These Baked Turkey Meatballs won’t disappoint! The meatballs are loaded with flavor then they’re cooked in marinara sauce to keep them moist, and then loaded with cheese for the ultimate bite. An irresistible dinner that only takes 30 minutes to make!
I was never a fan of meatballs growing up. If my mom made spaghetti it was usually with a meat sauce that she made from scratch, never meatballs. When I first tried making turkey meatballs as an adult, I baked them on a sheet pan and they turned out dry. So the next time around, I did it differently: I broiled the meatballs in a skillet to lock in all the flavors, then I poured my favorite marinara sauce all over them. These Baked Turkey Meatballs are truly the best! (And if you’re in the mood for a non-Italian version, make my Greek Turkey Meatball Gyro with Tzatziki!)
Why These Turkey Meatballs Will Be Your Favorite
I’m pretty confident you are going to LOVE this recipe for baked turkey meatballs. Here’s why.
- Moist and delicious. The marinara ensures that the meatballs don’t dry out and are the moistest most delicious meatballs you will E V E R have! The flavor from the meatballs seeps into the marinara sauce and the flavor from the marinara sauce seeps into the meatballs, making this dish absolutely irresistible.
- Super cheesy. Cheese is everything! It’s the game changer. There’s Parmesan in the meatball mixture and then mozzarella is baked to melty perfection on top.
- So many ways to serve them. Go with the classic option and serve them over pasta, pile them onto hoagie rolls, or go the low-carb route with zucchini noodles. There are endless options!
What You’ll Need
The ingredient list might look long at first glance, but a lot of what you’ll need are seasonings you probably have in your pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Ground turkey
- Yellow onion and garlic – These make your baked turkey meatballs tasty! Dice the onion finely; you can even grate it if you have the time. A fine dice is more evenly distributed in the meatball mixture.
- Gluten-free panko – Or regular panko if you’re not gluten-free.
- Grated Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated is always best, but this is a recipe where you can get away with using store-bought.
- Eggs
- Seasonings – Dried oregano, basil, parsley, salt, fennel seeds, and black pepper.
- Marinara sauce – Any kind you like!
- Mozzarella cheese – Or an Italian cheese blend.
How to Make Baked Turkey Meatballs
Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Make the meatball mixture. Use your hands to mix the ground turkey with the onion, garlic, Parmesan, eggs, and seasonings.
- Roll the meatballs. Form the meatballs into 12 two-inch balls and arrange them in a pan.
- Bake. Place the pan in a 400ºF oven and bake for 15 minutes, then broil for 4 minutes.
- Add the sauce and cheese. Pour the marinara evenly over the meatballs and then sprinkle the mozzarella over the top.
- Bake again. Bake for 5 minutes more, or until the internal temperature of the meatballs is 165°F and the cheese is melty.
- Serve. Garnish the baked turkey meatballs with basil if you’d like, then serve.
Tips and Variations
I’ve got a few extra pointers to help you make the perfect baked turkey meatballs.
- Don’t overwork the turkey mixture. Use your hands to mix it just until combined and when you’re rolling the meatballs, do so lightly rather than rolling them tightly. This helps the meatballs stay tender!
- Use a good marinara. Some are better than others! I really like Rao’s and other varieties that aren’t made with a lot of added sugar.
- Make sure the meatballs are even sizes. If some are bigger than others, they’ll take longer to finish cooking. Using a cookie dough scoop can help you make uniform meatballs.
How to Serve These Baked Meatballs
We like to eat baked turkey meatballs with spaghetti squash, but pasta and zucchini noodles also work. You can use them to make an epic meatball sub, serve them with Parmesan Mushroom Polenta or garlic bread, or even spoon them over cauliflower rice.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Transfer leftover baked turkey meatballs to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze these meatballs in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat: Place the meatballs in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350ºF until warmed through. You can also use the microwave.
More Recipes With Ground Turkey
Baked Turkey Meatballs
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 meatballs 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
These Baked Turkey Meatballs are cooked in marinara to keep them flavorful and moist, and they’re also loaded with cheese. Done in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground turkey
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- 1/2 cup gluten free panko
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- 1 tablespoon dry basil
- 1 tablespoon dry parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 jar of marinara sauce
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add ground turkey, onion, garlic cloves, panko, parmesan cheese, eggs, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, fennel seeds, and black pepper. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients.
- Form into twelve 2″ balls.
- Place the meatballs in the pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place the meatballs under broiler for 4 minutes to brown.
