These oven baked turkey meatballs are great additions to a healthy dinner or even as a meaty appetizer. Easy and tasty.
Meatballs often conjure up images of huge platters of spaghetti topped with tomato sauce and juicy round orbs of ground beef. That is certainly one way to use meatballs, but there are so many other options these days.
You can use them in meatball subs or hearty casseroles. You can add them to skewers with veggies and roast on the grill. They make great crock pot dishes for at home or carry out. My mom loves to take a handful of frozen meatballs and top them with Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ Sauce, then pop them into the microwave for about 90 seconds for a quick treat.
The multitude of ways to use frozen meatballs makes them versatile and a great “have on hand” item for cooking slowly or preparing at the last minute.
Baking turkey meatballs vs frying
Meatballs can be cooked in a variety of ways but are sometimes pan-fried, like the Italians do. You can just sear them quickly in a pan coated with oil over high heat. Don’t overload the pan with meatballs so that they can all cook evenly without too much touching.
Turn them continuously to avoid burning. Then if desired add them to a simmering sauce to complete cooking and to allow them to soak up the delicious juice of the sauce.
Baked meatballs are great if you want to reduce the fat content by eliminating the excess oil used in frying. They’re also easier to prepare, because you don’t have to stay by the stove turning them frequently. The baking method also allows you to add other ingredients and cook as one dish.
Ultimately the choice is yours based on the recipe and your desired result.
Substitutions
This recipe uses turkey meatballs for a leaner and healthier choice (buy extra lean turkey). Of course, you could use ground beef or sausage for the meatballs but the taste and texture would be very different and have more fat content.
Instead of almond flour, you can use all-purpose flour. It would be a 1:1 substitution (3/4 cup to 3/4 cup). Almond flour usually requires more egg for a binding agent, and so you might need to use a medium-sized egg if you are using all-purpose flour.
If you aren’t a fan of garlic, onion powder, or oregano, you could experiment and choose spices or herbs that best reflect your taste buds.
Sauces that go well with turkey meatballs
There are different paths you can take to reach your desired meatball destination. By trying a variety of sauces you can achieve a diverse range of culinary outcomes. Below are just a few of the sauces you could prepare to enhance the taste of these turkey meatballs.
- chicken-based cream sauce
- lemon garlic-butter sauce
- gravy sauce
- traditional tomato sauce or tomato-basil sauce
- Asian dipping sauce, garlic dipping sauce, tangy mustard dipping sauce
- creamy parmesan sauce, blue cheese sauce, Buffalo cheese dipping sauce
I think you get the picture. There are endless ways to take the humble turkey meatball and elevate it to new heights of mouthwatering delight! Each sauce would give its distinctive taste and flair to the meatballs.
Dinners & Appetizers we also love:
- Chicken And Broccoli Casserole
- Bacon Ranch Cheeseball
- Dried Beef Cheese Dip
- Baked Brie In Puff Pastry
- Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuit Top
- Bacon cheeseburger tater tot casserole
Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 lbs turkey ground
- 1/3 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1-2 each garlic finely chopped
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 each egg large
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and spritzing with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, pour the olive oil and heat until it shimmers, about 1 minute. Add the onion to the pan and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, add all of the ingredients including the onions. Beat just until combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, portion the mixture into 1 to 2 inch meatballs and roll evenly in your hands. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for 15 to 20 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
