The BEST Turkey Meatballs can be on your table in less than 30 minutes! These baked turkey meatballs are perfectly seasoned and exceptionally delicious. Topped with a simple herbed gravy, they’re impossible to resist. An amazing dinner made even better when with some of my Nana’s green beans and the BEST dinner rolls.
The BEST Turkey Meatballs
If you’re looking for a delicious, healthy meal that you can prepare in under 30 minutes, well, you’ve come to the right place. I’m a sucker for quick and easy dinners and, over the years, I’ve shared so many of my favorite dinner recipes with you all. Today, I’ve got an incredibly easy turkey meatball recipe for you today that’s going to knock your socks off. Loaded with unbelievable flavor and texture, it’s a Thanksgiving meal in a meatball!
There’s truly nothing better than turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing together, smothered in a delicious gravy. I mean, that’s why we all love Thanksgiving so much, right? Well, if you don’t have hours to make a meal, and are really craving that combination of flavors, these easy turkey meatballs are for you!
What Makes These Meatballs Extra Amazing?
Instead of using bread crumbs in this recipe, I used seasoned corn bread stuffing. It’s already got a ton of flavor and if anything goes together with turkey and gravy, it’s got to be stuffing!
I used a few traditional stuffing ingredients like chicken broth (or turkey broth), celery, and onion to keep the flavors authentic. I grated the onion so it really just disappears into the meatball but still gives tons of flavor.
How Long Do You Bake Turkey Meatballs?
This question has come up quite a bit in the comments. The issues is that it is hard to “see” when ground turkey meatballs are fully cooked due to the lighter color. If you follow my directions below, your meatballs will be fully cooked but you can always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. You want the internal temperature to be 165°F.
Turkey Meatballs and Gravy
Instead of making the gravy from scratch, I used McCormick’s Simply Better Turkey Gravy.
I’ve never used store-bought gravy before because it just doesn’t have the depth of flavor that homemade gravy does. Not to mention it’s usually loaded with stuff I don’t want my family to eat. Not so with this gravy. Excellent flavor, texture, and seasoning. Gluten free, NO added MSG, and no artificial flavors. It’s just simply better.
Because I added fresh herbs to the meatballs, I amped up the flavor of the gravy with some fresh herbs as well. Thyme, rosemary, and sage. You could use anything you have on hand. Even a little parsley would be great. A sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and no one will be able to tell that this gravy took a few minutes in the microwave to prepare.
If you prefer a homemade turkey gravy, check out my recipe here.
Tips for Making the Best Turkey Meatballs
- Do not over handle the ground turkey. You really just want to get the seasonings, turkey, and other ingredients nicely combined without crushing the ground turkey.
- Use a cookie scoop. It keeps them all roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Wet your hands when forming the meatballs. A little water goes a long way in keeping the stickiness at bay.
My kids took one look at their plates and dug right in. Couldn’t blame them. These simple turkey meatballs were the easiest and tastiest meal I’ve made in a long time and it will be in our regular rotation from now on – per their adamant request 🙂
Can You Freeze Turkey Meatballs?
Yes. Absolutely! This is a great recipe to double or triple for future meals.
- Follow the directions below to bake the meatballs making sure to keep meatballs similar in size.
- Let the turkey meatballs cool on the baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for an hour to flash freeze.
- Transfer frozen meatballs to a freezer bag or freezer safe container and store for up to 1 month.
- Meatballs can be reheated in a 350°F oven. Simply place on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or just heated through. You can also add them to a sauce and heat over medium heat until heated through.
What You Need To Make Turkey Meatballs
- A rimmed baking sheet is perfect for baked turkey meatballs. They don’t have a lot of fat so you’re not going to get too much grease, but a rimmed baking sheet is always a safe choice.
- I use a cookie scoop when I make meatballs. It keeps the meatballs are roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- A large bowl to mix everything together.
The next time you’re in the mood for a turkey dinner, give these baked turkey meatballs a try! They truly are the BEST turkey meatballs I’ve ever had!
