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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I made this recipe for dinner last night, and it was so good. It’s definitely a keeper!
I’m usually not a big fan of turkey sausage but these meatballs were delicious. They were easy to make and after I cooked them, I froze them and gave them along with a jar of marinara sauce to my grown kids for an easy weeknight meal. They were a hit! I followed the recipe exactly and again they were easy to make and easy to share!
We LOVED this recipe!! Made it twice in one week and had friends over for meatball subs to watch the game with the leftovers
Delicious!
I always have trouble with meatballs, mine always lack flavour but these were so easy to make and the taste was amazing. Just after I saw these I found that my local butcher was making turkey sausages so it was a win win. We don’t usually get turkey or Italian sausages in England so it was nice to be able to make them as the recipe.
AWESOME recipe!!! A must make and easy, too! Enjoy!!!
For the first time I made a recipe of yours and it wasn’t great. I’m pretty sure it was the sausage I used so here’s the question… I couldn’t find turkey sausage in any market including WF. They did have ground turkey and sausage seasoning so made a batch for me. The balls were almost gamey – maybe their choice of turkey and spices. (The organic ground turkey I use is very mild and tastes great.) So long story short, I’ll try this once more but what would you suggest as a substitute for the sausage? I don’t eat meat/pork. Thanks! Janet
Hi Janet, I think chicken sausage could work here.
Great turkey meatballs! I served over spaghetti squash as mock spaghetti and didn’t missed the real pasta at all. 🙂
Once again….5 star recipe!!! It’s perfect!! The only thing I did differently…I used gluten free Italian panko bread crumbs!! It’s amazing and a must try!! Thanks so much!!
I want to make these this week and rhe supermarket was sold out seasoned breadcrumbs! I have plain ones, but what (and how much) spices should I add to try and get the same flavor?
Hi Lauren, you can definitely make seasoned bread crumbs yourself. For the 1/2 cup of bread crumbs the recipe calls for, you won’t need much, but you could add a pinch of garlic powder, dried oregano, basil and/or parsley to them. Hope you enjoy the meatballs!
We pre-made these on Sunday and heated them up last night. They were absolutely delicious, my daughter (almost 5) could not get enough of them. It’s definitely going into our “keeper file”!!