Healthy Turkey Meatballs (Baked or Pan-Fried) are juicy and browned to perfection. The recipe requires minimal prep and cleanup, and tastes delicious in weeknight dinners like Italian Wedding Soup, spaghetti with meatballs, meatball sandwiches, and more.
Mix ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, 2 minced garlic cloves, panko, cheese, parsley, kosher salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
1 lb ground turkey, 1 egg, ½ cup panko, ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Form meatballs - Gently toss with your hands and break up the meat until evenly mixed. Then use your hands to roll and shape 1-inch meatballs.
Prepare baking sheet and cook - Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil, place raw meatballs on the baking sheet, and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the meatballs and set aside.
Pan-Fried Stovetop Turkey Meatballs
Mix ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, 2 minced garlic cloves, panko, cheese, parsley, kosher salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Form meatballs - Gently toss with your hands and break up the meat until evenly mixed. Then use your hands to roll and shape 1-inch meatballs.
Heat oil and cook meatballs - In a large thick-bottomed pot, skillet, or dutch oven, add oil and warm on medium heat. Add the meatballs to the pot, leaving some space between them. Cook the meatballs on one side until browned, about 3-5 minutes, then use a spoon to gently flip over. The meatballs are done on one side when they detach from the pot easily. Allow the meatballs to cook on the other side for an additional 3-5 minutes until browned.
1 tablespoon olive oil
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Notes
Top Tips
To make moist and tender turkey meatballs, use a half cup of breadcrumbs and one egg for every one pound of ground meat. This ratio allows the turkey to bind and retain moisture without drying out.
Don't over-mix meatballs - Use your hands to mix the ground meat and form the meatballs. If you use a spoon or fork, it can crush the meat and make it tough. Additionally, only combine the meat and ingredients until just mixed.
The size of your meatballs will depend on how you serve them. For soups, we make the meatballs bite size, about 1 inch. But for Spaghetti or when meatballs are the main course, we make them 1.5 inches.
Sear the meatballsbeforeyou add them to a soup or sauce. This ensures the meatballs will have a crispy outside texture and juicy inside.
Storage
Refrigerate meatballs in an air-tight container or freezer bag (make sure to push air out of it) for up to 3 days. After 3 days, you need to freeze the meatballs and they can be frozen for up to 4 months. In order to reheat the meatballs, reheat them at 300°F for 10 minutes or until heated through. If frozen, let the meatballs thaw first before reheating them.