hot buffalo wings without all the added fat or the need to deep fry. And they're also great when you're entertaining and need a way to keep the appetizers warm while you're greeting guests at the door. In the recipe that follows, you get all that goodness as well as the cooling flavor of ranch dressing baked right in.
If you can find frozen turkey meatballs, you can even save yourself a few steps by placing them in the slow cooker as is and adding the ranch to the hot sauce as you pour it over them. These can be difficult to find, however, so you may have to buy the ground turkey and prepare the meatballs yourself. The upside to this is you'll know exactly what's in them and can boast about how this delicious party favor was made entirely from scratch.
Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Turkey Meatballs
6
15 minutes
2 hours, 10 minutes
2 hours, 25 minutes
1 pound lean ground turkey
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 lage egg
1 28-gram packet dried ranch dressing
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup hot sauce
4 stalks celery, sliced into individual sticks
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, panko bread crumbs, egg, ranch dressing packet, salt and ground black pepper. Mix well to incorporate all ingredients together.
Shape meat into 1-1/4-inch balls, placing on prepared baking sheet as you finish each one.
Drizzle each meatball with a bit of olive oil to help with browning and place meatballs into the preheated oven.
Cook meatballs for about 7 minutes, or until fully browned on all sides.
Remove meatballs from oven and place in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour hot sauce over the top.
Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 2 hours.
When ready to remove, use a celery stalk as a toothpick and insert one into each meatball before serving.