This Turkey Meatballs recipe is so easy! There’s no chopping – just mix ground turkey with simple pantry ingredients, and you’ll have tender and juicy meatballs in no time. Pair them with your favorite pasta or serve them over rice or mashed potatoes for a delicious dinner.
Table of contents
If lots of prep work isn’t your thing, be sure to save this recipe because these homemade turkey meatballs are easy to make and freezer-friendly! So, make a big batch – you’ll want these delicious meatballs on hand whenever you get a craving for comfort food.
Ingredients
- Plain breadcrumbs
- Olive oil
- Large egg
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Ground turkey
Variations: You can use ground beef, ground chicken, ground pork, or ground Italian sausage instead of turkey!
How to Make Turkey Meatballs
Mix: Place the breadcrumbs, egg, cheese, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
Add the turkey: Place the meat in the bowl and, using your hands, mix until just combined.
Cook: Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large skillet or pan. Scoop two tablespoons of the meat mixture to form meatballs. Place them in a single layer in the pan. Brown them on all sides until they are cooked through.
At this point, you can add marinara sauce to the pan and simmer the meatballs for a few minutes before serving them. Or, you can cool the meatballs to room temperature and store them for later.
Different Ways to Serve Turkey Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs: Simmer the browned turkey meatballs in marinara sauce and add cooked spaghetti or other pasta you like. Garnish with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley.
Meatball Stroganoff: Use them to make cozy stroganoff with mushrooms and a creamy sauce. Serve them with egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
BBQ meatball bowls: Toss the hot meatballs in BBQ sauce and serve them with roasted broccoli and cooked rice or cauliflower rice on the side.
Recipe Tips
Mixing: When you mix the ground turkey, only mix until just combined. This will keep the meatballs light and tender.
Rolling: A cookie scoop makes it easy to get uniform meatballs. When you scoop, don’t pack the meat too much – this will make the meatballs too dense.
Cooking: Don’t overcrowd the pan when you cook the meatballs. There should be a little bit of space between them – this will ensure they brown nicely.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerator: Store leftover turkey meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for three to four days.
- Freezer: Once they are cooled to room temperature, store them in a large freezer bag or freezer container. They will keep well for several months.
I hope you give these easy turkey meatballs a try soon!
Happy cooking,
More Meatball Recipes
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.
PrintEasy Turkey Meatballs
These turkey meatballs are so easy you’ll want to add them to your weeknight dinner rotation!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 cups store-bought marinara sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the breadcrumbs, egg, cheese, oregano, garlic and onion powders, salt, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground turkey and mix until just combined.
- In a large pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture to form each meatball. Add the meatballs to the pan. Depending on the size of your pan you may need to do this in batches. You want the meatballs to have some space, so they brown properly. I used a 5 quart sauté pan.
- Give the meatballs a chance to brown all over by periodically rolling them around. You may need to adjust the heat up or down. Once browned, lower the heat to medium and add the tomato sauce.
- Gently stir the meatballs around, so they get coated with the sauce. Adjust the heat to medium or medium-low. Allow the meatballs to simmer in the sauce for at least another 10 minutes. Serve with pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Nutrition
- Calories: 421
- Sugar: 7.5g
- Sodium: 1155mg
- Fat: 24.6g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.1g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 21.1g
- Fiber: 3.3g
- Protein: 29.6g
- Cholesterol: 131mg
Keywords: easy turkey meatballs
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Post and recipe updated from the archives. First published in August 2014.
Eva says
I used to hate making meatballs because I din’t like to spend time making the balls and them frying them, but I’m making them more often now. I either put them in the oven or cook them directly in the tomato sauce. I must try them with the feta cheese, it looks yummy. I just use parmesan.
April Anderson says
Feta is a nice switch-up on the cheese sometimes — it’s subtle, but a good addition. Thanks for stopping by!