Meatballs are a classic staple in my house. They are super easy to make. They also freeze well—I love making a large batch and pulling out several for a quick week night dinner.
These turkey meatballs are lightened up by using ground turkey instead of ground beef. I chose to use the Jenni-O extra lean ground turkey breast (99% fat free, 1% fat) in this recipe. It costs about a dollar extra but saves almost 100 calories and 15 grams of fat per serving! We tried them tonight and nobody knew they were made from ground turkey!
Healthy Turkey Meatballs
A healthy, light, Italian ground turkey meatball recipe, perfect for a weeknight dinner
These can be made gluten free by simply substituting the breadcrumbs with a gluten free alternative. I used oat flour–simply place certified gluten free oatmeal in a food processor and grind until it resembles a flour consistency.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey breast (I used 98% lean)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs (substitute oat flour to make GF)
- 1 egg, mixed
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, parmesan cheese and seasoned bread crumbs in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Add ground turkey and egg.
- Mix until well blended.
- Roll the mixture into ~1 inch balls ( I used a cookie scoop to help maintain size consistency).
- Place meatballs evenly on large sheet pan.
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until temperature reaches 165 degrees with meat thermometer.
- Serve with pasta, zoodles, or plain. Top with desired sauce.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 4 meatballs
Calories: 140 calories
Fat: 4 grams
Carbs: 4 grams
Protein: 22 grams
