Easy Turkey Meatballs Recipe
This easy turkey meatballs recipe is a delicious and healthy alternative to ground beef meatballs. Packed with protein and flavor, it's perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Turkey meatballs are my favourite to make, not only are they light, they're juicy, flavorful and super easy. You can have this delicious dinner baking in the oven in no time at all, which is just what we need on busy weeknights.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THESE EASY GROUND TURKEY MEATBALLS
⭐️ They're healthy, light, bursting with Italian flavours and that rich tomato sauce they bake in is super tasty with pasta, mashed potatoes or rice.
⭐️ You can make them at the last minute and bake straight away, or if you like to get organised, meal prep them in the morning and keep them in the refrigerator until dinner time.
⭐️ Super versatile, you can flavour them up any way you like, go Italian, Moroccan, or add some spicy heat and Indian spices for a curried version.
GROUND TURKEY MEATBALLS INGREDIENTS
Everything you need to make a tray of tasty turkey meatballs in rich tomato sauce.
For full quantities see recipe card below.
FOR THE TURKEY MEATBALLS
- Ground Turkey Mince - you can use ground turkey thigh meat or turkey breast or even a mix of both. The thigh meat tends to be more juicy. But if you want lean ground turkey opt for the breast. You could also swap this for ground chicken.
- Parmesan Cheese - this adds a tasty Italian vibe and some added cheesy ooziness.
- Fine Breadcrumbs - we use these from a pack, you can of course make your own breadcrumbs if you prefer. Or grab a carton of panko breadcrumbs.
- Seasonings - we use a mixture of Italian herbs with oregano, thyme and rosemary, garlic and onion powder and salt and black pepper.
- Egg Yolk - this helps bind the meatballs together and keep them in shape whilst you cook.
FOR THE SAUCE
- Tomato Passata - or some cans of finely diced tomatoes
- Seasonings - use a mixture of Italian seasonings and fresh herbs.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- Large bowl
- Teaspoon
- American Measuring Cups
- Fork
- Baking tray
- Cheese grater
- Meat thermometer
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH GROUND TURKEY
Prep Time - 10 Minutes - Cook Time - 30 Minutes - Total Time - Around 40 minutes
You're going to love how easy this recipe is, you're just going to need to throw your turkey meatball ingredients into a mixing bowl, mix well and form into meatballs. Then part bake in the oven, then toss on the sauce, and finish off baking. (full details on recipe card below)
WHAT TO SERVE TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH
Well, these turkey meatballs are super versatile and will pretty much go alongside whatever your favourite carb is. You could sever them with pasta or spaghetti, rice, cauliflower rice, couscous, French fries, even loaded onto sub rolls with extra cheese.
Opt for regular or cheesy mashed potatoes, or my absolute favourite, sweet potato mash! One of my favourite comfort food dinners is tender turkey meatballs, sweet potato mash and steamed broccoli. Simple but delicious. And feel free to scatter over fresh basil or fresh parsley as you serve.
You can serve these little turkey meatballs as an appetizer, melt over some more cheese and have a pot of toothpicks style skewers at the side for people to use.
RECIPE TIPS AND INGREDIENT SWAPS
Go Indian - swap the Italian seasoning for your favourite curry powder and add some ground cumin and turmeric to the sauce. Serve with rice and naan bread.
Go Mexican - add taco seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes in place of the Italian herbs, and add a pinch of chilli powder and ground cumin to the sauce. Serve with rice, in baked potatoes or with cheesy nachos.
Go Moroccan - add some Moroccan seasoning, serve with fluffy couscous sprinkled withe chopped apricots and pomegranate seeds.
Make Them Gluten-Free - swap the breadcrumbs for a gluten free variety, and check the ingredient labels on all other ingredients used.
Use Shop Bought Marinara Sauce - don't fancy making your own sauce, just pour over a jar or two or marinara sauce instead.
Want Perfectly Equal Meatballs? If you like to keep your meatballs as even as possible, use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to take a similar amount of ground turkey to roll into a meatball each time.
TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST TURKEY MEATBALLS
⭐️ Use a fork to mix the seasonings into the ground turkey, this helps separate the meat and makes sure the seasoning gets all the way through.
⭐️ Scrunch the turkey meatballs tight, so they don't break apart when cooking. And spritz the baking sheet with a couple of sprays of olive oil to help stop the meatballs sticking as they cook.
⭐️ You can pan fry the meatballs in one large skillet pan or fry them in batches over a medium heat and then add the sauce and simmer the dish on the hob until cooked through if you prefer.
⭐️ Food safety tip - check the centre of the meatballs is cooked through using an instant-read thermometer.
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
⭐ Leftover turkey meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheated properly next day.
⭐ To freeze leftovers, allow to cool, then store in freezer safe storage container, use within 8 weeks. Defrost and thaw thoroughly before reheating, and reheat safely in accordance with the food hygiene regulations.
MORE EASY GROUND TURKEY RECIPES TO MAKE
NEED SOME FAMILY MEAL IDEAS?
Check out our meal planning here – it’s filled with recipes, meal planning tips and pre-filled printable meal plans weekly or seasonally. We’ve got hundreds of the BEST family recipes and meal ideas your whole family will LOVE!
Hey, let us know how you get on making the easy turkey meatballs and you can share your foodie photos with us on Instagram or Facebook. And if you get a second we'd love for you to rate the recipe on the card below ⭐️
Easy Turkey Meatballs
Light, flavourful turkey meatball recipe made using ground turkey.
Ingredients
- 18oz (500g) ground turkey mince
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup find breadcrumbs
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
For the sauce
- 28oz (800G) passata
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Add into a mixing bowl the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt and black pepper and the egg yolk.
- Mix the turkey meatball mixture together using a fork.
- Then using your hands mould the meatball mixture into meatballs and place in a smallish roasting tin, thats had a couple of spritzes of olive oil spray to help stop the meatballs sticking.
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
- Bake the meatballs for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, turn them over, and pour over the passata, and the extra seasonings for the sauce. Give everything a gentle mix and then place it back in the oven to cook until the sauce is heated through and the meatballs cooked throughout (around 20 minutes)
- Then serve with your favourite sides.
Give everything a gentle mix and then place it back in the oven to cook until the sauce is heated through and the meatballs cooked throughout (around 20 minutes)Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 292Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 705mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 17g
Nutritional content will vary depending on the exact ingredients you use and how careful you are with measuring - this nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate - you should always calculate your own nutritional information especially if you have specific dietary requirements.
Wendy is the creator of Daisies & Pie, a UK food blog sharing easy meals and home lifestyle tips since 2012
