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Need a little change from your regular meatballs? Try this Gluten-free and dairy-free Italian Turkey meatball recipe. They are so simple and easy to make, paired with some quinoa or some whole wheat spaghetti.
For some creamy meatballs, try my crockpot Swedish meatballs.
Who isn’t a fan of meatballs? These Italian Turkey Meatballs are great on sandwiches, in pasta dishes, or even just as an appetizer. Meatballs are a favorite because they are so versatile in the kitchen.
For example, they can be mixed with a variety of fresh green herbs and spices to change up the flavor. They are also great for those into meal prepping their meals! This recipe for healthy Turkey Meatballs will leave your mouth watering.
Why you will love this recipe
- Healthy: This turkey meatball recipe is high in protein and made with healthy ingredients to feed the family a delicious nutritious meal.
- Easy to make: This recipe is super easy to make with just 15 minutes of prep time and is ready in under 30 minutes.
- Comforting: Nothing tastes more comforting than a nice bowl of meatballs and spaghetti
Ingredients you will need
- Ground Turkey: use at least 90% lean turkey. You may also use ground beef or ground chicken
- breadcrumbs use gluten-free versions if needed: you can also make your own breadcrumbs. Here is how you can make your own breadcrumbs.
- Seasonings: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, chopped fresh parsley.
- 1 egg: used as a binder
- 3 cups marinara sauce Look for a low-sugar, low-fat variety, warmed
- cooking spray
How to make Turkey Meatballs
- Preheat the broiler: First, line a sheet pan with foil and coat the foil with cooking spray.
- Prep the meatball: Place the turkey, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, egg, and water in a bowl; mix until thoroughly combined. You may need to add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to get a smooth mixture.
- Roll Meatballs: Take approximately 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and roll it into a ball. Place the meatball on the sheet pan and repeat with the remaining meat.
- Cook: Spray the tops of the meatballs with cooking spray. Broil for 10 minutes or until meatballs are just done.
- Serve: Place the meatballs on a plate and pour the marinara sauce over the top. Finally, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Frequently asked questions
These turkey meatballs in a marinara sauce can be served with a variety of side dishes. Here are some options for what you can serve these meatballs with:
Zoodles (also known as zucchini noodles-here is how you can learn how to make zoodles), Whole grain pasta, Quinoa, oven-Roasted veggies, and Cilantro Lime Cauliflower rice.
Freeze-cooked turkey meatballs for up to 2-3 months. Also, allow the meatballs to cool completely and then place them in a tightly sealed airtight container before placing them in the freezer.
Time varies depending on the method you are using to cook your turkey meatballs. Here are some methods and how long each takes:
Stovetop: If using a skillet and cooking over your stovetop, then cook the meatballs for about 3 minutes on each side.
Baking: Bake in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until a food thermometer reads 165F.
Broil: broil meatballs for about 10-12 minutes or until browned. You may also use a thermometer to be sure
Recipes you may like
- Zucchini Pizza Bites
- Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna Boats
- Keto Shrimp Scampi Zoodles
- Italian Chicken Veggie Soup
- Chicken Parmesan Meatballs In Tomato Sauce
- Easy Chili Salmon Zucchini Noodles
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Italian Turkey Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, 93% lean
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, use gluten-free version if needed
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 cups marinara sauce, look for a low-sugar, low-fat variety, warmed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat the foil with cooking spray.
- Place the turkey, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, egg and water in a bowl; mix until thoroughly combined. You may need to add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to get a smooth mixture.
- Take approximately 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and roll it into a ball.
- Place the meatball on the sheet pan and repeat with remaining meat.
- Spray the tops of the meatballs with cooking spray. Broil for 10 minutes or until meatballs are just done.
- Place the meatballs on a plate and pour the marinara sauce over the top, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If you prefer a warmer sauce, cook the sauce in a skillet over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Then add the turkey meatballs over the sauce, toss until combined, and then serve.
- Store leftovers in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days
- You may freeze for up to 3 months.
- You may use lean ground chicken instead of ground turkey
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
is the nutritional value, and calories, with or without sauce?
Thanks!
It is with the sauce
Made these several times and they get better each time. I always do the broil method. Quick, easy, family loves them! Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback
Amazing! We make these almost once every week.
perfect!
Awesome recipe! So easy to make and I used 4 fresh garlic instead of the powder. Thank you!!!
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you loved it
LOVE this meatball recipe. It’s my go-to favorite recipe for meatballs.
Thank you
What temperature does the oven need to be?
I used a broiler, but you can bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
I made these tonight . I did add a bit of parmesan to meat mix rolled them.baked them . Broiled for a minute then baked in sauce.
I must confess I left the pasta out and just ate a bowl of meatballs .yummmy
perfect!
It’s so simple and delicious. I love it for quick dinners because u just make the meatballs and throw them in the oven and do very little work.
Glad you like it. Thanks for the feedback
These are very moist meatballs, do you think they would freeze well?
Yes you can definitely freeze them
Which breadcrumbs are used to make this gluten free?
You can use any gluten-free bread crumbs
Thank you! I found some at wegmans! I’m going to give the meatballs a try now!
Perfect! glad you did.
I made these this morning to serve later this week. Both my husband and I had a sample and thought they were very good. Served with marinara or spaghetti sauce, this will be an awesome meal. The meatballs took only a few minutes to mix up, which was a plus. The only changes I made was to add less salt since I need to lower my salt intake and used plain Panko crumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Angela. Glad you guys liked them and giving me some feedback
Hello, I am curious, what brand marinara sauce do you use? I’m trying to keep track of my macros so the nutritional info is great but it wont be accurate if I use a different sauce than you.
Thank you!
Hi
I have never watched my macros. But I use organic simply balanced.
These are so good! I forgot to get breadcrumbs at the store so I had to improvise and I used whole grain rolled oats instead and that worked!
They’re also so filling – with some pasta I can only have about 3. I doubled the recipe and I freezed the rest and they were still great even days later.
Thank you for your feedback Olivia. Glad the rolled oats worked!
How many meatballs per serving?
Hi Kate. Should be about 4 depending on the size.
I made this yesterday and my husband loved them!! Thanks so much I will for sure make these again!!
Hi Celia
Thank you so much and I am so glad he liked them!
Hello. Can I use almond meal instead of gluten free bread crumbs? Thank you.
Hi there. Yes you can
Going to make these tomorrow! They look so good! Do you do the broiler on low or high?
I do mostly medium because I tend to get busy doing other things and I burn my food lol. I hope you like it. Come back and let me know how they turn out.
Oh, they look absolutely amazing!
Thank you so much Valya