Posted Jul 11, 2019, Updated Aug 23, 2024 Spaghetti and meatballs is one of our family’s favorite meals! These healthy turkey meatballs are so delicious and easy to make they are the perfect lightened-up weeknight dinner. These Italian turkey meatballs are flavorful and moist – and are easy to make in 30 minutes. Serve them with your favorite sauce (like this homemade pesto) over zucchini noodles (zoodles), your favorite pasta or as a yummy appetizer!
Turkey Meatballs: Ingredients & Substitutions
Ground turkey. This recipe calls for 16 ounces of ground turkey! Also try these ground chicken meatballs or traditional homemade beef meatballs. Marinara Sauce: Choose your favorite sauce, or you can substitute whole milk for the pasta sauce. Or, make your own homemade marinara sauce. Worcestershire Sauce. BBQ sauce is a good substitute. Garlic Powder. 2 teaspoons minced garlic is a good substitute for garlic powder. Onion Powder. ¼ cup finely diced onion is a good substitute for the onion powder. Quick Cooking Oatmeal. The oatmeal is the binder in this recipe. You can use oat flour by putting the oats into a blender and blending them into oat flour (it takes 5 seconds)! If you’d prefer to use oat flour, you can grind up old-fashioned oats instead of quick-cooking. Or you can substitute breadcrumbs for the oats. Sun-Dried Tomatoes. You can use either sun dried tomatoes that are packed in oil or dried, just be sure to not add too much extra oil. Fresh Basil. Fresh is the best, but dried works in a pinch.
How to Make Turkey Meatballs
Let’s discuss how to make turkey meatballs, and don’t forget to watch the video. Begin by combining the wet ingredients, then add the dry and stir until the mixture is uniform throughout. Then, use a cookie scoop to make all the turkey meatballs uniform in size. This ensures the meatballs will bake evenly. Please note, the turkey meatball mixture will feel a little “loose” but it will form a ball easily and they should not fall apart at all. The moistness of the mixture results in a deliciously moist final product!
Cook the Turkey Meatballs
There are two ways to cook this turkey meatballs recipe; bake them in the oven or cook them on the stovetop. Make sure tjhe final temperature of the turkey meatballs reaches 160 degrees F on a digital instant read food thermometer.
Bake in the Oven
Grease a baking sheet, evenly space the turkey meatballs on it and then bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. I usually prefer baking the meatballs because it’s easier and less messy. Also, all 16 meatballs fit on a large baking sheet, so you won’t have to cook them in batches.
Cook on the Stovetop
To cook on the stovetop, fry them in a thin layer of olive oil in a non-stick fry pan with a lid. Covering the turkey meatballs while they’re cooking ensures they are cooked through before they get too brown. I recommend cooking these turkey meatballs in two batches of 8 instead of trying to load all 16 in one pan! It takes 8-10 minutes per batch so it’s very quick!
Serve
I recommend serving these turkey meatballs with your favorite tomato sauce, or this homemade basil pesto! Since you only use ½ cup of jarred sauce in the recipe, the rest can be used for serving. More suggestions include:
On top of a bed of zucchini noodles (aka: zoodles), pictured here! Use them to make BBQ meatballs. With your favorite store-bought pasta, or your own homemade whole wheat pasta, or risotto! With a side of balsamic roasted vegetables As an appetizer. Make them into a healthier meatball sub. With a side of roasted broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts or parmesan roasted green beans!
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze
Freeze turkey meatballs in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw by warming them in your favorite sauce, or heating them in a covered dish in the oven. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
