Baked Turkey Meatballs
Need a new go-to dinner recipe? Then make a batch of these mouthwatering baked turkey meatballs. Loaded with spinach and mozzarella cheese, they're not your average meatball!
Baked Turkey Meatballs
Homemade meatballs can make a regular home cooked dinner seem like a special occasion. These delicious baked turkey meatballs are no exception! They have the most incredible flavor and just a gorgeous presentation.
They're easy enough for a simple weeknight meal, yet fancy enough for a nice dinner or gathering. I love go-to recipes like these that are great for any occasion.
Ground turkey recipes are a particular favorite of mine as well. This lean meat is extremely versatile and can be made so flavorful too. We make ground turkey stir fry all the time! And when we want Italian, we turn to this recipe.
These easy baked turkey meatballs will be a family favorite in no time. Just serve them over a bed of noodles and then top with a bit of your favorite sauce. An easy meal with plenty of protein so that you can fill those bellies!
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Homemade turkey meatballs are so easy to love! This incredible recipe is great for so many reasons:
- Ground turkey is often a healthier option. It is lean, yet loaded with tons of protein and other vital nutrients. If you need to stick to lean meats, then you're going to really enjoy this recipe.
- These ground turkey meatballs are perfect for meal prep. They reheat beautifully and taste just as good as when they were made fresh!
- Even picky eaters love this meal because it's packed with so much flavor. And the spinach is a great way to sneak in some of those necessary vegetables.
Ingredients
Here's a list of each of the meatball ingredients you'll need to make this recipe a success:
- lean ground turkey
- egg
- bread crumbs
- mozzarella pearls
- garlic powder
- dried oregano
- dried basil
- pepper
- salt
Substitutions and Variations
You can use plain breadcrumbs or Italian breadcrumbs, both will work. I love to use my homemade Italian breadcrumbs in this recipe.
There are many different herbs that you could use in this recipe. In fact, you can even use fresh herbs instead of dried if you prefer. Feel free to add in other flavors like onion powder or finely minced onion as well.
Want a more bold garlic flavor? Use freshly mined garlic instead of just garlic powder. You can omit the garlic powder and replace it with fresh, or use both.
Make things extra extra cheesy by mixing in a bit of parmesan cheese to the turkey meatball recipe.
While this recipe uses ground turkey, you can also use ground chicken as another healthier alternative. Feel free to make more traditional meatballs and use ground beef too!
How to Make Baked Turkey Meatballs
The best part about baked turkey meatballs? They're so easy to make! Here's what you'll need to do:
Add all of the meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl and then combine well. You can use a spoon or use your hands, either will work.
Then scoop out even sized portions and roll them into meatballs. While you do this, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Brown the turkey meatballs on each side, then transfer to a baking dish. Alternatively, you can brown the meatballs in an oven safe frying pan and then place that directly into the oven.
Bake the meatballs for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. The internal temperature should be 165°F (74°C).
Serve immediately over a bed of noodles. Feel free to top with your favorite pasta sauce!
How to Store Leftover Baked Turkey Meatballs
Place leftovers into an airtight container and allow them to cool completely. Then store in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze leftovers, place them onto a baking sheet lined in parchment paper. Freeze for a few hours, then transfer the frozen meatballs to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat, place in the oven until warmed to a safe of internal temperature.
What to Serve with Baked Turkey Meatballs
These yummy baked meatballs can be served many different ways! Serve over a bed of your favorite noodles or even some zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. Then top with a bright tomato pasta sauce. And a piece of yummy garlic bread would just add the perfect finishing touch to one of the best easy dinners.
You could also serve with things like parmesan risotto or lemon ricotta pasta. These meatballs would be a great protein with lemon orzo pasta or simply a side of rice too.
Tips for Success
Here are a few of my best tips to make this recipe a success:
- Use a large spoon or a cookie scoop to portion out the meat mixture for each meatball. It is important to ensure the meatballs are evenly sized so that they all cook through completely.
- Don't skip out on browning the meatballs! It helps to lock in the moisture of the meat so that the finished product is fall-apart-tender and full of flavor.
- Try to get a bit of mozzarella into each meatball when you are making them. The cheesier, the better!
FAQ
It is really just personal preference that will determine whether or not you like to bake or pan fry your meatballs. However, it is much easier to keep them at a more even temperature in the oven which will ensure they are cooked through and cooked evenly. That keeps them moist and flavorful!
Egg is the most important ingredients to add structure to meatballs. It acts as a binder that will hold all of the other ingredients together. The right amount of bread crumbs is also important!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Baked Turkey Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb turkey
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- ½ mozzarella pearls
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine all meatballs ingredients in bowl using a spoon or your hands.
- Scoop the meat mixture into evenly sized portions and then roll into balls. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Heat olive oil in frying pan and add the meatballs.
- Brown them on all sides and then transfer to a baking dish.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Serve over noodles with your favorite spaghetti sauce and enjoy!
These were amazing! My first foray into making meatballs and they were great!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
They were wonderful. The recipe was so light but very tasty! It's a keeper for sure. Thanks for posting it!
Oh my gosh, I'm drooling! Yum. I love finding good jarred sauces when I don't have time to make my own, so I will definitely look for this brand next time!
I think you'd like this one!!
Well, I'm hungry. I love that you used turkey and spinach to make a healthy dish with the no salt Francesco Rinaldi Pasta Sauce! What a smart idea! #client
I loved that the sauce had no salt added! A lot of other pasta sauces can be overly salted!
I'm not usually big on meatballs, but these look so good! I just might have to try them.
I think you'll like them a lot! 🙂
These sound really good! I love meatballs but rarely take the time to make them.
I used to think they were really time consuming too! It doesn't take too long though, to me at least 🙂
I've been craving pasta recently, and these would be a fun new, different addition. I'm also not usually a meatball person, but my husband definitely is. 🙂
You'll love this then! It makes simple spaghetti just a little more exciting 🙂
these sound so yummy! can't wait to try!
I hope you like them! They're so tasty!
Usually I'm not big on meatballs, but these sound really good! I always like to substitute turkey for beef because it's better for you, and I usually prefer the taste. The other flavors you mixed in sound so good! I can't wait to try it!
I definitely prefer these or chicken meatballs over beef! It's a great way to add in some flavor and protein 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!! 🙂