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 were a hit with the whole family, including my VERY picky husband!
Entire family loved it! I was hoping for leftovers and there weren’t ANY. So easy and so delicious!
Oh. My. Goodness. These are DELICIOUS! Devoured by myself and my 1 year old! I made the parmesan mashed potatoes to go with them, as recommended, and the whole meal was wonderful. Highly recommend!
I made this recipe twice because the first time, I mistakenly used cooked turkey sausage (which I ground up before mixing) instead of raw. The second round, the meatballs were much better and were especially liked by the grandkids.
I would like to make these into a meatball sandwich. What kind of bread would work best?? Have not made these meatballs yet!
Hi Donna, these would be nice with semolina crusty sub rolls or french bread sandwich rolls. Hope you enjoy!
Made these for company last weekend. Everyone loved them and reported they were very moist, flavorful and tasted great. They commented about how “healthy” they seemed and all went back for seconds. The next day received an email noting “we loved the healthy meatballs!” Another winner for my permanent rotation, Jenn!
Thanks for another tasty recipe Jenn! Prep and cook time were also quick, which I love. I served mine on a bed of plain mixed greens.
Another excellent recipe, wouldn’t change a thing. Made the full recipe (only two of us) just to have extra to freeze. Then took the suggestion you made to another reviewer and stole the sauce from your Swedish Meatballs (half the brown sugar – thanks for the warning). These meatballs, that sauce, made my knees weak! Outstanding is an understatement.
Amazing as usual, Jenn! These meatballs are delicious and I love it when dinner is ready in less than an hour! I subbed mozzarella for a Monterey jack goat cheese, because it was what I had in the fridge and I served it with spiral zucchini “noodles”. Your recipes never disappoint! Thank you AGAIN for another winner!
Are you using the whole package of the ground turkey and sausage as pictured?
I believe that each of those packages in the pic is 1.25 pounds, so yes, that’s what I use in the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Made spinach meatballs based on your recipe today. However, made it just with minced beef. It tasted really good. The combination of spinach and meat was really wonderful. Thanks for the recipe. Had it with linguine and added really finely chopped mushroom in the passata. We loved the meatballs.