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Baked Turkey Meatballs with Homemade Tomato Sauce
Juicy baked turkey meatballs, smothered in tomato sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. Serve over pasta for a complete, easy, healthy dinner recipe.
Servings 4
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/4 cup onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley OR 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped*
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano OR 1/4 cup fresh oregano chopped*
- 2 teaspoons dried basil OR 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped*
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme OR 1/4 cup fresh thyme chopped*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Sauce**
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional (but recommended) Add-ons
- parmesan cheese grated or shredded
- fresh or dried parsley oregano, basil, and/or thyme
- cooked spaghetti
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
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Mix breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
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Crumble ground turkey over milk and bread crumbs. Add egg, spices, salt and pepper. Mix ingredients together with hands. Form into 2 tablespoons sized balls (I made about 20 turkey meatballs) and arrange on the prepared baking dish. Bake until the meatballs are crisp on the outside, about 25 minutes. The inside will not be fully cooked yet.
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In a medium bowl make sauce by combining tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Once meatballs are browned (end of previous step) pour sauce over meatballs, cover dish with aluminum foil and continue baking until meatballs are fully cooked, about 30 minutes.
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Serve over cooked spaghetti, top with herbs and parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*You can substitute 3 tablespoons of dried Italian seasoning instead of parsley, oregano, basil, and thyme.
**24 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce can be substituted for the homemade sauce