Turkey Meatballs

Recipe Ingredients

You can whip up this homemade turkey meatball recipe with just a few ingredients.

Lean Ground Turkey: Making meatballs with ground turkey lets you enjoy classic meatballs without using pork or beef. It’s widely available and works with almost any flavor profile. Choose the fat content you prefer, from 85% to 99% lean, but keep in mind: using 99% lean can result in a slightly drier meatball.

Progresso™ Italian Style Bread Crumbs: Flavored bread crumbs provide a dual benefit in this turkey meatball recipe, providing both structure and flavor with a single, convenient ingredient.

Grated Parmesan Cheese: It’s the perfect choice for adding a subtle cheese flavor. The grated style blends seamlessly into the mixture and won’t leak out during baking.

Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Onion powder, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, milk, and egg.

Cookware You’ll Need

You probably already have all the necessary equipment to make these easy turkey meatballs.

Sheet Pan: A large, rimmed sheet pan helps keep meatballs from rolling off the pan.

Mixing Bowl: Use a large mixing bowl. The bigger the bowl, the easier it will be to evenly incorporate all the ingredients without overmixing.

Instant-Read Thermometer: When checking for doneness, nothing beats the speed and accuracy of an instant-read thermometer.

Other Cookware You’ll Need: Measuring cups (dry and liquid), measuring spoons, large spoon or spatula.

How to Make Turkey Meatballs

Making these delicious oven baked turkey meatballs is super quick and easy. Mix and roll your way to dinner in no time.

1. Oven and Pan Prep

Before heating the oven, position a rack in the center of the oven to ensure even baking. Generously spray your pan with cooking spray to prevent the meatballs from sticking.

2. Mix Ingredients

When combining ingredients, avoid overmixing, which can make the meatballs tough. All of the ingredients should just come together before rolling into meatballs.

3. Shape Meatballs

Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop 15 slightly-less-than-full cups of mixture. Then, roll each portion into a ball.

4. Bake Meatballs

Place meatballs on the pan and bake. There’s no need to check on them until they’ve baked for at least 15 minutes.

Possible Variations

If you’ve never tried meatballs with ground turkey, you’ll find they’re just as tender and flavorful as their pork and beef counterparts. They’re also super versatile.

Seasonings: Swap out your favorite seasoning blends for the onion powder, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning.

Bread Crumbs: Plain bread crumbs can be used instead of the Italian-style version.

Turkey: Try ground chicken or pork instead, using from 85% to 99% lean. (Note: 99% lean can result in a slightly drier meatball.) One reviewer said, “These meatballs are amazing and easy peasy to make! I used 2 lb of lean ground chicken instead and doubled the ingredients. … This recipe is definitely going in my Keeper box!!”

Looking for other variations? With just 4 ingredients and a slow cooker, our Honey Garlic Meatballs are low on prep and high on flavor! Or, try these Barbecue Meatballs for slow-cooked pork and beef meatballs that serve a crowd.

Serving Turkey Meatballs

These versatile meatballs are great for any occasion. Here are a few ways to serve them.

Over Pasta with Sauce: While spaghetti is the go-to pasta to serve with meatballs, linguine, angel hair, and fettucine are also excellent picks. For sauce, marinara is the classic choice, but Alfredo sauce and pesto work well, too.

As an Appetizer: Heat your favorite sauce in a large skillet, add the meatballs, and heat through. Spicy marinara, barbecue, and hot wing sauces are all fun ways to coat these oven baked turkey meatballs. They’re great as part of an app spread, so try out our other favorite appetizers!

Need more meatball ideas? Check out our collection of meatball recipes.

Storing and Reheating

Here’s how to store and reheat these baked turkey meatballs.

Refrigerator

Cover and store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.

Freezer

To freeze, allow the meatballs to cool completely. Then, transfer to zip-top freezer bags in a single layer. Remove as much air from bags as possible, seal tightly, and freeze up to 3 months.

Reheating

• To Reheat From Refrigerated: Transfer one to four meatballs to a microwavable plate or bowl. Cover loosely and microwave, turning once, on medium-high (70%) for about 2 minutes or until steaming.

• To Reheat From Frozen: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Transfer one to four meatballs to a microwavable plate or bowl. Cover loosely and microwave, turning once, on medium-high (70%) for about 2 minutes or until steaming.

Why Pillsbury Users Love This Recipe

We’ve heard from commenters that this turkey meatball recipe is one of their favorites. With loads of highly-rated reviews, they make dinner a hit for everyone.

Cooks love how quickly and easily they come together, and since they don’t require stovetop browning, the prep time is less than 30 minutes. They’re also kid friendly-even for picky eaters! And reviewers also love to make them for meal prep, cooking big batches and freezing for later to make hectic weeknights a little easier.