Easy Baked Turkey Meatballs

Baked Turkey Meatballs are a healthy turkey meatball recipe that’s beyond easy to make.  They’re juicy, flavorful and no browning is required!  Gluten free option.

I have a meatball obsession.  I absolutely love them, but I hate making them.  Let’s just say that I despise browning meatballs even more than ironing.

And I hate ironing.

These ground beef oven baked meatballs and Baked Turkey Meatballs are the solution to my problem, which means there will be a lot more meatballs in my future. 🙂

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• The oven baked turkey meatballs are juicy, flavorful and no browning is required!
• They include 5 ounces of cooked and chopped baby spinach for added moisture and nutrition.
• Meatballs are easily made gluten free and/or dairy free.
• The meatballs may be assembled in advance and even frozen.
• This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or entertaining!

Recipe ingredients

• Lean ground turkey.  Lean ground turkey contains more fat, which translates to a juicier meatball
• Olive oil
• Fresh baby spinach
• Garlic
• Egg
• Breadcrumbs (regular or gluten free)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Kosher salt (use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Freshly chopped parsley, for serving (optional)

How to make this recipe

• Make my Homemade Marinara Sauce.  This can be done a few days ahead or use 32 ounces of your favorite store bought sauce.  My all time favorite store bought sauce is Rao’s Homemade.
• Cook the spinach and garlic.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Cook the spinach until wilted, then add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.  Remove from heat and coarsely chop the spinach.
• Make the meatballs.  Place the ground turkey in a medium bowl and add the chopped spinach, egg, breadcrumbs, feta cheese, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste.  Mix together gently with your hands until the ingredients are incorporated, being careful not to overwork the meat.
• Assemble and bake the meatballs.  Pour the marinara sauce into the bottom of a skillet or baking dish.  Form about 2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture into a ball and place in marinara sauce.  Repeat until all the meatballs have been made, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball registers 165 degrees.

FAQs

How long to bake turkey meatballs

The meatballs normally take 20-25 minutes to bake at 375 degrees, but check for doneness after 15 minutes as all oven temperatures vary.

How do you keep meatballs from falling apart?

Meatballs need binders to help them keep their shape.

Meatball binders include:

• Egg 
• Breadcrumbs
• Crushed crackers
• Rice
• Quick oats
• Flour (wheat, oat, almond, etc.)
• Cooked vegetables such as onions, riced cauliflower, carrots, zucchini and spinach
• Cheese

Serving suggestions

This recipe is very versatile and my be served a number of ways! 

• Serve over your favorite pasta, spaghetti squash or polenta, or serve in rolls like my bbq meatball subs.
• You can also serve as is with butter lettuce salad and focaccia bread.

Recipe notes

• I use lean ground turkey as it makes for a juicier meatball.  I don’t recommend using lean ground turkey breast as it’s quite dry due to the lack of fat content.
• If you don’t have breadcrumbs on hand and you are gluten intolerant, try subbing them with quick oats. I’ve used them in my turkey meatloaf recipe and they’re amazing!
• 5 ounces of spinach sounds like a lot, but it cooks down considerably. I’ve opted to chop the spinach after cooking as it’s much less work. I‘m sure frozen chopped, thawed spinach would work, just be sure to squeeze out a lot of excess moisture.
• Sub the feta cheese for grated parmesan or omit to make dairy free.
• Meatballs are a great meal prep meal and they’re freezer friendly.

More ground turkey recipes you’ll love:

• Grilled turkey burgers
• Turkey enchiladas by Delish
• Turkey meatloaf 
• Turkey tacos
• White bean turkey chili

If you make this recipe I’d love to hear from you!  Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me @flavorthemoments on Instagram!

Easy Baked Turkey Meatballs

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 23 mins

Total Time: 38 mins

Baked Turkey Meatballs are a healthy turkey meatball recipe that's beyond easy to make.  They're juicy, flavorful and no browning is required!  Gluten free option.

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Ingredients

• Tomato Basil Marinara or 32 ounce jar of store bought
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey*
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs regular or gluten free**
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Kosher salt use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Freshly chopped parsley for serving (optional)

Equipment

• Lodge 12″ Cast Iron Skillet

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the marinara sauce in a large skillet or baking dish and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, then add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Remove the spinach from heat and coarsely chop on a cutting board.
• Place the ground turkey in a medium bowl. Add the chopped spinach, egg, breadcrumbs, crumbled feta cheese, oregano, salt and pepper and mix gently with your hands until the ingredients are incorporated. Be careful not to over mix as this will toughen the meat.
• Form about 2 tablespoons of the turkey mixture into a ball and place in the skillet with marinara. Repeat with the remaining turkey mixture.
  
• Bake the turkey meatballs for 20-25 minutes, checking for doneness after 15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball registers 165 degrees. Remove from heat.
• Serve over zucchini noodles or pasta and enjoy!

Notes

• Nutrition information does not include marinara sauce as that was calculated in a separate post.
• *I use lean ground turkey as it makes for a juicier meatball.  I don’t recommend using lean ground turkey breast as it’s quite dry due to the lack of fat content.

• **If you don’t have breadcrumbs on hand and you’re gluten intolerant, try quick oats. I’ve used them in my turkey meatloaf recipe and they’re amazing.

• 5 ounces of spinach sounds like a lot, but it cooks down considerably. I’ve opted to chop the spinach after cooking as it’s much less work. I’m sure frozen chopped, thawed spinach would work, just be sure to squeeze out a lot of excess moisture.

• Sub the feta cheese for grated parmesan or omit to make dairy free.

• Meatballs are a great meal prep meal and they’re freezer friendly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 238kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 104mg, Sodium: 294mg, Potassium: 518mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 2353IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Marcie

Keyword: baked turkey meatballs, easy, gluten-free, healthy turkey meatball recipe, oven baked turkey meatballs

All recipes and images © Flavor the Moments.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

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