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+ servings
Cast iron skillet on a wooden table with a napkin and fresh parsley
Servings: 12 Meatballs

Easy Turkey Meatballs Recipe

4.89 from 9 votes
The BEST turkey meatballs in red sauce! Serve it up over your choice of pasta noodles, zoodles or rice! See post above for potential customizations to fit the recipe to your palate.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey see note*
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs see note**
  • 1/3 cup yellow onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 (28-oz) jar pasta sauce of choice, see note***

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until the ingredients are well-incorporated and the meat begins to ball up. Note: If you don't have a mixer, you can mix everything by hand (yes, with your actual hands) in a mixing bowl. 
  • Form balls out of the turkey meatball mixture (mine were 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter), and place them on a plate.
  • Heat a large (10-inch) cast iron skillet to medium-high and add enough olive oil (or algae oil or cooking oil of choice) to generously coat the surface. Once the skillet is hot, carefully place the meatballs on the hot surface, giving ample room between each ball. 
  • Cook for 1.5 minutes, flip the meat balls over, then cook an additional 1.5 minutes. Turn the meatballs a couple more times to get a good sear on them, but don't cook them all the way through. Reduce the heat to medium.
  • Carefully add the sauce to the skillet (if the skillet is too hot, the sauce will splatter out..watch out for sauce debris). Cover the skillet and allow the meatballs to cook at a gentle boil for 20 minutes (or cook over medium-low at a simmer for an hour). 
  • Serve meatballs over choice of zoodles, rice, pasta, gluten-free noodles, etc.

Notes

*You can use 1/2 pound ground turkey + 1/2 pound ground turkey sausage for a more traditional meatball flavor.
**Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if you follow a gluten-free diet. For grain-free, replace the bread crumbs with 1/4 cup almond flour and 1 tablespoon tapioca flour. 
***If using store-bought red sauce, red the label to be sure there isn't any added sugar. I like the Primal Kitchen Brand of marinara sauce. Or follow the marinara sauce recipe from this post.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 12, Calories: 169kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 10g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: gluten free meatball recipe, healthy turkey meatball recipe, paleo meatballs, quick and easy turkey meatballs
Author: Julia