Easy 5-Ingredient Turkey Meatball Recipe

Why use ground turkey?

I use ground turkey instead of ground beef for many of my recipes. Ground turkey can be used in healthier options for some people:

• It’s lower in fat. Especially saturated fat, which my family is trying to cut back on for cholesterol reasons.
• It’s lower in calories. Poultry tends to be lower in calories than beef, which can be nice if you’re trying to lower calories to lose weight.

Now, you COULD use ground beef or ground pork instead! The recipe would stay the same, but the texture and flavor would definitely be different.

Ingredients used

• Ground turkey: For this turkey meatball recipe, I used 99% lean ground turkey; but I’ve also used 90% and 85% with great results. If you’re thawing from frozen, make sure it’s completely thawed before working with it!
• Panko bread crumbs: Used as a binder and helps absorb the juices from the meat, keeping your meatballs tender and flavorful!
• Egg: Also used as a binder.
• Italian seasoning: My main seasoning for this recipe. The bottle I use contains basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary; so if you have all of those separate ingredients, feel free to use those instead.
• Salt/ black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper.

Combine the meat mixture with your hands or a spoon until fully mixed.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (I use an olive oil kind). Roll the meatball mixture into small equal portions. I use a small cookie scoop to make it easier; or you could use a tablespoon to help.

Space the uncooked meatballs about one inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes. If your meatballs are larger, you may need to cook for 12-14 minutes.

When they’re finished, the internal temperature should read at least 165 degrees F. I use a meat thermometer for this.

Use them in your favorite recipe or eat them with your favorite side items!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Can you freeze these meatballs?

Absolutely! I’ve frozen them both cooked and uncooked; but I highly recommend you cook them first because it just makes life easier when you’re ready to eat them.

For both ways, lay the meatballs on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Make sure they’re all separated in a single layer, and place in the freezer overnight. Then you can transfer them to a gallon-size freezer bag or your favorite freezer container.

These baked turkey meatballs will stay fresh in the freezer up to 3 months. They’re still safe to eat after that, but you just risk them getting freezer burnt!

To thaw, just place the bag in the fridge overnight. You can also put them in the slow cooker with your favorite sauce and cook on LOW.

Yes, you can! But for best results, I recommend adding a sauce to them as they cook, so they don’t dry out.

Just spray the inside of your slow cooker; add the meatballs in a single layer; pour the sauce over top; and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

• Use ground beef, pork, or even chicken instead of turkey.
• Use either plain or Italian bread crumbs in place of Panko.
• To make this recipe gluten free, you can use rolled oats instead of bread crumbs! I just add them in whole; but you could run them through a food processor to make them more fine.
• Add some grated or shredded Parmesan cheese for more flavor!
• Add in red pepper flakes for a bit of spice.
• You can make the meatballs bigger and get less total; but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time and add a couple extra minutes.

• Spaghetti and meatballs using your favorite pasta sauce. For a low-carb option you could use zucchini noodles instead!
• Meatball subs (Can use spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, or even BBQ sauce)
• Stroganoff
• Slow cooker BBQ meatballs

• Bread Machine Breadsticks
• Steamed or roasted vegetables
• Rice
• Side salad
• Air fryer sweet potatoes

I make these in my meal prep sessions every so often to give me an easy dinner later on! Look below to print the recipe for these easy turkey meatballs and tell me what you think!