Easy Healthy Turkey Meatball Recipe (meal prep)
If you’re anything like me, you want meals that are simple to make, healthy to eat, and ready whenever life gets busy — and that’s exactly why these easy turkey meatballs are a kitchen staple. Made with lean turkey and easy pantry ingredients, this recipe yields a big batch of juicy, flavorful meatballs that are perfect for baking once and enjoying all week long. Whether you’re packing lunches, tossing them into salads, serving them over pasta, or freezing extras for future dinners, these versatile meatballs take the stress out of meal prep while keeping your meals satisfying and wholesome
What’s so great about turkey meatballs?
Well, let me tell you! I love having meals in my freezer that I can take out and pop in the oven for those days that I don’t have time to make a meal. This turkey meatball recipe is perfect for adding to your favorite sauces, they also go well with your favorite pasta dishes. I often will make two of a meal when I am making one that freezes well, and pop the second in the freezer for throwing together an easy weeknight dinner. Keeping disposable pans on hand makes this easy to do! Turkey meatballs aren’t a whole meal, (Unless you want to eat plain turkey meatballs as a meal then who am I to stop you!) but they will help you make a hearty healthy home cooked meal quick and easy!
Gather these ingredients
How to make and freeze these tender meatballs
Place all the meatball ingredients from the recipe card below in a large bowl. Get your hands in there and mix them all together. If you get squeamish touching raw ground meat you can use food safe gloves. Make sure that the ingredients are incorporated well.
Using a small or medium cookie scoop or melon baller, scoop out meatball mixture into bite sized meatballs. Roll in the palm of your hand.
Place the meatballs on a lightly greased sheet pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Allow to cool to room temperature before placing in freezer bags or airtight containers to store in freezer or refrigerator.
When the meatballs have fully cooled, place them in freezer-safe Ziploc bags, or freezer safe airtight containers of your choice, in whatever quantity works well for your family. Twenty-five works for us, and then I make a bag or two with 10 for my Dad or for making a pizza or a smaller meal. If you are using a small cookie scoop you will get approximately eighty meatballs from this recipe. Who to stop you from making a double batch.
Tips
- Thaw and add meatballs to spaghetti sauce, for a quick and easy spaghetti and meatball dinner. Open a jar of your favorite sauce or quick whip up this sauce and dump the frozen meatballs in the pot and let it cook. Pssst unlike me dump only the meatballs in the sauce not the plastic bag.
- Turkey meatballs are great in soups.
- Use in this Swedish Meatball Recipe.
- Appetizer: Throw them in a crock pot with barbecue sauce for the perfect appetizer.
- Pizza: We like meatballs sliced up on our pizza.
- Meatball subs.
Variations
- Switching up the protein: These meatballs are extremely versatile if you want to use ground beef or ground chicken, simply swap it out for your protein of choice.
- Spice up your meatballs: The meatballs are intentionally not packed with a whole bunch of spices, because I wanted to make them easy to swap into any recipe without them adding to or distracting from the flavors. That being said if you want to add red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, or smoked paprika go right ahead. Also, chop up whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. This is a great recipe to make your own.
- Add cheese: Add in 1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese to the meatball mixture. I like to use turkey meat balls with parmesan in meatball subs. Simply toast a hoagie bun, place meatballs in a row, top with your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce, top with shredded mozzarella and place under the broiler the perfect meatball sub!
You might be thinking I will never in a million years eat eighty meatballs! Hey you just never know. Making this meatball recipe is a great way for busy professionals to get a jump on the dinner game when they get home. Healthy meal prep recipes are just the ticket to getting dinner on the table fast.
I’d love to hear what recipes you would use these meatballs in.I hope this helps solve a few if not many of your dinner dilemmas. Please rate this recipe in the recipe card below, share on your socials, and PIN it. Thanks so much!
XO, Sheila
Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 4 pounds ground Turkey Meat
- 2 cups Bread Crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 cup Ketchup
- 3 Eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- Olive Oil for greasing baking pans.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place all of the above ingredients together in a very large bowl, using your hands mix ingredients together until everything is incorporated and consistent in texture.
- Using a small melon baller, scoop out meat into 1" portions and place on baking sheets lightly greased with olive oil. Roll balls in the palms of your hands to give them round shape.
- Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven. Allow to cool completely and place in zip-loc freezer bags in family or single sized portions. Get as much air out of the bag as possible and zip it shut. Freeze and use when needed.
I am always looking for convenient meals you can make and store in the freezer to pull out when needed. Thanks for sharing!
When I had teenagers that’s what I’d do too. It seems high school footballers can eat a lot and if they bring friends, there’s nothing left in the pantry or fridge. Making ahead and freezing meant I didn’t have to stop traffic to get people fed.
Very true, frozen meals have saved my butt a few times!
So this week, EVEN on WW, I have a night of whole wheat spaghetti planned (on a night when I have no time to make dinner). I was thinking that I wanted to add meatballs but didn’t want the points with ground beef. So looks like I will get to try your meatballs. LOVE that I can make these in advance and keep in the freezer to throw in with my sauce. Pinning to make.
Yeh! Did I save your day?….or your diet at least! Trying to redeem myself from all the sweets I’ve posted lately 😉