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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substituted asiago for mozz., and can of collards for spinach. Placed meatballs on rack in a 400 degree oven. Brushed with olive oil and baked for 15-20 minutes at 165 degrees.
On one hand, cooking *is* about improvisation at its heart, but I’d question your rating as you did change the recipe and instructions significantly. Again, not criticizing your method, but maybe don’t rate if you are not following the recipe as written. It’s rather nonsensical. Everything I have made from this site has been fabulous, and I don’t think your criticisms entirely reflect the recipe as written. Experiment away!
Hi Jenn,
If you wanted to bake the meatballs instead of broiling, at what temp and for how long
Thank you for all your delicious recipes.
Pat Ryan
Hi Pat, If you want to bake them, I’d use the guidance from this recipe. Please LMK how they turn out!
These are delicious and easy to make. My husband also enjoyed them, though while I was making them he kept complaining about the “green stuff.” (Only sort-of tongue in cheek.) Once I formed all of the meatballs I could fit on a sheet pan, I did have more meatball mixture than I thought I would. We are a family of four, and we ate the sheet-pan’s worth with a few meatballs left over. I ended up discarding the extra mixture because I was too tired to make more meatballs and I knew I wouldn’t make them later.
Hi Jenn!
I have two pounds of ground turkey and cannot find turkey sausage. How can I make up for the lack of sausage? Is it okay to use all two pounds of the ground turkey?
Thanks!
They won’t be quite as tender and juicy with all ground turkey, but you can get away with it. I’d add some Italian seasoning to the mixture (I’d guesstimate you’d need a heaping tablespoon). You’ll also need to add salt if the Italian seasoning doesn’t include it. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
As expected, another awesome recipe from Jenn. I had been wanting to make these for a while, and I finally tried these last night with a friend. I had a little scoop I’ve used for cookie dough that seemed to be just the right size, so I used that to scoop each meatball and my friend “rounded” them out. We did have a small mishap. Sharing in case this helps someone and in case Jenn has additional suggestions. We reused a pan with the foil for the final 6 meatballs, and ended up with a small fire on the pan, overheating the oven, and generating lots of smoke. We were able to pull the pan out and the fire went out. No damage, lots of smoke. And eventually got the house aired out with windows open and fans on. I don’t have a good kitchen vent (on the list for a future kitchen). So, a few mental notes I made: 1) don’t reuse a foil on pan, 2) use grapeseed or canola oil rather than EVOO (higher heat point), 3) move pan down to 3rd rack rather than 2nd one. All in all they turned out awesome. I used a little of my saved tomato basil sauce from the summer (Jenn’s recipe) as a little “spoon over” the meatballs. And, we also made the parmesan potatoes. YUM. And I plan to freeze the extras in small serving sizes for future dinners.
Excellent points, Nicole. We broiled these on the top rack with EVOO and smoked out the entire kitchen (and we should know because we are EVOO producers…)
I would brush the meatballs lightly with EVOO but broil in canola…
I made these meatballs today. I used ground turkey and ground turkey sausage.
They came out so tasty and delicious! Next time I will make a double batch so I can freeze some. Thank you Jenn for another great recipe.
This recipe is amazing! I was looking for a healthier meatball option, and this is it. Unfortunately my food store was out of turkey sausage, so I used 2 packages of ground turkey instead. I thought the meatballs might lack some flavor because of the change, but man was I wrong! The meatballs were incredibly tasty even without the sausage. They were juicy, not dry at all, and even my 3 year old ate some. Thank you for this recipe, it’s definitely a keeper!
I’ll admit, I don’t even like meatballs, at all. But these…I’m so glad I decided to give this recipe a try. So much flavor! Even when I forgot the breadcrumbs, still good, just a bit dense, whoops! This is another go-to meal for us, it’s a great way to mix up a boring weeknight when you don’t want rice or pasta. Meatball subs!
Outstanding, versatile meatballs. We made them for the first time this week and regret not having tried the recipe sooner. The addition of spinach is a nice surprise; turkey resulted in an extra succulent texture. Next time, we’ll plan on doubling the recipe to enjoy more leftovers.
Jenn is a gem – looking forward to making everything on this site. I’ve recommended the cookbook and the website to countless people who quickly adopt both as their go-to resource for delicious meals.
❤️
A delicious, quick, and easy dinner recipe! Plus a healthier alternative to regular meatballs. Homerun