These baked turkey meatballs bring big flavor with simple pantry spices. Kids love them, adults do too, and the texture beats the store-bought kind every time. Freeze a second tray so future you can take the night off next time!
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Why We Love Ground Turkey Meatballs
- Tasty Family Dinner – Not only are lean turkey meatballs kid friendly, they are pretty adult friendly too. Their always seems to be cheers when I make homemade meatballs.
- Easy To Freeze Ahead – Freezing these meatballs ahead means you’ve meal prepped half of dinner! These meatballs reheat fast for nights I didn’t have a game plan.
- Flavor Is Better Then Premade Meatballs – The flavor and texture of these meatballs is so much better then a frozen variety, meatballs is something our family prefers homemade whenever possible.
Ingredients For Ground Turkey Meatballs
- egg
- ground turkey I used 93 % lean
- breadcrumbs Italian or plain, you can also use homemade breadcrumbs. I’ll sometimes toast the end of the loaf of bread to make breadcrumbs.
- basil
- dried oregano
- garlic powder or granulated, you can swap in fresh garlic.
- onion powder – you can swap in fresh onion, just dice it fine.
- parsley dried
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- marinara or other red pasta sauce, this is optional depending on how you serve the meatballs. See my section on how to serve these turkey meatballs for more ideas further down the post.
How To Make Ground Turkey Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foiled sprayed with cooking oil.
- In a large mixing bowl crack the egg, then beat it with a fork or a whisk. Add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, basil, oregano, garlic, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Cover your hands with the olive oil generously to keep the meat mixture from drying out. Mix the meat just enough that the breadcrumbs and spices are distributed well into the mixture, but not to overmix. Using your hands over a spoon also helps you to keep from overmixing the meat.
- With oiled hands or a medium cookie scoop, portion the meat into about 1 ½ tablespoon balls, about 16 meatballs total. Give each meatball a quick and gentle roll to smooth it out, then place each meatball on the baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between meatballs.
- Bake meatballs for 10 minutes. Flip the meatballs to help them to brown more evenly, then allow them to cook for another 10-15 minutes. Meatballs should be cooked all the way through and no longer pink in the center, registering at 165 degrees inside when checked with a meat thermometer.
- (optional) While meatballs are cooking, place tomato sauce in a covered pot with a lid on the stove and heat through until it is simmering, usually around 10-15 minutes. Toss meatballs in the hot sauce, and enjoy.
How To Serve Ground Turkey Meatballs?
These ground turkey meatballs are great tossed in a red sauce and served over pasta for a classic Italian style dinner, but there are other options! Try serving the meatballs on hoggie rolls covered in provolone cheese as meatball subs, or each on their own Hawaiian roll for sliders for dinner or for a party.
You can also serve these meatballs with toothpicks for a party. After making the meatballs, throw them in the slow cooker with the sauce so everything stays hot. It usually takes about 30 minutes on high for the sauce to warm. or a little longer if they have been in the fridge.
I don’t always serve turkey meatballs in red sauce. I sometimes throw them on top of my creamy linguine alfredo, or on top of a creamy garlic parmesan risotto. You also can serve these meatballs tossed in a basil pesto or sundried tomato pesto next to some crispy roasted baby potatoes, with my crispy parmesan zucchini fries, or on top of cheesy mashed potatoes. Or my kid loves these turkey meatballs tossed in mac and cheese with broccoli!
Ground Turkey Variation Ideas
Try Half And Half With Ground Pork Or Beef – You can use half ground turkey and half ground beef or ground pork/ground sausage in this recipe. These meatballs also freeze well, so I will often just double the recipe if I am mixing with another type of meat.
Sprinkle In Some Parmesan Cheese – Parmesan can add a lot of flavor to these meatballs, but it doesn’t have to be included. Try about 1/3 cup of grated parmesan to give a great flavor.
Stuff The Meatballs With Cheese – Wrap the meatballs around a cube of mozzarella cheese or a piece of sting cheese for an ooey gooey cheesy center!
Add Vegetables – In my ground turkey mini meatloaf muffins I add shredded carrot and onion, and I added zucchini to my pork zucchini meatballs, and this recipe can totally have a little vegetable thrown in too. I suggest either shredding or dicing the vegetables finely for the best texture in your meatballs. Try carrot, onion, zucchini, peeled broccoli stems (the outside can be tougher, but the inside melts into meatballs) or bell pepper in this recipe. Start with 1/2 cup the first time you make it!
Kristy’s Tip – Add Vegetables To Meatballs For Picky Eaters
Meatballs are a great way to add a little extra vegetable for pickier eaters or just to boost the nutrition a little further. Sautéing the shredded vegetables to soften them first can also sometimes make it a little easier.
How Long Will Ground Turkey Meatballs Last?
Expect these meatballs will last for about three days when stored in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.
Meatballs also freeze great in any freezer safe bag or freezer safe container. I like to freeze them on a cookie sheet, then place them in a bag. When you are ready to heat, simply place in a red sauce on the stovetop until warm all the way through, usually 10-15 minutes. You can also use them in recipes that use frozen meatballs, such as my dump and bake meatball casserole
Homemade Ground Turkey Meatballs
Baked turkey meatballs with simple breadcrumbs and herbs for a cozy weeknight dinner. Serve with marinara or slide into subs, then freeze extras for later.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foiled sprayed with cooking oil.
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In a large mixing bowl crack the egg, then beat it with a fork or a whisk. Add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, basil, oregano, garlic, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.
1 egg, 1 pound ground turkey, 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon garlic, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
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Cover your hands with the olive oil generously to keep the meat mixture from drying out. Mix the meat just enough that the breadcrumbs and spices are distributed well into the mixture, but not to overmix. Using your hands over a spoon also helps you to keep from overmixing the meat.
1 teaspoon olive oil
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With oiled hands or a medium cookie scoop, portion the meat into about 1 ½ tablespoon balls, about 16 meatballs total. Give each meatball a quick and gentle roll to smooth it out, then place each meatball on the baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between meatballs.
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Bake meatballs for 10 minutes. Flip the meatballs to help them to brown more evenly, then allow them to cook for another 10-15 minutes. Meatballs should be cooked all the way through and no longer pink in the center, registering at 165 degrees inside when checked with a meat thermometer.
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(optional) While meatballs are cooking, place tomato sauce in a covered pot with a lid on the stove and heat through until it is simmering, usually around 10-15 minutes. Toss meatballs in the hot sauce, and enjoy.
24 ounces marinara or other pasta sauce
Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
