This recipe has been part of my regular rotation for at least 5 years. Probably more!
I initially started making these meatballs from a Food Network recipe I found online.
Then, over the years, I stopped finally the recipe and it slowly became more and more my own. You know how it goes.
I can’t believe it took me this long to get it onto the blog either. I end up making this at least once a month.
To date, it’s the only recipe that my entire family actually eats – husband and two toddlers included. In fact, outside of chicken nuggets, this is the only form of animal protein that my older toddler eats.
And so, I continue to make it. Often.
A few key things set these meatballs apart from other meatball recipes. First and foremost, they’re easy. Just 30 minutes and you’re done.
Use that inactive time while the meatballs cook to boil water and prepare some pasta.
Next, these meatballs are soo moist and full of flavor. They’re loaded with lots of parmesan cheese and parsley for flavor. The grated onion helps them to retain a lot of their moisture.
Plus, as they cook, they absorb a lot of the flavor and moisture from the tomato sauce.
Not only are they delicious, but they’re almost a no fail recipe too. Follow the instructions, and it’s impossible to get subpar meatballs.
I hope you love them as much as my family does!
Prep ingredients
You’ll need a small yellow onion, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, ketchup, dried parsley, lean ground turkey, olive oil, a jar of tomato sauce, salt + pepper.
To garnish: fresh parsley or basil, fresh parmesan cheese
Grate the onion
Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater (alternatively, you can roughly chop the onion and add to a food processor). Add to a large bowl. Do not squeeze out any liquid.
Add ingredients to a bowl
Add the breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, ketchup, dried parsley, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mix well to combine.
Add the ground turkey
Add the ground turkey. Use a fork to mash the ground turkey and mix well until everything is combined.
Roll into small meatballs
Using your hands, roll the mixture into small meatballs (about 1-2 tablespoons in size – you’ll end up with about 15-20 meatballs). Place the meatballs on a large plate and set aside.
Cook until browned
Add the oil to a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned. Make sure each meatball really gets nicely browned.
Add tomato sauce
Add the tomato sauce to the pan, making sure it covers all of the meatballs. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 15 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165 F (you may want to stir the pan or spoon the sauce over the meatballs occasionally to make sure the meatballs aren’t sticking to the pan and that they all are equally covered in sauce).
Let meatballs cook through
Let meatballs cook through and absorb much of the sauce.
To garnish: add fresh parsley or basil, fresh parmesan cheese
Serve with spaghetti
Serve with spaghetti or other pasta.
Notes:
- Parmesan: You can use pre-grated or shredded parmesan cheese to add to the meatballs. But if you prefer, freshly grated cheese always works too!
- Tomato sauce: I use a store-bought sauce here – helps to keep it easy! A simple tomato basil sauce adds the perfect amount of flavor.
- Turkey: Lean ground turkey works best here. Look for 90% lean or higher. I recommend using light meat.
- Cooking tips: If all of the meatballs don’t fit onto the pan, try using 2 pans. You want to make sure the meatballs have room to really get a nice golden sear. While cooking, you can spoon the sauce around so that it continues to cover all of the meatballs evenly. You may also want to gently move around the meatballs to ensure even cooking and that they don’t stick to the pan.
- Make ahead: Make these meatballs ahead of them and store them per the below. They hold up well!
- Storage: Store meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
- 1/2 small yellow onion about 1/4 cup, grated
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 egg
- 1 heaping teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 25- ounce jar of tomato sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
- To garnish: fresh parsley or basil fresh parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater (alternatively, you can roughly chop the onion and add to a food processor). Add to a large bowl. Do not squeeze out any liquid.
- Add the breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, ketchup, egg, dried parsley, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mix well to combine.
- Add the ground turkey. Use a fork to mash the ground turkey and mix well until everything is combined.
- Using your hands, roll the mixture into small meatballs (about 1-2 tablespoons in size – you’ll end up with about 15-20 meatballs). Place the meatballs on a large plate and set aside.
- Add the oil to a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned. Make sure each meatball really gets nicely browned.
- Add the tomato sauce to the pan, making sure it covers all of the meatballs. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 15 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165 F (you may want to stir the pan or spoon the sauce over the meatballs occasionally to make sure the meatballs aren’t sticking to the pan and that they all are equally covered in sauce).
- Once the meatballs are cooked through and have absorbed most of the sauce, serve with spaghetti or other pasta.
