What are your favorite type of meatballs? Ground Beef? Ground Turkey? Ground Pork? A combination of all?
I’m not going to pretend that we are super healthy, but I do take little steps to avoid unnecessary things such as deep frying, heavy carbs and eating a lot of red meat. I usually stay away from doing any type of frying actually, and we only have pasta or rice about once or twice a week. And red meat is only made about once every two weeks or so. I think we just both prefer white meat anyway. ;)
Some time ago while shopping at BJ’s, I found ground turkey and decided to skip the ground beef on that trip and try this instead. I had never made anything with it, but I decided to give it a go. I tried making ground turkey in a way my family makes ground beef (the Cuban way). For whatever reason, it just wasn’t that great. Maybe my seasonings were a bit off, or just not enough. I don’t know, but I stayed away from ground turkey…until today. After running out of meat this week and not having time to take another trip to BJ’s, I found another package of ground turkey in my freezer. I figured it’s that or take out, so I’ll give it another chance (besides, if it totally failed, I could get take out anyway, so I had nothing to lose).
Healthy turkey meatballs that taste amazing? Yep!
I decided to make a pretty healthy and light version of turkey meatballs. I took the recipe I normally make meatballs with and tweaked it a bit here and there. And to be quite honest, they’re better than what I normally make with ground beef! These are so healthy, have so much flavor and are so tender. I think I found my new favorite {healthy} meatball recipe! :)
Update 8/7/2017: I’ve begun making these in a toaster oven and they’re soooo good! Obviously, it only really works (or at least, is practical) if you’re cooking for a small family. For us, it is perfect! The meatballs turn out so juicy and cook very quickly. If you don’t have one, I’m attaching a link to one below :)
2020 update:
Update: 4/2020: 4 years later and we’re still going strong with this recipe. I’ve tweaked it a bit because as time has gone by, I’ve played with this recipe and found more exciting things to make it even better. For example, the old recipe didn’t have Parmesan cheese in the mixture. Now, I like to add a few tablespoons. It adds a nice crispy texture to the exterior while keeping it moist and delicious inside. Another fun way you can switch this up is by filling the inside with mozzarella cheese.
You’ll have to make those meatballs bigger. Just grab a portion, flatten it out and add shredded mozzarella (or a little ball of mozzarella to make it easier) to the center. Then add a little more meatball mixture on top and shape it. Adjust the cooking times by reducing the heat to 375 and adding about 10 minutes or so. You can always slice one in half to make sure it’s fully cooked (and sample the deliciousness!).
If you make these amazing ground turkey meatballs, send me a picture or tag me on IG! I’d love to see your delicious dinners!
Also, if you’re looking for the perfect Artisan style bread to go along with this dinner, try Gimme Some Oven’s No Knead Artisan Style Bread. I make the fast version (about 2 hours from start to finish) and it is amazing. We are addicted and may or may not make about 2 loaves per week. No shame here. It is the perfect “fancy” style bread to go with our Italian meals, but so easy you won’t believe it! Give it a try!!
Baked Ground Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 - 1.5 lbs. of ground turkey
- 3 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
- 1 egg scrambled
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup dried parsley
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp homemade spaghetti sauce
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese or a tad more to your liking!
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine everything except the turkey and mix well. Now add the turkey and blend well (works best with your hands)
- Form small balls of the meat and place on a cookie sheet (I made about 1.5 inch)
- Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes (time length varies depending on the size of meatballs)
- If you have prepared a sauce as well, place the meatballs in the sauce and simmer for a 15 minutes to keep warm and flavor the sauce (optional).
For a delicious dessert to go alongside this, try:
These sound so good. Must try.