Italian baked turkey meatballs are juicy and healthy, made with lean ground turkey and baked instead of fried. This easy turkey meatball recipe is delicious on pasta, in meatball subs, and makes a great appetizer when served alongside marinara sauce.
Do you have a repertoire of recipes that are the first ones you think of when trying to come up with what to make for dinner? I have a handful that, if it was 100% up to me, would be on deck once every week or two without fail.
As it stands my husband has a lower tolerance for meal repetition, so we do some serious thinking to keep things fresh.
One category of recipe I love to make are meatballs. They’re fairly easy, usually just combining ingredients in a bowl, scooping onto a baking sheet, and baking until done. While pan-fried meatballs are delish, I lean toward baking to keep things on the easier/lighter side.
What’s also great about making meatballs is that there are a ton of different flavors and ingredients you can use to switch up the cuisine. That’s how I skirt around the “meatballs, again?” question with how frequently they show up on our dinner table. 🙂
So far, I’ve posted recipes for my hands-down favorite hearty marinara sauce and meatballs (which uses beef), buffalo chicken meatball subs, and hoisin glazed baked turkey meatballs. Three different meats with three pretty different flavors.
For these Italian baked turkey meatballs, I combined the flavors of my go-to beef meatballs with a handy trick I use when I make turkey meatballs to make them SO juicy — grated onion. One-quarter cup of grated onion adds some flavor and ensures lean ground turkey can indeed yield juicy meatballs without pan frying.
Other than that, the other ingredients are fairly straight-forward. You can use any sort of grated hard Italian cheese here – Parmesan, Pecorino Romano (a favorite!), etc.
When it comes to meatballs, I always, always mix everything up with my hands. I find this way I can really work in all of the ingredients without over mixing. The mixture doesn’t need to be entirely uniform, so it’s okay for there to be some chunks of ground turkey remaining amongst it all. And using disposable gloves helps cut down on the mess!
Recipe notes:
- You can omit the crushed red pepper if you don’t like any zip whatsoever, though the flavor is mild.
- To help ensure evenly-sized meatballs, I always use a cookie scoop (affiliate link). Keep in mind if using a scoop smaller or larger than one with a one-and-a-half tablespoon capacity, you’ll want to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- These Italian baked turkey meatballs are wonderful when served alongside warm marinara sauce. They also make great meatball subs, as well as atop pasta!
Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 16 oz ground turkey
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup grated onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 eggs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet generously with cooking spray.
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir or mix until just combined. I like to put on a pair of disposable gloves and mix everything with my hands.
- Using a 1 1/2-tbsp cookie scoop, form meatballs and place evenly spaced on the greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the centers reach 165°F (fully cooked).
Colette D says
i know this is way off point. But I would really love it if you didn’t use disposable gloves. Nothing is disposable. so bad for the environment. Just dig in and get dirty.
Sorry about that. I’m just trying to spread the word.
Meatballs are great.
Alyssa says
Hi Colette, thank you for this important reminder. I utilize many ‘green’ kitchen products and strategies, including bringing canvas grocery bags to the store, being mindful about food waste, recycling, reducing paper towel usage, glass storage containers, not using single-use cups/plates/flatware, etc., but I know we can always do more. I’m fairly tough on my hands and frequently have small cuts on my fingers, so to be cautious I do wear gloves when getting in there with raw poultry. Your comment prompted me to search on Amazon and I see a variety of biodegradable ‘disposable’ gloves that I wasn’t even aware existed. I will give them a try instead!
Betsyann F says
Taste absolutely great!! But why do my meatballs ooze when baking?
Alyssa says
I’m so glad you like them! That ‘ooze’ is mostly coagulated protein and probably a little bit of fat, too. I notice it often with baked meatballs. After they bake I’ll pick them up from the baking sheet with tongs and leave the ‘ooze’ behind. Hope that’s helpful! 🙂
Lisa says
Wow! These were amazing! I just substituted Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning because I didn’t have the other seasonings. Delish! My hubby hates ground turkey and he ate them! How many meatballs does your recipe make? I got 18!
Alyssa says
Sorry for my late reply, Lisa, but so glad you liked them! Great tip on substituting Mrs. Dash. Funny thing is I always count my meatballs! I get around 18-19 usually, depending on how precise I measure. 🙂
Anna says
Made these with a great marinara and zoodle dish! They are amazing, so juicy and flavorful! Will totally be making these again
Alyssa says
So glad you like them! 🙂
Haven G Shaw says
Don’t understand the high level of salt in the Nutrition Facts chart yet only 1/2 tsp in the recipe. Could this reflect salt in Parm cheese?
Alyssa says
Hi Haven, you’re correct, Parmesan definitely contributes to the sodium. So do the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, though the amount of sodium will vary depending on the brand. To reduce the amount of sodium per serving, you can substitute an equal amount of panko breadcrumbs for the Italian seasoned ones. Then just bump up the seasonings to your taste.