Ground Turkey Meatballs and Marinara Sauce

These juicy turkey meatballs are made with ground turkey for a healthy and hearty meatball option. You will love how much flavor are in these meatballs from ingredients like fresh herbs and parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Looking for more healthy recipes? Try my chimichurri steak salad, greek chicken orzo bowls or blackened fish tacos.

This recipe was first published 05/16/18.

These turkey meatballs not only taste delicious but they are healthier than a traditional meatball. And best of all, they take under an hour to make.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love These Meatballs
• Ingredients
• How To Make Turkey Meatballs
• Pro Tips
• FAQ
• Turkey Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

Why You'll Love These Meatballs

• Healthy: Lean ground turkey is such a fantastic alternative to the traditional beef, pork and sausage normally found in an Italian meatball.
• Versatile: Use this recipe as the base for so many other things! You can make a pasta and meatballs, meatball sliders, or meatball sub sandwiches.

Ingredients

• Ground Turkey: Lean ground turkey is the perfect healthy substitute for beef or pork. Go for the 93/7. The 99/1 turns out too dry.
• Tomato Paste: Adds depth of flavor and a little richness. It does the same thing for my beef stroganoff recipe.
• Heavy Cream: Add moistness to the meatball.
• Parmigiano Reggiano: Parmigiano Reggiano has a mild nutty flavor, it's perfect in the meatballs.
• Panko Bread Crumbs: Panko bread crumbs are lighter and crispier than regular bread crumbs.
• Egg: Acts as a binder to hold the meatball together while it cooks.
• Garlic: I suggest using freshly minced garlic. But you could use garlic powder if you don't have any fresh garlic.
• Onion: Added for flavor and texture.
• Italian Parsley: Fresh herbs make all the difference when you make meatballs.
• Salt, Pepper: Enhances the flavors.
• Marinara: You can use pasta sauce or marinara, but marinara has more flavor. I pretty much always use marinara instead of pasta sauce. Like in my homemade lasagna, pizza pasta bake or gnocchi lasagna.

How To Make Turkey Meatballs

In a large bowl stir together the ground turkey, tomato paste, heavy cream, parmigiano reggiano cheese, panko bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium/low heat. Add the olive oil.

Using a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop out the turkey mixture and place it in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled, making sure to leave a little space between each meatball.

Cook until the bottoms are golden and a crust has formed.

Pro Tip: Using a cookie scoop makes all the meatballs the same size. And then you don't have to get your hands messy by rolling the meatballs.

Turn the meatballs again.

Turn the meatballs a third time.

Transfer the partially cooked meatballs to a plate. They don't need to be fully cooked, they will finish cooking in the sauce.

Add the marinara to the pan. Return all of the meatballs to the sauce and cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 25 minutes.

Check the meatballs every 5 minutes to make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom of your pan.

Once the meatballs are done serve right away.

Pro Tips

• Cookie Scoop: Don't waste time (and messy hands) rolling the meatballs. Just use a spring release cookie scoop when you cook them in the pan. Scoop up some turkey mixture, and drop it right into the hot olive oil.
• Onions: Dice the onions really good. If there are really big chunks of onion the meatballs don't hold together as well when cooking.
• Size: Don't make your meatballs too big. By using the 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop you'll get meatballs all the same size. A smaller meatball will also cook faster.

FAQ