Easy Ground Turkey Meatballs With Sauce
These ground turkey meatballs with sauce are super tender and packed with flavor. They're easy to make and can be made ahead of time and frozen!
Servings: 12 meatballs
Ingredients
TURKEY MEATBALLS
- 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated to a paste
- 1 TBSP worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp freshly chopped thyme If you don't have fresh thyme, you can use dried thyme or dry Italian herbs
MARINARA SAUCE
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes (jar, carton, or canned) Use puréed if you want a smoother sauce
- 1 large bay leaf
- 2 TBSP freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
- 2 tsp freshly chopped oregano You can use dry, but if using dry herbs, only use 1 tsp
- Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
TO SERVE
- Freshly chopped basil
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set it aside.
- Put all of the meatball ingredients into one large mixing bowl. With your bare hands, blend until everything is well distributed.
- Using a spoon, scoop up about two tablespoons worth of the meat mixture and roll it into a ball. Place the meatball onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat this until the entire mixture has been used up.
- Transfer the tray into the fridge; chill for 30 minutes. (This will let the meatballs set so that they don't fall apart.) Now, get your sauce started.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan over medium-low. Add the onions and the garlic, and sauté until they're softened and fragrant—about 3-5 minutes. Next, stir in the tomatoes, salt, oregano, and bay leaf. (If using a Parmesan rind, add that now as well.)
- Let the sauce come to a simmer and then simmer on low for about 20-30 minutes, partially covered. If you want a smoother sauce, run an immersion blender through it until you get the texture you desire. (I partially blend mine so it's smoother but still has some chunky tomatoes present.) After 20-30 minutes is up, stir in the grated parmesan cheese.
- When the meatballs are ready to come out of the fridge, carefully transfer them to the simmering sauce one by one. Spoon a bit of sauce over them and partially cover the pan again, letting the meatballs simmer on low until cooked through with an internal temperature of 160-165º F.
Notes
Is your sauce too acidic? Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. This will neutralize the acidity—you'll even see it react as it foams! Let the sauce simmer for a bit before doing a follow-up taste test. If the sauce is still acidic, repeat.
The meatball mixture will feel sticky. This is normal. Just rub a bit of olive oil in your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands and being tacky. This will help you form nice and smooth meatballs.
Nutrition
Serving: 1meatball with sauce | Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g
