Turkey Meatballs
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These tender and flavorful turkey meatballs are a weeknight dinner winner! Easy to make and perfect over pasta, polenta, or on their own.
Photo by Edalin Photography
These turkey meatballs are a lighter take on my classic Italian meatballs made with ground beef, pork, and veal. They’re tender and delicious, with garlic, onions, basil, and Pecorino Romano adding plenty of flavor. Pan-frying them in olive oil not only boosts flavor but also keeps things simple—just one skillet for the meatballs and sauce makes cleanup easy. If you have a good homemade tomato sauce, use it, but for those busy weeknights, a high-quality jarred marinara like Rao’s works perfectly.
Serve the meatballs over spaghetti or polenta, alongside roasted broccoli, or stuffed into a hoagie roll for a meatball sub. They’re also delicious served on their own, or topped with a dollop of ricotta cheese as an appetizer.
“These are the best tasting, easiest turkey meatballs I’ve ever made!”
What You’ll Need To Make Turkey Meatballs
- Egg: Binds the meatballs together and adds moisture.
- Fresh basil: Adds fresh flavor to the meatballs. Other fresh herbs, like Italian parsley or rosemary, can be added for variation.
- Dried oregano: Brings classic Italian flavor to the meatballs.
- Garlic and Onion: Adds savory depth, sweetness, and moisture to the meatball mix.
- Water: Helps keep the meatball mixture moist.
- Ground turkey: For best results, I recommend using 93% lean ground turkey, which is a combination of light and dark meat, rather than 99% lean ground turkey breast, which is all white meat and tends to be dry.
- Italian-style bread crumbs: Helps absorb moisture and bind the meatballs, with additional seasoning.
- Pecorino Romano cheese: Adds a sharp, salty richness to the mixture. Feel free to substitute Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Olive oil: Used for browning the meatballs.
- Good quality marinara sauce: Provides a rich tomato base for simmering the meatballs, enhancing their flavor as they cook.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the egg, basil, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and water.
Mix together until well-combined.
Add the onion, turkey, bread crumbs, and cheese.
Mix with your hands until the mixture is uniform.
Lightly wet your hands with water and form the mixture into balls just slightly larger than golf balls. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the meatballs in a single layer.
Brown on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes total.
Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes. The meatballs can be made 3 days ahead of time or frozen for longer storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but keep in mind they won’t develop quite the same flavor or browning as they would from searing in a pan. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the meatballs on the prepared sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until they are browned and cooked through. Once baked, transfer the meatballs to a large pan, add the marinara sauce, and simmer on low for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Yes, these turkey meatballs can be made gluten-free with a few simple substitutions. Use gluten-free Italian-style bread crumbs and be sure to check that all other ingredients, like your marinara sauce, are certified gluten-free.
Video Tutorial
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Turkey Meatballs
These tender and flavorful turkey meatballs are a weeknight dinner winner! Easy to make and perfect over pasta, polenta, or on their own.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil (plus more for serving)
- Heaping ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons minced yellow onion, from 1 small onion
- 1⅓ pounds 93% lean ground turkey (see note)
- ⅔ cup dried Italian style bread crumbs (such as Progresso)
- ⅓ cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese (plus more for serving)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking
- Large jar (24 oz) good quality Marinara sauce (such as Rao's)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, basil, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and water. Add the onion, turkey, bread crumbs, and cheese, and mix with your hands until the mixture is uniform.
- Lightly wet your hands with water and form the mixture into balls just slightly larger than golf balls (keep wetting your hands as you go to prevent the meatball mixture from sticking to your hands).
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes total. Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with more basil and cheese, if desired, and serve.
- Note: For best results, I recommend using 93% lean ground turkey, which is a combination of light and dark meat, rather than 99% lean ground turkey breast, which is all white meat.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: To make the turkey meatballs ahead of time, you can prepare and cook them as instructed, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you'd like to freeze them, the meatballs can be frozen in their sauce for up to 3 months. To freeze, let them cool completely, then transfer them (along with the sauce) to a freezer-safe container or bag. When you're ready to serve, defrost the meatballs overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat them on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are hot in the center.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 347
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Sodium: 779 mg
- Cholesterol: 113 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These meatballs were absolutely excellent! Ground turkey is a hard sell with my husband, but he really liked these. First night we put them on sub rolls, added a little mozzarella and provolone and ran them under the broiler for a minute. Tonight we are looking forward to having the leftovers over spaghetti. My turkey came from a local farmer and was in a 1 pound package, so I had to monkey with the proportions a little. Worked great, you can always adjust the amount of breadcrumbs a little to get the perfect consistency. I’ll definitely make this again.
I love these meatballs and made them at my son’s house; everyone LOVED them, from
DIL’s mother (who hates turkey, but we didn’t tell her) to my adult grandson. My one recommendation is to make your own marinara–it’s so easy. I tried them once with Paul Newman’s and ended up rinsing it off and digging out an old batch of my own from the freezer. Much better. I also used plain parmesan since it was all I had! I love that they are so easy to freeze in batches.
These turkey meatballs are AMAZING! I’m not a traditional meatball fan either, but these are so good. My husband on the other hand is a traditional beef meatball fan and he also raved over these turkey meatballs! So flavorful and overall easy to make. I paired this with the Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Squash and they were wonderful together…and relatively healthy might I add! Thank you, Jenn for another hit recipe! I’m so glad I found your website.
Thank you very much for this recipe…delicious and simple. The entire family loved it.
Hi Jen. This is a long shot, but is there anything I can use in place of the cheese in this recipe? I’ve been eager to make turkey meatballs but I have people in the family who can’t eat cheese. Thanks in advance.
Hi Kathy, If dairy is an issue, you could use dairy-free cheese. Also, I’ve never used nutritional yeast but I know it stands in for cheese for many people. I can’t say for sure how it will work as a substitute as I haven’t tried it, but I suspect it should work. Please LMK how the meatballs turn out if you try them!
Great recipe,I used gluten free bread crumbs,added bell peppers,used chicken stock instead of water!Was excellent!
Best meatballs I have ever made. Very good recepie, simple and easy to follow.
These are absolutely perfect! Tender, flavorful and delicious. I’ve been making turkey meatballs for years, with various recipes and tweaks, but this is now the only recipe I’ll use. The ground turkey in our stores comes in 1 lb. packages, so I adjusted the other ingredients down slightly. Such a great dinner with a good (or homemade) marinara over spaghetti. Make them!
Delicious!! Definitely holds up to beef meatballs. I was pleasantly surprised. will be my spaghetti and meatball go-to!
Made these along with the tomato sauce recipe (staple in our house, since making this recipe, I have made no other). Such a quick and easy recipe to do. I great alternative to pork and/or beef versions.