Easy Oven Turkey Meatballs
Easy oven turkey meatballs baked then simmered in garden-style pasta sauce with carrots and mushrooms. A leaner take on spaghetti and meatballs that hides spinach right in the meatball.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
55 minREADY
75 minLighter meatballs for weeknight dinner without giving up the comfort of a saucy spaghetti night. The meatball mix uses ground turkey instead of beef, with thawed chopped spinach folded right in. The spinach adds moisture (a real win since lean turkey can dry out), bumps up the vegetable content, and pretty much disappears into the texture. Picky eaters never notice.
Fresh white bread is grated into crumbs to bind, not dry crumbs out of a can. The fresh bread holds water and softens the meatballs in a way packaged crumbs cannot match.
Baked, not fried. Twenty-five minutes at 400°F (200°C) gets you golden-brown exteriors with no splatter. Then meatballs slide into a pot of jarred pasta sauce bumped up with sliced carrots and chunky mushrooms for a finish that tastes like it simmered all day.
Pro Tips
- Squeeze the thawed spinach hard before mixing in. Wet spinach makes the meatballs soggy and they’ll fall apart.
- Use ground turkey thigh, not breast, if you can find it. The extra fat keeps the meatballs juicy.
- Don’t overmix the meat. Combine just until everything is folded together. Overmixing turns turkey meatballs into rubber.
- Bake on a parchment-lined pan or wire rack for easier cleanup and even browning on the bottoms.
Variations
- Swap the turkey for ground chicken or ground pork for different flavor profiles.
- Stir a quarter cup of grated parmesan into the meatball mix for a savory, salty kick.
- Serve over zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti for a lower-carb meal.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven 400℉ (200℃).
Grease or spray 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
Chop the bread until fine crumbs form (about 1 cup).
Grate onion for 1 tablespoon.
In large bowl, mix bread crumbs and grated onion with ground turkey, spinach, salt, pepper, and egg.
Shape turkey mixture into 16 meatballs.
Place meatballs in pan and bake 25 minutes or until meatballs are lightly browned and cooked through.
Meanwhile, thinly slice carrots and cut mushrooms into ½ inch pieces.
In 3 quart saucepan over high heat, heat carrots, mushrooms, pasta sauce, and ½ cup water to boiling.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes.
When meatballs are done, add to sauce; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer to blend flavors and cook vegetables until tender.
Serve over spaghetti or rice.
Comments
