Zesty lemon meatballs for the win. (You are going to love these.)

By JULIE BRINKLEY

Nothing says comfort like a nice plate of meatballs, and this recipe for zesty, lemony ones is easy to make and absolutely delicious.

If you are looking to cut back on fat and calories, use ground turkey instead of ground beef.

Enjoy!

WHAT’S IN IT

2 lbs. ground turkey (or lean beef)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic

1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes

1 tablespoon grated or shredded parmesan (for garnish)

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon hot sauce, (we used Sriracha)

1/2 cup fresh parsley

3 cloves minced garlic.

HOW TO MAKE IT Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly coat baking dish with cooking spray. Combine ground turkey, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, onion powder, garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed chili pepper flakes in large salad bowl.

Use a cookie scoop to form the meatballs all the same size and arrange them in the baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove the meatballs from the oven and drain excess fat and juice from pan. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl; add lemon juice, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, minced garlic, hot sauce and salt and pepper to the melted butter and stir well. Drizzle butter sauce over the meatballs and sprinkle with grated parmesan if you like.

Return meatballs to oven and finish baking for 5-10 minutes, making sure the meatballs don’t get dry.

Serve with roasted zucchini or cauliflower rice.