More Dinner Time Favorites
- Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Tater Tot Casserole
- The Ultimate Chicken Fried Steak
- Crockpot Chili
- The BEST Chicken Marinade
How To Make Turkey Meatballs
The BEST Turkey Meatballs with Herbed Gravy
Ingredients
The BEST Turkey Meatballs
- 16 oz lean ground turkey
- 1 1/2 cups seasoned cornbread stuffing
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 small onion grated
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 eggs
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Herbed Gravy
- 12 oz McCormick Simply Better Turkey Gravy 1 container
- 1 tbsp fresh herbs chopped - thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley
- pepper to taste
Instructions
The BEST Turkey Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place stuffing in a resealable ziploc bag and crush lightly with a rolling pin or mallet. I ended up with one cup of stuffing crumbs.
- In a large bowl, combine stuffing crumbs and chicken stock and stir to combine.
- Mix in onion, celery, parsley, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Add ground turkey and mix gently just until combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out mixture. Use your hands to gently form into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or just until cooked through.
Herbed Gravy
- In a small bowl, combine gravy, herbs, and pepper.
- Heat according to package instructions.
- Serve with meatballs and mashed potatoes.
Video
Nutrition
Recipe originally published October 20, 2017.
Looking for more ground turkey recipes? Try these amazing recipes from friends:
Ground Turkey Green Chili Tacos | Chipotle Ground Turkey Chili | Healthier Stuffed Jalapenos
More easy family-friendly dinners!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Crescent Rolls
One Pot Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Barbecue Beans
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
For all appetizer recipes, go HERE.
For all dessert recipes, go HERE.
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Have a great day!
Disclosure: McCormick has provided me with the products used within this project. I was compensated for this blog post. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Mom On Timeout possible!
Marisa C. says
What is cornbread stuffing? Where do you buy it? Anything I can replace it with that doesn’t have starch? (No carb recipe)
Gary D. says
You just gave me a great idea for Thanksgiving, turkey meatloaf! Being a single guy who loves to cook, I was really looking for something different to make this year; yes, I know I will have to adjust the oven temperature and cooking time, but you made my day, thanks so much!
K. C. says
These meatballs were simple and delicious!
I made mine larger and baked for 16 minutes. This will be a repeat meal in my household!
Rosina L says
My husband loved them! They were super easy and looked just like the picture, so good
Anita says
I’m not finding the actual recipe ?!? I’ve looked 3 times- I’m sure I’m looking right at it.
Help?!?
Heather says
It may be your app not loading. It’s Approximately 13 swipes up from the comments.
Teasha says
Delish! Used a box of stove top and ground chicken breast! Will def make again!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yay!That’s perfect! Thanks so much for stopping by Teasha!
Marianne t says
Can the meatballs be made the night before and then bake them the next day? Wanted to get a head start on dinner 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Absolutely Marianne! Just wrap them up real tight 🙂
Kristen Sporakowski says
So delicious! I made these today and didn’t change a thing. Make sure you drizzle the meatballs with olive oil before you put them in the oven and don’t overbake them!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Awesome! Thanks Kristen!
Mary says
Made these tonight and they were absolutely delicious! I didn’t make any changes to the recipe and it was perfect.
joyce says
What about the mashed potatoes – do you have a recipe for this? I am going to make this for dinner tonight.
Corrine says
The gravy is on sale at Giant Eagle starting tomorrow(10/26-11/1) for $1.99 and there is a $.50 coupon that will double, making it $.99!!!!
Cindy S says
This looks amazing and just what I have been craving! Cannot wait to make this and will definitely be making a trip to the store to hunt down the gravy. Thanks for the wonderful recipe and making weeknight supper so easy and delish!!
Vicky says
These look delicious and are perfect for the cold weather we’re having.
Theresa Green says
in you turkey meatballs recipe, you don’t say how to use the oil
Sandy says
#8 in the directions “Drizzle with olive oil”. Can’t wait to try this recipe, sounds & looks wonderful!
Shirley Tucker says
That gravy is not available outside of the USA, so I guess the recipe isn’t going to work for me, bit it looks yummy. We don’t have gravies available to purchase here.
Sue D says
Then why don’t you just make your own regular turkey gravy?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
That’s a great idea!