Turkey, Spinach & Cheese Meatballs
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The addition of turkey sausage and cheese makes these meatballs tender and flavorful.
Photo by Johnny Miller, Clarkson Potter 2021
I used to be one of those opinionated people who felt you shouldn’t sneak vegetables into your children’s food, but then I gave birth to a picky eater and all that righteousness went right out the window. Parenting is nothing if not humbling, right? These meatballs are a great way to sneak in some spinach, but what makes them really special is the addition of turkey sausage. Not only does the sausage make the meatballs tender, but it also adds great flavor without the need for a ton of other ingredients. Serve the meatballs with pasta, Parmesan smashed potatoes, or polenta and a big Italian salad, and dinner is served!
Table of Contents
“DELICIOUS!!!! I make a full batch and freeze for individual dinners. We serve it with zucchini noodles—really great twist on meatballs.”
What You’ll Need To Make Turkey Meatballs
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, mix the egg with chopped spinach, scallions, and garlic.
Add the ground turkey, turkey sausage, bread crumbs, mozzarella cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Mix until evenly combined.
Form the mixture into 1-1/2 inch balls.
Broil the turkey meatballs until golden, about 10 minutes.
Then simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes more.
That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Turkey, Spinach & Cheese Meatballs
The addition of turkey sausage and cheese makes these meatballs tender and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 3 ounces baby spinach, chopped (3½ cups whole; 1½ cups chopped)
- 3 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1.25 pounds 93/7 ground turkey (I use Shady Brook Farms)
- 1.25 pounds Italian turkey sausage, removed from the casings (I use Shady Brook Farms)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (preferably whole milk but low-fat will work)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce, homemade or good quality store-bought
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack on the second-highest rack. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and grease with the olive oil.
- In a bowl large enough to hold all of the ingredients, beat the egg. Add the chopped spinach, scallions, and garlic and stir until evenly combined. Add the ground turkey, turkey sausage, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix until evenly combined. Shape the mixture into 1½ inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Broil the meatballs until golden brown on top, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a large pan on the stovetop. Add the broiled meatballs and simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: These can be frozen in their sauce for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, reheat the meatballs in their sauce on the stovetop over medium heat until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 509
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 49g
- Sodium: 1409mg
- Cholesterol: 194mg
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 are incredible! I didn’t change a thing with the meatball recipe, I just made double the sauce since I am a sauce person!!
Delicious! Another winner and wonderfully different and tasty recipe from Jennifer. Served over angel hair pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Also had a salad and Jenn’s recipe for Ranch dressing. Can’t beat it! Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, if I wanted t freeze part of these, would I freeze before or after cooking? Thank you!
Hi Glinda, you can go either way, but I’d suggest cooking them first. They reheat nicely. Enjoy!
Outstanding! Made these last night and served with a bit of angel hair pasta. The scallions and spinach, although simple, made such a huge difference in an otherwise basic meatball recipe. I followed the recipe precisely, I made no changes. However, I will attempt to make these with beef and pork at some point in the future. Thanks Jenn!
Hi Jenn,
Made your meatballs last night and it was an instant hit with my husband! Didn’t even serve it with anything, the meatballs and sauce were plenty. The only variation I made was to add pork sausage instead of turkey sausage, but only because the store I was in didn’t carry turkey sausage. They were delicious though and very moist. I’ll try it with turkey sausage next time as I’ll be making these again and again.
Ten out of ten, when cooking with Jenn!
Fabulous meatballs. Thankyou. With my first mouthful, I knew they would be a hit. The flavour is wonderful and the texture is perfect. Dished them up with warm pasta salad. All the teenagers wanted seconds.
You’re amazing!
Excellent easy to follow directions. The only suggestions I have to offer is DON’T OVER WORK the ingredients….meat will be more tender.
Dear Jennifer,
I made these delicious meatballs last night and shared 1/2 with my son and family. I was concerned he wouldn’t like the idea of spinach in his meatballs. I know when it’s a hit when he says he’d like me to make them again!! I used Honeysuckle 93/7 ground turkey and their sweet Italian sausage and added a little red pepper flakes. I also used low moisture mozzarella because that was what I had. I used my #40 cookie scoop which is a little smaller but so much easier when shaping/portioning meatballs. I baked 1/2 under the broiler, turning them for the last 3 minutes with tongs. Made 40 meatballs. The rest I fried and I liked the broiler baked ones the best+less mess. I think these would be perfect for meatball sandwiches topped with sauce and provolone. Will definitely make again and share with my friends.
The Turkey meatballs are delicious! I freeze the batch for company so you can make them weeks ahead. The only change I make is doubling all the ingredients except the meat. The meatballs are very moist and flavorful. The Big Italian salad is perfect with the dinner. I highly
recommend this recipe for a crowd.
Turkey, spinach and cheese meatballs; I followed the recipe with these deviations:
2 eggs, 4 scallions, 2 1/2 lb grnd turkey, 1 lb Jimmy Dean Italian turkey sausage, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, 1 pkg Ritz crackers ground, 3 24oz jars Emeril’s Home Style Marinara. Made 59 meatballs. Served with spaghetti noodles and garlic toast. Yum!
It’s MariElizabeth, again. Just wanted to clarify that I used the Ritz crackers IPO the bread crumbs. Other than the extra amounts of ingredients as listed in my review, I followed the recipe to the “t” and these are by far the best/easiest meatballs I’ve EVER made!