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Juicy, Italian Turkey Meatballs simmered in a homemade tomato sauce. Serve them over your favorite pasta, pizza or sandwich!
Juicy Turkey Meatball Recipe
I buy a package of ground turkey every week with no plan on how I am going to use them. Some days I make tacos, turkey meatloaf or ground turkey skillet. But most days I turn them into they Italian turkey meatballs, and my family loves them!
Why This Turkey Meatball Recipe Works
My Italian husband loves his mom’s beef meatballs, so making them with ground turkey without him complaining was not easy. Don’t get me wrong, we love meatballs made with ground beef, but I also love these ground turkey meatballs as a lighter alternative. Tommy gives these 2 thumbs up!
- Leaner than beef
- Moist and flavorful
- A delicious way to use up a package of ground turkey
Featured Comment
I made just the meatballs. Very flavorful, moist, yummy. Great tip on making balls with wet hands.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s the ingredients I use to make these juicy Italian Turkey Meatballs. Simply combine, roll and simmer in the sauce. See exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Ground Turkey: I use 99% lean ground turkey, but you can also use 93% or lean ground chicken.
- Breadcrumbs: If you can’t find whole-wheat seasoned crumbs, regular will work. Sub gluten-free breadcrumbs for gluten-free meatballs.
- Grated Cheese: I used grated Parmigiano Reggiano, but you can substitute less expensive Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Fresh Herbs: I use fresh parsley but you can sub it with fresh basil or dried parsley.
- Egg: The egg binds the meat and other ingredients together.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, and garlic give these Italian meatballs more flavor. Add crushed red pepper if you prefer them spicy.
How To Make Turkey Meatballs
Here’s how easy they are to make. See recipe card below for printable directions.
- Make the Sauce: Heat olive oil and add garlic; saute until golden. Add crushed tomatoes, onion, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer on low 5-10 minutes.
- Make the turkey meatballs: Combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and cheese. Using wet hands, mix all the ingredients well until everything is combined. Form small meatballs, about 1/8th cup each.
- Brown the meatballs: Brown the meatballs in a skillet, or in the broiler on a sheet pan until the tops are golden, 7 to 8 minutes. You can also gently plop them right into the sauce, to save time.
- Simmer: Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce and cook about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and onion and serve over your favorite pasta or rolls.
Helpful Tips
These ground turkey meatballs are great for meal prep. Here are a few more tips to save even more time:
- For tender meatballs: Avoid overmixing turkey to prevent tough meatballs.
- Use wet hands to form the meatballs: Since ground turkey can be sticky, this simple trick is a game changer!
- Tomato Sauce: If you don’t want to make the tomato sauce from scratch, you can use jarred marinara.
- Skip Browning: To save time you don’t have to brown these meatballs first. Just put them in the sauce and cook on medium for 20 minutes.
- How Long To Bake Turkey Meatballs: If you want to bake the meatballs first, bake them in the oven 400F about 18 to 20 minutes or broil them 5 to 6 minutes.
- Prep ahead by storing the uncooked meatballs in the fridge for a day. When it’s time to get dinner ready, pull them out and start cooking immediately.
- Slow Cooker: For even more hands-off cooking, cook the meatballs in the slow cooker on low for four to six hours or on high for two to three hours.
Variations & Alternatives
If you love turkey meatballs, there are plenty of ways to switch them up depending on your mood or what you have on hand:
- Cheesy Skillet Meatballs – Try these cheesy skillet meatballs.
- Meatball Sheet Pan Dinner – Skip the sauce and roast meatballs alongside vegetables for a quick, one-pan meal with easy cleanup.
- Greek-Style Meatballs – Pair with zucchini and serve with cool, creamy tzatziki for a Mediterranean twist.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti & Meatballs – A one-pot option that makes pasta night even easier.
Serving Suggestions
- Pasta: Serve over your favorite type of pasta or gnocchi.
- Low-Carb: Choose zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice for fewer carbs.
- Sandwich: Make a meatball hero with whole wheat Italian bread and mozzarella cheese.
- Veggie Sides: Eat the meatballs by themselves and pair with spaghetti squash, roasted green beans, wilted spinach, cacio e pepe brussels sprouts, or arugula salad.
More Meatball Recipes You’ll Love:
If you love these easy turkey meatballs, here’s a few more meatball recipe you may also enjoy!
- Italian Beef and Spinach Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Swedish Meatballs
- Chicken Romano Meatballs
- Moroccan Meatballs
Turkey Meatballs
The best turkey meatballs—juicy, easy, and healthy, simmered in Italian tomato sauce and perfect for pasta, sandwiches, or meal prep.
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 4 meatballs with sauce
Ingredients
- 1.3 pound package ground turkey, 93% lean
- 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, or gluten-free crumbs
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, or Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 large clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh black pepper, to taste
For the marinara sauce:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes, I swear by Tuttorosso
- 1/2 small onion, cut in half but don't chop
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup chopped basil, fresh
- kosher salt, and fresh black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Add crushed tomatoes, onion, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer on low 5 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and cheese. Using wet hands, mix all the ingredients well until everything is combined. Form small meatballs, about the size of a ping ping ball (1/8th cup each).
- Brown the meatballs in a skillet, or in the broiler on a sheet pan until the tops are golden, 7 to 8 minutes. You can also bake them in the oven 400F about 18 to 20 minutes. If you want to save time, gently plop them right into the sauce without browning.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer on low about 20 minutes, covered. Discard the bay leaf and onion and serve over pasta or whole wheat Italian bread.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
You can make them with 99% lean turkey although they will be more dry, if you do.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days.
Meal Prep: Double the batch and freeze them up to 3 months.
Meal Prep: Double the batch and freeze them up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 4 meatballs with sauce, Calories: 280 kcal, Carbohydrates: 25 g, Protein: 25.5 g, Fat: 11.5 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 104 mg, Sodium: 997 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 10.5 g
