Easy Turkey Meatballs
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These easy Turkey Meatballs are a leaner and quicker version of your favorite meatballs, made easy with store-bought pasta sauce and swapping ground turkey for ground beef, and are ready in under 30 minutes!
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Loving Turkey Meatballs These Days
A perfect dish for weeknight dinners, game day foods, or Friday night fun.
This easy meatball recipe, served “family style,” is one of our favorites. I love serving from a communal dish, drawing people together and watching the conversation flow as they nibble on delicious treats.
These turkey meatballs are perfect for standing party food (otherwise known as appetizers), but they’re also delicious when added to sliced baguettes, with melting cheese and delicious tomato sauce filling in all the crevices of the bread.
Lean? Absolutely, unless, of course, you add copious amounts of cheese! But, you know, sometimes it’s worth it!
Ingredients for Turkey Meatballs
This recipe is incredibly simple to make, requiring only a handful of ingredients, so you can prepare it anytime your heart desires! Here’s what you need:
- Ground meat: I’m using lean ground turkey, but you can also make this same recipe with ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork, or a combination!
- Zucchini: While not a typical ingredient for meatballs, I love the added nourishment and moisture it brings to the meatballs!
- Large egg to bind the ingredients together
- Bread crumbs: I prefer Italian seasoned breadcrumbs for another layer of flavor, but plain breadcrumbs or Panko work well too.
- Seasonings: Dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. You can substitute the oregano for Italian seasoning if preferred or a combination of oregano and basil.
- Pasta Sauce: Use your favorite store-bought pasta sauce or, if time allows, make a batch of our World’s Best Pasta Sauce!
- Cheese: A combination of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella
How to Make Turkey Meatballs
The complete recipe instructions are provided on the card below; however, here is a quick overview of how to make these healthier meatballs.
Begin by preheating the oven to 400°F and lining a baking sheet with foil coated with cooking spray.
- Make the meatballs: Combine the ground turkey, zucchini, beaten egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano. Form 24 meatballs, each about one tablespoon in size, and place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs: Bake in the oven until fully cooked, about 12-15 minutes.
- Add pasta sauce: In a large skillet, add pasta sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then add cooked meatballs, turn to coat in the sauce, and sprinkle with mozzarella. Let it melt either on top of the stove or in the oven.
Serving Ideas
You can serve these easy and healthier meatballs as an appetizer with party skewers or on toasted baguettes or crostini. Or you can add 2 to 3 meatballs to a sliced hoagie roll or baguette and enjoy as a meal with a green salad.
More Meatball Recipes to Try Next!
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Skillet Turkey Meatballs Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lbs. lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus extra salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ cups pasta sauce homemade or store-bought
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded
- sliced baguettes for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Shred the zucchini. If you have more than you need for the 1/2 cup, add it to the sauce at the end of the dish.
- Stir together the ground turkey, zucchini, beaten egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano. Form 24 meatballs, about 1 tablespoon each, and lay on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 400° until fully cooked, about 12-15 minutes.
- In an ovenproof skillet (like a cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat, add pasta sauce, any leftover zucchini, and water. Simmer about 5 minutes. Add cooked meatballs to the skillet and gently stir to coat the meatballs with the sauce. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese.
- Serve with a sliced baguette and seasonal salad.
Notes
- Servings: This recipe should make about 24 small meatballs or 16-18 meatballs about 1.5 inches in diameter.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.