Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
Juicy, parmesan-spiked meatballs, smothered in marinara sauce and gooey cheese. You need one pan, a handful of ingredients, and the oven does all the work.
Talk about the ultimate meal for a busy night! I normally say busy “weeknight”, but sometimes weekend days are equally busy and you still want a fabulous dinner fast. This fits the bill – a fabulous, fast dinner. The meatballs are perfectly golden brown (and roasted, so there’s no stove-top mess), then topped with sauce and cheese and finished back in the oven. One-pan easy, and totally amazing.
You can make these meatballs with chicken and beef too. I wanted to switch things up, so I used ground turkey. The flavorful meat was perfect when jazzed up with herbs and topped with sauce and cheese. That said, you can certainly use lean ground chicken and/or beef if that’s what you have handy.
These meatballs are gluten-free. You can’t say that about a lot of meatballs (especially when “parmesan-style” is in the picture since that often means breadcrumbs). Instead of breadcrumbs, I seasoned these meatballs (and kept them moist) by adding egg, parmesan cheese, and dried herbs. They’re packed with protein, incredibly lean, and contain zero gluten.
This recipe calls for marinara sauce or tomato sauce, so it’s up to you which to use. I find the meatballs so flavorful, you really don’t need a savory tomato sauce to finish the dish. I used regular tomato sauce and added a little dried basil to the sauce. Feel free to use what you want – your favorite marinara, or your favorite tomato product (even crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato puree work in this recipe).
What kind of pan should you use for these meatballs? I used my cast iron skillet because I love the presentation (and easy cleanup). You can also use a shallow baking dish. Since this is a one-pan meal, choose something you can bring to the table (no extra serving dishes to clean).
Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound ground turkey, or ground chicken or ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce of choice, or tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or more if desired
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley for serving, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well and shape the mixture into 12 meatballs.
- Transfer the meatballs to the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Spoon the marinara sauce all around the meatballs and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through (a meat thermometer should register 165 degrees).
- Top the meatballs with the mozzarella cheese cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the cheese melts.
- Top with basil or parsley (if using) and serve.