These higher fiber turkey meatballs are made with flaxseed and a panade of high-fiber bread and milk for an ultra juicy, never dry texture and deliciously nutty flavor. Serve these easy baked meatballs with high-protein pasta and your favorite marinara sauce for a fiber-rich meal that will fit right in with your go-to comfort foods.
Every once in a while, one of my recipe ideas knocks it out of the park so dramatically on the first try that I can't stop yapping about it for days. That happened with these meatballs.
Wondering how much fiber I could sneak into meatballs, I had the thought to use a souped-up fiber bread in a panade (bread soaked in milk to provide moisture and structure) and substitute some of the breadcrumbs with ground flaxseed. These would be stealthy fiber meatballs - no cramming in green veggies, beans, or other ~*noticeable*~ alternative ingredients.
OH MAN did they deliver. The texture is impressively tender and juicy with a hint of nutty flaxseed that honestly adds an even-better flavor to hum-drum turkey. As for the stats, plain turkey meatballs have close to no fiber, but each one of these bad boys sneaks in around 1.3 grams of fiber - more than 5 grams per four-meatball serving.
Real talk: I even way over-baked them one time and they still were perfectly juicy. How's that for a ground turkey win?
Why Make Turkey Meatballs with Extra Fiber?
- They're an excellent pairing for protein pasta. A serving of these meatballs and a higher-protein pasta will land you around 10 grams of fiber. Hello, fiber-rich meal!
- You can stretch a pound of meat. Using a relatively higher amount of filler ingredients not only bumps up the fiber but yields more servings (5-6).
- They're super versatile. Great on traditional spaghetti and meatballs, great for healthy meal prep, and great to freeze, these meatballs also have a fairly all-purpose flavor to fit in nicely with lots of cuisines.
Recipe Ingredients
- High-fiber bread: Use your favorite variety, keeping in the mind the fiber count here is estimated using three slices of a sandwich loaf with four grams of fiber per slice (I like to use Dave's Killer Bread 21 Grains and Seeds for these meatballs, just what I buy - not sponsored!). Depending upon the brand you buy, you may need to use three or four slices to account for the total 135 grams of bread.
- Milk: Your usual is fine. I most often go with 1-2%.
- Ground flaxseed: Also called flax meal. It's important to use ground flaxseed (and not whole flaxseed) so it can be more readily absorbed. Beyond fiber and protein, flaxseed is considered a good source of omega-3s and other nutrients.
- Ground turkey: I find a 93/7 ground turkey to be the sweet spot for juiciness without too much fat (the 7% refers to fat content). Keep in mind these turkey meatballs with ground flaxseed are baked, which releases some of the fat further.
- Grated onion: Forever one of my favorite meatballs tips for super juicy baked turkey meatballs (my traditional, no-bumped-up-fiber recipe).
- Pecorino: This adds a tangy, salty background flavor I adore. Freshly grated off the block is highly recommended! While not quite the same flavor, Parmesan can be substituted.
- Dried spices: Basil, oregano, and garlic powder are my picks for an Italian-ish lean but feel free to replace them with your favorite pre-made blend or go in a different direction cuisine-wise.
- Italian breadcrumbs: I considered going full flax, no crumbs but chickened out. As it stands I thought combining the flaxseed with some breadcrumbs led to a perfect texture and just-right level of nuttiness so I stuck with it. That's not to say this turkey meatball recipe wouldn't work with all flax, but I haven't tested it that way.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Grate the onion on the coarse grating side (standard shreds) of a box grater. It will be very soft and wet.
- Step 2: Made the panade by chopping the bread into small cubes and pouring over the milk.
- Step 3: Use the back of a sturdy spoon to smush the moistened bread into a cohesive paste.
- Step 4: Add the rest of the meatball ingredients and stir (or use your hands) to combine evenly.
- Step 5: Scoop meatballs and roll into a ball, then place evenly onto a greased pan.
- Step 6: Bake at 375°F for 16-18 minutes or until the center of the largest meatball reaches 165°F.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Protein-pasta recommendations: I've sampled my way down the pasta aisle with these and for Italian-leaning flavors, I like to use Barilla Protein+ or Brami Protein Pasta as I find they have fairly neutral flavors. I like Banza fine when it comes to non-Italian meals (like in high protein mac and cheese) but think its distinguishable nutty flavor can be distracting to red sauce, Italian herbs, etc.
- Sauce recommendation: If you have the time (an afternoon spent at home), easy Sunday sauce is a reader favorite. The secret to this simple sauce is letting it reduce on the stovetop over several hours.
- Freezing tips: Once cooled, place meatballs in a zip-top freezer bag in a single layer and press out as much of the bag air as you can. Freeze flat, creating a little space between each of them so they don't stick together. (If you have a vacuum sealer, even better!). I like this manner of freezing vs. in a structured container as there's less opportunity for freezer burn to develop.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, though I leave the bread crusts on when chopping up slices for a panade. Depending on the type of bread used, you may want to remove any large seeds or nuts from the crust.
I personally like to use Dave's Killer Bread 21 Whole Grains and Seeds (3 slices = 135 grams of bread = 4 grams of fiber per slice) in these fiber-rich turkey meatballs, but another commonly-found option is Ezekiel sprouted whole grain bread (4 slices = 136 grams of bread = 3 grams of fiber per slice).
Per the USDA, these cooked turkey meatballs with flaxseed are good for 3-4 days when stored appropriately in the fridge, so keep that in mind if meal prepping. Freeze any meatballs you know you won't get to by that time, where they'll be at their best quality for up to 4 months.
What to Serve with Fiber-Rich Meatballs
Looking for what else to serve meatballs over besides pasta? Polenta and mashed potatoes are excellent options. Below are some of my favorite tried and true, quicker ways to enjoy these tasty side dishes.
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Higher Fiber Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3-4 slices (135g in total) high-fiber bread (ideally 4g of fiber per slice)
- 6-7 Tablespoons milk of your choice
- ½ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ cup finely-shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
- ⅓ cup grated onion (from about half of a large onion)
- ¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon vinegar-based hot sauce optional, for flavor not spice
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey (I like 93/7)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a large sheet pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
- Take your three or four slices of bread (different brands make smaller/larger slices - aim to use 135 grams of bread in total) and remove any large seeds or nuts from the crust of the bread if there are any. Slice bread into roughly one-quarter inch cubes and place them in a large mixing bowl. Pour six tablespoons of milk over top of the bread and squish the bread cubes down to moisten them all. Add the extra tablespoon of milk if needed to ensure all of the bread is well saturated.
- Using the back of a wooden spoon, sturdy spatula, or a potato masher, mash the bread cubes until they lose their shape and the mixture becomes a thick paste.
- Add the rest of the meatball ingredients to the bowl and mix with a spoon or by hand until everything is evenly dispersed throughout the turkey. Combine everything fairly gently as overworked meat can become tough.
- Using a 2-Tablespoon capacity scoop, form rounded meatballs and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. If you don't have a scoop, look to shape meatballs a little under two inches across.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the center of the largest meatball reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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