These juicy turkey meatballs are so good my family asks me to make them week after week. This is the only meatball recipe you will ever need. You will love how tender and flavorful they are!
Looking for more healthy recipes? Try my chimichurri steak salad, greek chicken orzo bowls, green goddess salad or blackened fish tacos.
These turkey meatballs are healthier than a traditional meatball, offering less saturated fat. But don't let the fact that they are a healthier option fool you into thinking they are any less tasty because they are in fact WAY more delicious than a ground beef meatball.
Ground turkey tends to absorb more flavor than ground beef so each bite is packed full of the flavors you add in; fresh herbs, parmigiano reggiano cheese, Italian bread crumbs and more.
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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. Ground turkey is lower in saturated fat and calories.
- Versatility: Use this recipe as the base for so many other things! You can make 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 cheese flavor.
- Italian Bread Crumbs: Italian bread crumbs offer lots of flavor. The bread crumbs also act as a binding to hold the meatballs together.
- Egg: Acts as a binder to hold the meatball together.
- Garlic: I suggest using freshly minced garlic. But you could use garlic powder if you don't have any fresh garlic.
- Onion: For flavor.
- Italian Parsley & Basil: Fresh herbs make all the difference when you make meatballs.
- Salt & Pepper: Enhances the flavors.
- Marinara: Opt for a good quality marinara that uses whole Italian style tomatoes (like San Marzano).
How To Make Turkey Meatballs
In a large bowl stir together the ground turkey, tomato paste, heavy cream, parmigiano reggiano cheese, Italian bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion, parsley, basil salt and pepper.
Heat the oven to 475F (or up to what your baking sheets are recommended).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 1 ½ TBSP of the meatball mixture onto the baking sheet, closely lining them up. Fill up the pan and drizzle quickly with olive oil across the tops.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.
The point of this method is to mimic a pan sear. But this is so much faster and less of a mess (no oil splatters all over your stove). This recipe was originally written (8 years ago) to pan sear and in the last year I have only used the oven method and never looked back!
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 them.
Add marinara to a pot. Add all of the meatballs to it and cover with a tight fitting lid. Heat over medium/low heat until it starts to gently bubble then reduce the heat to low. You'll want to use the smallest burner on your stove at the lowest heat and continue simmering for 4 hours. Stirring every 30 minutes.
Alternatively you can simmer for the first hour then transfer to an oven that has pre-heated to 350F. Put the pot in the oven, close the door, then turn the heat off and keep it in there for 3 hours. Do not open the oven door during this time. The residual heat will continue to slowly cook the meatballs.
I love this method when I have to leave the house on sports nights, then dinner is ready when we get home.
Pro Tips
- Cookie Scoop: Don't waste time (and messy hands) rolling the meatballs. Just use a spring release cookie scoop. SO EASY.
- Onions: You'll want to mince the onions very small.
- Size: A 1 ½ TBSP meatball is the perfect size!
- Double Batch: Double the recipe, these are so good leftover!
Turkey Meatballs
These juicy turkey meatballs are so good my family asks me to make them week after week. You will love how tender and flavorful they are!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- ¼ c parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
- ¼ c panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ small yellow onion, minced
- 2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
- 5 large basil leaves, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 24 ounces marinara
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475F.
- In a large bowl stir together the ground turkey, tomato paste, heavy cream, parmigiano reggiano cheese, panko bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion, parsley, basil, salt and pepper.
- Scoop meatballs onto a lined baking sheet. Drizzle each row with olive oil. Bake for 12 minutes.
- At this point the meatballs won't be fully cooked through, they continue cooking in the marinara sauce.
- Add the marinara sauce to a pot. Return all of the meatballs to the sauce and cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 4 hours for very tender, flavorful meatballs.
- Serve with pasta of choice.
Notes
Cook Time: At a minimum you can simmer these until the inside of the meatball is cooked, around 30 minutes. But the preferred method is a low 4 hour simmer for the best flavor and tenderness.
Finish in the Oven: If you don't have 4 hours to monitor on the stove try this method. It's my go to when I have to leave the house on busy sports nights.
Simmer on the stove for the first 30-60 minutes, then transfer your covered pot to an oven that has pre-heated to 350F. Put the pot in the oven, close the door, then turn the heat off and keep the pot in there for 3 hours. Do not open the oven door during this time. The residual heat will continue to slowly cook the meatballs.
Alternate Pan Searing Method: Heat a large sauté pan over medium/low heat. Add olive oil. Scoop out the turkey mixture and place 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. Repeat for two more sides of the meatball. Transfer to a plate. Repeat.
Cookie Scoop: Don't waste time (and messy hands) rolling the meatballs. Use a 1 ½ TBSP spring release cookie scoop.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 5.5 meatballsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 287Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 778mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 22g
This information comes from online calculators. Although moderncrumb.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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