These tender turkey meatballs are a healthy dinner that everyone can agree on.
Lean ground turkey is mixed with seasonings and bread crumbs and baked until tender and juicy.
Serve them with spaghetti, as meatball subs, or enjoy them as an appetizer with sweet & sour sauce.
Light & Lean Turkey Meatballs
- Dress them up with marinara sauce, use them in a casserole, or pop them in a sub. So many ways to enjoy!
- Turkey meatballs are a leaner alternative to traditional beef meatballs, with fewer calories and less far.
- They’re quick to prepare and freezer friendly. Make a double batch and freeze them for those busy nights when cooking is just not on the cards.
- These little bites are loved by everyone for a healthy addition to meals.
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: This is a lean option and can be replaced with ground chicken, or ground pork. Be sure to use lean ground turkey, not extra lean.
- Egg & Bread Crumbs bind everything together and create a tender texture.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, basil, and oregano add flavor. You can replace these with 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning if preferred.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley adds lots of flavor but dried will work.
- Onion adds flavor. For a more subtle flavor, soften the onion in a small skillet first or use ½ teaspoon onion powder.
How To Make Turkey Meatballs Moist
Ground turkey is lean, but these meatballs come out tender and juicy every time.
- Use ground turkey that has a little bit of fat (a mix of dark and white meat). If using extra lean turkey, add two teaspoons of olive oil.
- Don’t overmix the meat, mix just until everything is combined.
- Do not overcook; turkey is lean and can dry out if overcooked. Cook just until they reach 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Ensure they’re uniform in shape so they cook evenly. A small cookie scoop is a helpful tool.
For Added Flavor
- Use fresh parsley if possible. Additional fresh herbs like basil or oregano can be used in place of dry (1 ½ teaspoons each).
- If desired, ¼ cup parmesan cheese can be added to the meat mixture.
To Prepare Batches
To freeze uncooked meatballs, place them on a parchment-lined pan and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or a sealed container.
To cook raw turkey meatballs from frozen, place the meatballs on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
To heat cooked frozen meatballs: Freeze cooked and cooled meatballs. Reheat in the oven at 375°F for 18 to 22 minutes or until heated through.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
Did your family enjoy these All-Purpose Turkey Meatballs? Leave us a comment and a rating below!
All-Purpose Turkey Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ cup white onion minced
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil and oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease well.
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, dried basil, oregano, parsley, minced white onion, egg, salt, and pepper.
- Gently mix until all ingredients just until combined, do not overmix. Divide the meat mixture, rolling into 1-inch meatballs, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or just until cooked. (Do not overbake).
Notes
- Overmixing can lead to dense meatballs, so mix just enough to combine the ingredients.
- If the meat mixture is sticky, roll the meatballs with wet hands.
- For even cooking, try to keep meatballs uniformly sized.
- Turkey meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Turkey
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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these really spiced up our spaghetti night love this recipe! It was so easy!
Definitely perfect with spaghetti, glad you enjoyed them Trista!
I tried this sauce on turkey meatballs last night and served them to my very picky children and their even pickier cousins. What a HUGE hit! I cannot thank you enough – you’ve added a new staple to their diets …
I am so glad your family enjoyed the meal!
Love these meatballs! But 2 lbs of turkey made only 40 meatballs … maybe I made them too big. :)
This is one of the rare recipes where the ingredients and cooking time are 100% right on. They turned out perfectly the first try. Thanks so much!!
Question, though: If I don’t have panko on hand, could I substitute rolled oats 1:1?
I think that would be a yummy substitution Margaret. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’ve made these several times, and they’re great. I use the dried minced onions, full amount, and they are so good in it!
Glad you’ve loved them Jen!
Oh my these meatballs are better than I ever imagined!!! I had planned on putting sauce and cheese on them, but after trying the first bite I didn’t want to ruin the flavor so I nixed both the sauce and cheese and ate them plain. Just wow!! Best meatballs ever. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I am so glad you loved them Casey! Those sound like great additions.
Great recipe I add bacon to my turkey meatballs for the fat so they are nice and juicy. I also add parm/reggiano cheese.
Sounds like a great addition Shay!
Ended up pretty dry and bland.
If they ended up dry that would mean they overcooked so possibly your meatballs were smaller than mine or your oven ran a bit hotter. You’ll want to ensure you cook them to a temperature of 165°F so they are cooked through but still delicious and juicy.
Do you freeze them after you cook them? And how long are they good in the freezer? Sorry stupid questions
Jovanna, you can freeze them if you’d like, or you can use them fresh. They should keep well for about 3 months in the freezer. Thank you for asking! Enjoy!
Does this call for dried or fresh basil and Oregano? The photo shows dried but the recipe does not indicate.
I use dried basil and oregano. You could substitute fresh if you prefer. Enjoy, Katie!
If I leave out the onions, would it be ok?
It will change the taste, but you can leave the onions out. Enjoy!
These were delicious and so easy to bring make! The only thing I would change would be to sauté the onions before adding them into the mixture. I didn’t chop them small enough so the meatballs still have a bit of a crunch to them. Otherwise, great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them. Great idea to saute them first!
First time i made i had rave reviews, so now i doubled the recipe and will have them for a Superbowl party! This is now my go to recipe for meatballs.
So glad you loved them Erin! Thank you for the review!
Just made these, and think they are perfect.. Perfect flavor, not too salty, not bland.. Nice easy recipe to follow.. Thank you for sharing
So glad you enjoyed them Laurie!
I made the meatballs and they were good, but they lacked flavor. They also were very dry. I will try to remake them maybe adding bell pepper, olive oil, and maybe a little more of salt. My husband did not like them at all, so I ate the rest of the batch instead of wasting them. I will let you know how they turn out. Thanks for the recipe!
These are wonderful!!!
Made these tonight, absolutely delicious! Next time only think I’ll do is add some Parmesan cheese to the mixture. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!!
I’m so glad you loved them Michelle!
Great recipe. They are great fresh and freeze well, too! I love it with the ground turkey, but was wondering if this recipe will work with ground beef? Do you recommend any modifications if using ground beef? Thanks!
This should work just fine with ground beef, no changes required.
Do you think changing parsley to cilantro would change the flavor too drastically? I love cilantro but not sure how it would work with this recipe!
can this be frozen?
Absolutely!
WOW!!! These were incredible!!! we added mozzarella cheese at the end!
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
These are delicious! i just made them; I used 85/15 ground turkey because I was afraid to go too lean. YUM! good flavor. can’t wait to serve them tonight.