Oven Baked Turkey Meatballs
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You know these meatballs are pretty damn good when your carnivore of a husband compliments them not even realizing they are TURKEY! I love to smother them in homemade tomato sauce, which I give a little kick with lots of red pepper flakes, and fresh mozzarella cheese melted overtop for some ooey gooey cheesy goodness! A little goes a long way with the mozz. The best part is these come together quickly and you can get your veggies ready while the meatballs bake in the oven.
Oven Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped (plus 1 tbsp)
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 oz. fresh mozzarella*
- 2 cup marinara sauce of choice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a large sheet pan with non-stick spray or cover with foil.
Add ¼ c parsley, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper, egg and onion to a large mixing bowl. Mix well with your hand (best mixing tool!!). Add the ground turkey and gently incorporate all the ingredients together. Be careful not to over-mix as this can make the meatballs tough.
Form large golf ball sized meatballs and place on baking sheet. I just eye ball these, but you can lightly score the meat mixture in half then quarters and so on to help measure them out before rolling. Place the rolled meatballs evenly in the baking sheet to help ensure even cooking. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until there is no pink in the center. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatballs.
While the meatballs cook, place marinara sauce in a small saucepan and heat on low until heated through. Thinly slice the mozzarella.
When the meatballs are finished, remove from the oven and use a spatula to make sure the bottoms don’t stick to the baking sheet.
Place on serving dish, top the meatballs with the desired amount of marinara sauce, mozzarella (I like to top the mozz with just a bit more marinara sauce to help it melt more) and a sprinkling of the reserved fresh parsley. Then……. Dig in!!
Notes
*Fresh mozzarella is always delicious, but you can definitely substitute shredded mozzarella if that's what you have sitting around in your kitchen. Once it melts and is ooey and gooey, no one will be noticing if it's the fresh stuff or not!