Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Recipe (2024)

I baked these for 20 min at 350 instead of frying. Perfect. Less mess, quick and easy, juicy and tasty.

I make turkey meat balls all the time, I use 1 package of brown mushrooms put through food processor until grounded very fine. Best meat balls ever very light i bake them before putting them in sause freeze very well

You might want to try skipping the baking and just dropping them raw into the sauce. Cook for about 20 minutes or so, without touching them for the first 10 minutes. You may be surprised at how flavorful and tender they are without the bother of the extra step!

Bake @ 350 for 20 mins instead of fryingAdd a package of brown mushrooms, ground in food processor

I like this recipe and make the meatballs often. I do not like the activity of frying, so I bake them in a 450degree oven for 15 minutes, to get them a bit browned and firm. Then
I finish off the cooking in the sauce.

Consider cutting down on the salt... The Parmesan adds quite a bit of saltiness on its own.

To make this kosher, use nutritional yeast flakes instead of cheese.

When can you freeze..before or after cooking meatballs?

These are fantastic! However, I did change one thing. As others have, I added one package of mushrooms ground in Vitamix because I only had 1 pound of ground turkey. I figured they would add moistness as well as meaty flavor. They so did!!! I kept everything else the same including breadcrumbs and they rivaled my best Italian recipes using beef. I also baked at 400 degrees for about six minutes a side, and then ran under broiler for 2 minutes a side before adding to sauce. Perfect and healthy!

So good! I baked too and am happy I made that choice! Stuck to the recipe, increased it slightly based on amount of turkey - 2 lbs. The red pepper flakes are a must. Only change I would make is reducing the salt in half, the parmesan adds some salt to the mixture. Definitely making again!

These are amazingly good, I did not expect them to a) be so flavorful b) hold up texture-wise. Melissa Clark is a genius. I did everything exactly how the recipe was written (even made exactly 28 meatballs!) and there was no need to change a thing. I definitely recommend using fresh shaved parmesan, but otherwise the seasoning is so well directed, you can't go wrong. This is definitely going to become a regular in our repetoire.

If one were to freeze the meatballs for an easy mid-week dinner, at what time in the process work?

This recipe is good but way too salty, it doesn't need the salt and the Parmesan. Otherwise it was very enjoyable.

I served them over Spiralized yellow squash and it was delicious! I

I didn’t grow up with a mother or grandmother who made meatballs and have failed every time I’ve tried - except this time! Such an easy recipe, and I appreciate the leaner option of turkey. I didn’t have time to fry them so I threw them in the oven at 450 for 15 minutes and then nestled them in a simmering pot of Rao’s for another hour. Perfectly tender and still moist. They were a weeknight hit and I can’t wait to make with homemade sauce for a casual dinner party.

No one will believe these are turkey! I convention roasted for 25 minutes at 400 to make them nice and brown. Half will go in the sauce and half will be consumed as is. Melissa strikes again!

Went up to two lbs turkey so we didn't have an extra half-lb sitting around and slightly increased the other ingredients accordingly. Best turkey meatballs I've made!

This recipe is delicious and simple!

I’ve made these without adding mushrooms (as other reviewers have suggested) and have made them with mushrooms and, ADD THE MUSHROOMS. It’s like night and day difference. These meatballs are fine without them, but SO good with. Game changer. Otherwise made exactly to recipe but only 1lb Turkey, kept all the other ingredients the same amounts.

A very nice simple recipe. Found the meatballs to be a little dense so next time might add a little more egg and bread crumbs. Added extra basil, because why not? Used Rao’s marinara sauce which is my favorite commercial sauce.

Add brown mushrooms ground in blenderBake at 400 then broil if necessaryMaybe fennel?Less salt

I made this twice. It was so easy and very delicious. I would like to add that I replaced the Parmesan with vegan “cashew Parmesan” (homemade) and it still turned out well and tasted nice and cheesy. I appreciate how tender the meatballs are. Very good.

Used vegan parm.

I followed this recipe except the only addition was adding a quarter cup of dry red wine and water to the mix. They are delish!

I followed the other reviewers suggestions and added fresh cremini mushrooms as well as fresh spinach chopped finely in food processor. I also baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes on parchment paper as frying can be messy and lean meats tend to stick. I also cut back on the amount of salt. This recipe has become a staple and with the heartiness of the mushrooms, you don’t miss the flavor of traditional beef / pork.

What marinara sauce are you using here?

Turn the whole thing into a meatloaf.

Made for the second time and used 1 lb.85% beef.I used everything else in the amounts listed but doubled the egg.I also used seasoned breadcrumbs because that is what I had on my shelf.I cooked the meatballs on a tinfoil covered jelly roll pan at 420 degrees for 12 mins.Then added to a layer of tomato sauce in a Dutch oven and covered with a bit more sauce.Cooked at 325 for about a half an hour covered.Much easier clean up than cooking on the stove and I liked the evenly cooked meatball texture.

I love this recipe. As I purchase ground turkey in 1 lb containers, I slightly tweak the recipe. I reduce the panko to 1/3 cup, and I use minced shallot instead of regular onion. I find that the shallot is not as sharp so it still allows for the 1/4 cup as instructed even with the reduced turkey meat. I refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling, then bake at 450 for 20 minutes. I prefer this method to the frying - the higher baking temp still gives a bit of crispiness/browning.