These baked Turkey Meatballs are juicy and delicious! It's an easy and healthy dinner for the whole family. Serve them with classic pasta sauce, creamy mushroom sauce, or make meatball subs!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
If you are looking for a healthier, leaner alternative to beef meatballs, turkey meat is a great choice. I always have a few pounds of ground turkey in my freezer and these meatballs are one of my favorite things to use them for.
You should know that turkey meat can be quite flavorless, especially since it does not contain much fat. Adding minced garlic and fresh onion (not in powdered spice form) is key to adding flavor. Grated Parmesan cheese and Italian herbs round up the flavor mixture!
You can cook the meatballs in a skillet but baking them in the oven is a mess-free way to make a large batch easier. Serve them with tomato sauce or use them to make Swedish meatballs. They are also delicious in sub sandwiches, soups, and salads.
Ingredients:
- ground turkey: fresh or frozen (thawed before using);
- egg: helps bind the ingredients and helps make the meatballs juicy;
- bread crumbs: prevent meatballs from becoming dry, trap the juices inside;
- garlic and onion: fresh, minced and chopped add flavor to bland turkey meat;
- seasoning: paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper;
- Parmesan cheese: adds cheesy, salty flavor;
- parsley: adds bright flavor.
How to make turkey meatballs?
- Combine turkey meat with seasoning, garlic, and onion. Mix well.
- Add egg and mix in well.
- Add bread crumbs, parsley and Parmesan to the meat mixture.
- Scoop meat into balls, roll in leftover bread crumbs, and place on baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, flip meatballs and bake for 4 to 5 minutes more.
- Remove from oven and serve.
Ingredient substitutes:
- use gluten-free bread crumbs or almond flour instead of classic bread crumbs,
- use mayo in place of an egg; it will help bind the ingredients and prevent them from falling apart,
- use ground chicken or pork in place of turkey.
My tips for moist turkey meatballs:
Turkey meat is much leaner than beef and tends to be dry. With three simple additions, you can ensure that your meatballs will be juicy and delicious:
- Use egg - this ingredient not only helps bind the ingredients but also adds moisture to turkey meat that is low in fat.
- Raw onion - another ingredient that not only adds flavor but also moisture.
- Don't overcook the meatballs. Just like with Thanksgiving turkey, you don't want to overcook the meatballs either.
How to serve turkey meatballs?
These meatballs can be served with a classic tomato-based pasta sauce, like my simple marinara sauce, or with my creamy mushroom sauce. Stir it with pasta, noodles, or veggie noodles. They are also delicious in sandwiches!
How to freeze and reheat turkey meatballs?
Prepare the meat mixture and bake meatballs in the oven. You can also fry them in a pan. Cool them completely, then place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Place frozen meatballs in a freezer-safe bag or a container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw meatballs in the fridge.
To reheat meatballs, preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and cook until heated through, about 12 minutes. You can also heat them up in a microwave or a skillet for 2 to 3 minutes.
Recipe FAQs:
I use a cookie scoop for making meatballs. The 1.5-tablespoon size works perfectly. Just scoop the meat mixture, roll meatballs in your hands, and place on a large plate or baking sheet. Bake or cook them in a skillet.
Absolutely! You can prepare the meatballs, bake them, cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Add to the simmering sauce and reheat them.
Bread crumbs help bind the ingredients and trap the juices inside, preventing the meatballs from drying. If you need to avoid this ingredient, try almond flour instead.
With egg and bread crumbs as binders, these meatballs won't fall apart, so don't skip these ingredients.
More dinner recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ cup finely chopped or grated yellow onion
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika not smoked
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey meat with garlic, onion, Italian seasoning and paprika. Add salt and pepper. Mix everything well.1 lb ground turkey, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, ¼ cup finely chopped or grated yellow onion, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Break the egg into meat mixture, slightly beat it with a fork, then mix into the meat mixture.1 large egg
- Add half of the bread crumbs, all grated Parmesan and parsley. Mix well.½ cup bread crumbs, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon size scoop, form the meat mixture into balls, roll in hands, then in remaining bread crumbs. This adds more crispy texture to the outside of the meatballs.
- Place meatballs on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, flip the meatballs and cook for 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Remove from oven and serve right away or cool completely to store for later.
Notes
- These meatballs can be served with a classic tomato-based pasta sauce, like my simple marinara sauce, or with my creamy mushroom sauce. Stir it with pasta, noodles, or veggie noodles. They are also delicious in sandwiches!
- You can prepare the meatballs, bake them, cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Add to the simmering sauce and reheat them.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
imsen says
LOVE this meatball recipe. It’s my go-to favorite recipe for meatballs.
Anna says
I am so glad! Thank you!
Gayle Fox says
Great recipe, I love baking them instead of frying! So yummy!
Anna says
Exactly! Thank you, Gayle!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing turkey meatballs recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Anna says
Thank you, Allyssa!
Stephanie says
Love these so much, I could eat them every day! The flavor is amazing! PINNED!
Anna says
Awesome! Thank you, Stephanie!