Juicy Turkey Meatballs are packed with flavors of garlic, Parmesan cheese, and herbs. These meatballs are perfect for a weekend dinner and can be made ahead of time for a quick weeknight meal. Paired perfectly with a simple Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce.
Turkey Meatballs
Turkey meatballs make a healthier alternative since turkey is such a lean meat. But, just because they are leaner and healthier, it does not mean that these meatballs are any less juicy and flavorful.
Some brands make a variety of lean to fat ratio in ground turkey but the most common one is 93%/7% meat to fat. This ground turkey will work great for meatballs.
I don’t recommend extra lean ground turkey because every time I’ve tried it, meat comes out too dry. No matter how much you want to keep the fat out, there just has to be some fat for a moist, juicy meatball.
These meatballs can be served without sauce, of course. You can even serve them with some homemade marinara sauce because the flavors in the meatballs will compliment classic marinara sauce well.
I’ve paired these turkey meatballs with some creamy garlic Parmesan sauce. It’s very easy to whisk together and cook with meatballs. Even if the meatballs are prepared ahead of time or frozen, this sauce can easily be whipped up in a couple of minutes and added to meatballs while reheating.
How to make turkey meatballs:
These meatballs are made on stove top and in the oven, so use an oven-safe pan to cook.
Prepare the meat first by combining the ingredients in the mixing bowl and mixing them well.
Start preheating the pan on medium heat while rolling the meatballs. Preheat oven to 350.
Tip: use a cookie scoop to get an even amount of meat mixture so the meatballs are all the same. I like to use #40 cookie scoop.
Roll the meatballs and place them on a cutting board of parchment paper while the pan is preheating.
Add oil and place meatballs in the pan. Cook for a few minutes on one side. Gently shake the pan to loosen the meatballs and flip each meatball.
Whisk sauce ingredients together and pour it all over the meatballs.
Transfer the pan into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.
Take out and garnish with a little more shaved Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Can I freeze meatballs?
These turkey meatballs can be frozen.
To freeze them, use the same method as I use for preparing beef meatballs for freezing. So instead of cooking them on stove-top and then in the oven with sauce, just bake them until done and freeze without sauce.
Thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight.
To prepare the meatballs with sauce, place thawed meatballs in a baking dish and add sauce. Bake for about 15 minutes, until sauce bubbles around the edges.
Can these meatballs be gluten free?
Yes! To make these meatballs gluten free you simply swap a regular slice of bread for gluten free bread. Sauce is already gluten free because it’s made with corn starch.
Some more dinner recipes to try:
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Turkey Meatballs In Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients
Turkey Meatballs:
- 2 lbs ground turkey 93/7% lean
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 extra large egg
- 2 oz slice of bread
- 2 tbsp milk for soaking bread
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- salt
Garlic Parmesan Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup dry Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Garnish:
- shaved Parmesan cheese
- minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- These meatballs are made on stove top and in the oven, so use an oven-safe pan to cook.
- Gently squeeze out the milk from the bread, place wet bread in the mixing bowl and break it up into small pieces. Add remaining ingredients for the meatballs and mix everything well.
- Start preheating the pan on medium heat while rolling the meatballs. Preheat oven to 350.
- Use a cookie scoop to get an even amount of meat mixture so the meatballs are all the same. I like to use #40 cookie scoop. (If you don't have a scoop, just roll the meatballs freehand but try to get them the same size.)
- Roll the meatballs and place them on a cutting board of parchment paper while the pan is preheating.
- Add oil to the pan and place meatballs in the pan. Cook for a few minutes on one side. Gently shake the pan to loosen the meatballs and flip each meatball.
- Whisk sauce ingredients together and pour it all over the meatballs.
- Transfer the pan into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.
- Take out the meatballs and garnish with a some shaved Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Chelsea says
Followed the recipe as followed and it was delicious! Very creamy. Will definitely make this next time we have family over.
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked them, Chelsea!
K-Sissy says
Can the heavy cream be replaced with something else? I have to keep my fat intake low.
LyubaB says
If you want you can skip the creamy sauce and add a little extra cheese on top or you can use whole milk instead of heavy cream but I wouldn’t go less then whole milk because it will make it watery, you may also need to increase the corn starch just a little bit to help it thicken.
Allison says
I used plain Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream & it turned out amazing!
LyubaB says
Awesome! I am so glad that it worked out for you and you liked it!
Linda A O'Connell says
You could also substitute with fat free half & half. Might have to increase the cornstarch a little with that too.
Elaine C Washington says
Can these be served over pasta for a main course? Any adjustments? Thanks!
LyubaB says
Hi Elaine,
The dish is pretty saucy but if you like your pasta with a lot of sauce you may want to double the sauce for it.
Charity says
Awesome recipe, kid friendly, my family loved it!
LyubaB says
Hi Charity,
I am so glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by!
Angie Smith says
My sauce turned out kind of lumpy like cottage cheese? Did I overcook it?
LyubaB says
Hi Angie, I think you must have either scolded the cream on the cooktop and it separated or something was wrong with your cream. I would try it on a lower setting next time. It shouldn’t boil or it could separate.
Vicki says
This was absolutely delicious. I will be making this over and over.
LyubaB says
Hi Vicki,
Thank you! I am so glad you liked it!
Alrilt says
I made this tonight and it was really good but I halved the garlic portion and it was still pretty strong. I doubled the sauce recipe and served over noodles. Next time I will try it with rice.
Mindy says
These were really good!!! The meatballs had great flavor and the sauce was cheesy/garlicy and so yummy. My daughter is thinking of making the sauce to use by itself over pasta. This recipe is a keeper.👍🙂
LyubaB says
So glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and for rating my recipe! 🙂
Peggy says
I am on a keto/low carb diet so is there a replacement I can use rather than the bread?
LyubaB says
Hi, Peggy! The bread works like a binder and also holds moisture so the results will be different without it. You could try using pork rinds, I know people use those while on keto and have good results. I have not tried it so I am unsure of the end results but that could be an option.
Regina says
Yum! I will definitely make this again!
LyubaB says
Thanks, Regina! So glad you liked the recipe!
Tina says
I will say I liked the texture of the meatballs, soft and moist, however, the flavor for me was not good. I think the oregano was what ruined it for me. I did not care much for the sauce, I think it needed a little more flavor. 😢
LyubaB says
Hi, Tina! I am so sorry you didn’t like them! 🙁
Brittany says
I agree! I was disappointed
Laurie says
I made this recipe exactly as written and it was delicious. I will make it again. My two-year-old granddaughter loved it too.
LyubaB says
Thank you for letting me know you liked it! 🙂
LyubaB says
Hi, Wendy! I would thaw them out in the fridge the night before then if raw cook before adding to crockpot and if cooked add them straight to crockpot with sauce 🙂