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These easy Turkey Meatballs are packed with flavor and are incredibly moist! No-fuss meatballs that take 20 minutes from start to finish!
I have been making these turkey meatballs on repeat recently. I’m actually having kind of a meatball moment. Hubs is loving it! Turkey meatballs, ricotta meatballs and quinoa meatballs have popped into the weekly dinner rotation.
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Sometimes I serve them with pasta and sometimes with baked spaghetti squash! But always with my easy tomato sauce. A word from the Sauce Queen: Make a big batch and store half in the freezer. That way your dinner is ready when the turkey meatballs are fresh from the oven!
They are also delightful with melted mozzarella on sub rolls for lunch or make mini ones as a passed appetizer to go alongside some spicy barbecue beer shrimp skewers or buffalo chicken hand pies.
Turkey Meatball Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: I use 93% lean because I find that extra little bit of fat makes extra tender, moist meatballs.
- Dried seasonings and herbs: I use a combination of onion powder, garlic powder and dried oregano to bring all the season of the fresh varieties without all the chopping, sautéing and fuss!
- Italian Seasoning Bread Crumbs: If you don’t have these or can’t find them, use regular bread crumbs and double the seasonings in the recipe as written. Feel free to use a dash of dried basil and parsley too, if you have them!
- Parmesan Cheese: I use fresh-grated parmesan for the best flavor! I also grate mine on a microplane for an extra fine texture that incorporates easily into the mix.
- Kosher Salt: Not only does the salt add flavor but it helps keep the meatballs tender. Don’t omit completely. Back it down to ½ teaspoon at the least.
- Egg: The egg’s only job here is to act as a binder with the bread crumbs. It holds everything together.
See turkey meatballs recipe card for quantities.
Possible Substitutions
- Lower Fat: You can absolutely use 99% lean ground turkey in this recipe and it will still be moist and delicious. I do find that extra little bit of fat not only adds flavor but makes them just as moist as their beef counterparts!
- Italian Seasoning Bread Crumbs: If you don’t have these or can’t find them, instead use regular bread crumbs and double the seasonings in the recipe as written. Feel free to use a dash of dried basil and parsley too, if you have them!
Variations
- Chicken Meatballs: This recipe also works delightfully with ground chicken!
- Cheesy Meatballs: You can add up to 4 times the amount of cheese in the recipe as written. Or even wrap them around a little bit of mozzarella for a cheesy surprise!
- Appetizers: Make them basically half the size and serve them on toothpicks as an easy passed appetizer at a party or as part of a buffet.
How to Store Turkey Meatballs
This recipe can be easily made in a larger batch to allow for a generous amount of left overs. Store leftover cooked meatballs for up to 7 days in the refrigerator either in sauce or on their own.
To Freeze for later: After cooking, cool the meatballs and store in a sealed container or zip top bag in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave or in sauce on the stovetop.
Professional Chef Tip
Searing Turkey Meatballs before either baking or cooking in sauce on the stovetop adds extra flavor and helps them stay together once mixed into the sauce!
Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Turkey I use 93% lean
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- ½ cup Italian Seasoning Bread Crumbs*
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon Canola Oil Can be the cooking oil of your choice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and mix well with your hand or a large spoon.
- I almost knead all the ingredients together to ensure an even distribution, but also to activate the connective proteins in the ground turkey. This will help the meatballs stay together and remain tender.
- Spoon or scoop ball the size of a golf-ball onto a plate or tray. Roll into a ball.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F or put about 2 quarts of sauce in a large saucepot.
- Heat a large non-stick pan (or any pan really) with remaining oil until it is very hot and sizzles when water is flicked on it.
- Working in batches to avoid crowding and steaming, add some of the meatballs to the pan spaced about an inch apart. Brown at least 4 of the sides and move them frequently to keep them from settling. Place directly in sauce if you are going to finish cooking them on the stovetop or place on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Repeat with remaining meatballs.
- Stovetop Method: simmer on low until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. This will only take about 10-15 minutes.
- Oven: Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature of 165°F.
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Notes
Nutrition
