Ground Turkey Meatballs
Packed with traditional Italian flavors and a little bit of spice, this easy recipe for Ground Turkey Meatballs gives you flavorful and moist meatballs to pair with your pasta every time…but there is a secret ingredient that you can’t leave out!
Why Make Ground Turkey Meatballs?
Loaded with protein, and leaner than ground beef meatballs, turkey meatballs are the prefect companion to a big plate of pasta and marinara sauce. It basically feels like a comforting hug right there on your dinner plate.
This meal is so classic that you can serve it for almost any occasion, all year round.
You can dress it up with a mixed green salad and nice glass of red wine, for you can slurp it up on the sofa in your favorite pair of ratty old sweatpants. Its just always good.
What Ingredients Do You Need for Ground Turkey Meatballs?
- ground turkey (I like 93/7 like this one)
- garlic
- salt
- parsley
- Italian seasoning
- grated parmesan cheese
- bread crumbs
- egg
- marinara sauce (make my easy homemade version here)
- crushed red pepper (optional)
How Do You Make Ground Turkey Meatballs?
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1t of salt, 1T dried parsley, 1/2T Italian seasoning, 1/4c grated parmesan cheese, 1/2c plain breadcrumbs, 1 egg.
Now for the secret ingredient…1/4 c marinara sauce. Its what keeps the meatballs so moist while they cook. Try my homemade version here.
Add 3/4T of crushed red pepper flakes. I always add this to mine and my young kids eat it with no issues as it adds a subtle heat. But if you are sensitive to spice, you can omit this step.
Use you hands to mix the meat and seasonings together making sure the evering is fully combined.
I try to keep my meatballs fairly consistent in size for even cooking, so I like to use a cookie scooper or 1T measuring spoon to scoop the meat mixture. Then use the palm of your hands to roll into a tight ball form.
This meat mixture will make approx 28 meatballs.
To cook, drop the meatballs in a pot of marinara sauce and simmer over low-medium heat for 25-30 mins or until they are cooked though.
Serve over top of your favorite pasta and Mariana sauce.
How Do You Store Turkey Meatballs?
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This recipe makes about 28 meatballs which is more than I need for my family for a typical dinner. So I usually freeze half of the batch. Store meatballs in an ziploc baggie in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How Do You Know When Ground Turkey Meatballs Are Done?
These meatballs should be fully cooked after simmering in the sauce for approx 25-30 mins. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees.
The best way to check is to cut into one of the meatballs to make sure that there is no pink color inside.
How Do You Keep Turkey Meatballs From Falling Apart?
This recipe is so great in the fact that the meatballs are moist, AND they stay together.
- the egg and breadcrumbs will help bond the meat mixture together
- use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to create uniform size meatballs
- use a large enough pot so you don’t crowd the meatballs while the cook
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Ground Turkey Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 large pot
- 1 cookie scoop or Tablespoon measuring spoon
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey (93/7)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 t salt
- 1 T parsley
- 1/2 T Italian seasoning
- 1/4 c parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 c bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/4 c marinara sauce (make my easy homemade version here)
- 3/4 T crushed red pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1t of salt, 1T dried parsley, 1/2T Italian seasoning, 1/4c grated parmesan cheese, 1/2c plain breadcrumbs, 1 egg.
- Now for the secret ingredient…1/4 c marinara sauce. Its what keeps the meatballs so moist while they cook. Try my homemade version here.
- Add 3/4T of crushed red pepper flakes. I always add this to mine and my young kids eat it with no issues as it adds a subtle heat. But if you are sensitive to spice, you can omit this step.
- I try to keep my meatballs fairly consistent in size for even cooking, so I like to use a cookie scooper or 1T measuring spoon to scoop the meat mixture. Then use the palm of your hands to roll into a tight ball form. (This meat mixture will yield approx 28 meatballs).
- To cook, drop the meatballs in a pot of marinara sauce and simmer over low-medium heat for 25-30 mins or until they are cooked though.
- Serve over top of your favorite pasta and Mariana sauce.