- Remove meatballs from the oven. Cover the meatballs with marinara sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
- Place the meatballs back in 400°F oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until internal temperature of meatballs reached 165°F.
- Garnish with basil and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatballs + cheese/sauce
- Calories: 281
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 604 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
35 comments on “Cheesy Baked Turkey Meatballs in Marinara”
This recipe has changed. The old one also included fresh spinach in the meatball recipe. Also, unless I missed it, instructions don’t mention adding bread crumbs.
Hey Eileen, Yes it has changed. It was an older recipe that I updated to make better! Also I updated the instructions for some reason I forget to add panko in with the other ingredients. But it’s there now! Thank you for being a loyal follower. I hope you enjoy this recipe. PS. if you want to use the chopped up spinach like the old recipe you can still add 1 1/2 chopped spinach to the raw turkey step of the instructions. 🙂
You say you incorporated spinach in the recipe but sinach is not listed in the ingredient list
We made this last night and WOW what a hit! The herb flavors were delicious. I used an Aribetta (spicy) sauce for a kick up in flavor. We served this over buttered angel hair pasta with sides of garlic bread, and green salad. *the recipe made eighteen 1½” meatballs.
Sounds like the perfect meal to me! I always love a little flavor kick!
Soooo GOOD!!! These are the only meatballs I make! Delicious!!!
I just made these last week … totally forgot how good they are. Totally hit the spot. So glad you liked them Stacey!
I made these delicious meatballs last night, and boy oh boy they are the absolute best tasting turkey meatball by far! I love that you incorporated spinach into the meatballs. I used a homemade marinara sauce, and served it with hot buttered french bread….delish! I didn’t take a picture but I will be making this often. Thank you for sharing!
haha… hurray! So glad to hear that Bonnie! These are one of our favorites too, sneaking spinach was a mom win for me. Anyway to get those veggies in. 🙂 Thanks for stopping in and sharing your experience, I appreciate it!
Made this last night except I browned them on the side burner of my gas grill and baked them in the grill. It’s too HOT in Florida to turn on the oven! These are fantastic!! I wouldn’t hesitate to add zucchini or carrots or any other veggie next time if they are on hand. Thank you!!
Oh.. hurray so glad to hear that Kristine! And I feel ya on it being too hot! It’s 90 degrees here in Houston … record highs. All I want are cool breezes. 🙁
I’ve made these twice now and each time they are so delicious, I am sad when they’re gone!! Thanks for a fabulous and grain-free recipe! Win!
Oh yeah so glad! I’m making it this weekend, can’t wait!
I made these yesterday with a few tweaks to compensate for the ingredients I had on hand. Delicious and they look fantastic! My kids weren’t fans of the fennel but next time I think I’ll let them grind them in our molcajete so they enjoy them more.
Hurray! So glad you liked them Diana … and great idea on the fennel! It will break it down a little bit more so hopefully the kiddos won’t notice them. 🙂
I love baking meatballs in marinara! I just want to dive right in!!!
I do now too! It keeps them so moist and flavorful! Best way to make meatballs!
Cheesy meatballs are the best kind! 😉 These look amazing!
They so are! Thanks Carrie! 🙂
TWIN: I posted meatballs on labor day too! Soul mates (or at least dinner mates 🙂 ). Yours look D-LISH!
haha.. Twinning! Too funny! I LOVE yours too, genius on making them in the crock pot!
Oh you put a LOT of good things in those turkey balls!
Thanks Dorothy! They are awesome!
My family loves turkey meatballs. This is pure comfort food!
Sure is… plus a glass of wine means heaven!
Holy deliciousness! I’m literally drooling over my computer keyboard while looking at your photos! This recipe looks like a complete winner! Can’t wait to try this!
haha.. thanks Renee! 🙂 You are too sweet! You’re gonna love this recipe!
I’m a leeeeetle bit of a meatball fanatic, so these are going to the top of my must-try list. Yum!
haha… hurray! You’re going to adore these!
I mean could your pictures be any better! I LOVE the one where you can see the steam coming off of them! And the recipe! Yum
Ohhh… thanks girl! You are too sweet! The only thing that’s better is the tasty of these! PS there’s spinach in them and I guarantee you’re little guy will eat it! hehe 🙂
Oh wow!! These are absolutely incredible!
Thanks kat!
Who in their right mind could EVER say no to a gorgeous meatball covered in cheese? Not me, that’s for sure. I wanna dig into this ENTIRE gorgeous pan, Krista!!
I know right! Meatballs smothered in sauce and cheese sounds like perfection to me!