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These turkey meatballs take on the flavor of surrounding ingredients.

These turkey meatballs take on the flavor of surrounding ingredients.

Sometimes ground turkey gets a bad rap. Years ago, turkey was significantly less expensive than hamburger meat, so frugal-minded folks started using it in recipes calling for ground beef with poor results.

The biggest mistakes people make when cooking with ground turkey is expecting it to taste like ground beef. Naturally, there's going to be a difference. If I gave you a piece of steak and a slice of turkey breast, you could tell the difference, right? It's literally a different animal. So, the secret is, don't fight the turkey, embrace it.

Turkey is leaner and milder tasting than beef, which makes it incredibly versatile. Like a chameleon, the delicate flavor takes on the surrounding ingredients and allows other subtle flavors to shine.

Here are two wonderful recipes for turkey meatballs. One is very simple, the other Italian inspired, both delectable.

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine eggs, Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Add turkey, onion, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until you don't see any dry patches of Parmesan and everything is evenly distributed. Use a spoon to measure heaping tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes or until they reach 165 F.

Optional: Add 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning for that "Thanksgiving Turkey" flavor, perfect for serving with cream-based sauce or cranberry sauce.

1 cup grated Parmesan, or half cheese, half breadcrumbs

1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage (if linked, removed from casings)

1/2 cup onion, finely minced -- about half a medium onion

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 (10 ounce) box chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment.

In a large bowl combine eggs, Parmesan and breadcrumbs, if using; add turkey, turkey sausage, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Break the squeezed spinach into small pieces and sprinkle over meat mixture. Mix gently with your hands to combine. Don't overmix — just until you don't see any dry patches of Parmesan. Use a spoon or small scoop to measure heaping tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until heated through.

You can adjust these recipes to your diet preferences. If you're gluten-free, omit breadcrumbs and replace with Parmesan cheese or almond meal. Dairy-free? Omit the Parmesan and use breadcrumbs or almond meal. Low-carb? No breadcrumbs and more cheese.

What to do with all these meatballs? Serve as a snack or appetizer with dip (like Greek yogurt, barbecue, salsa, sweet chili sauce). Add to soup or pizza. Serve over pasta or zoodles with marinara or Alfredo sauce. Make meatball sub sandwiches with marinara and melted mozzarella. Stuff pita with meatballs and hummus.

These recipes are perfect for freezing. Bake only until half cooked, about 10 minutes, so they don't dry out when reheated. It's a wonderful feeling when you need a quick meal and remember you have a bag o'meatballs in the freezer! Hallelujah!

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the penny-pinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of divasonadime.com. © 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

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