Tender Turkey Meatballs Tomato Sauce (Printable)

Oven-baked turkey meatballs in rich tomato sauce, ready in 50 minutes. Perfect with pasta or rice.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meatballs

01 - 1.1 pounds ground turkey
02 - 1 large egg
03 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
04 - 2 tablespoons milk
05 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
08 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Tomato Sauce

11 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
13 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
14 - 28 ounces crushed tomatoes (2 cans)
15 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
16 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
17 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar
18 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ To Serve

19 - 10 ounces pasta or cooked rice
20 - Fresh basil or parsley, chopped
21 - Grated Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until just combined.
03 - Shape mixture into 16-18 golf-ball-sized meatballs and place them on the prepared tray.
04 - Bake meatballs for 18-20 minutes, turning halfway, until lightly golden and just cooked through.
05 - Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
06 - Stir in crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
07 - Transfer baked meatballs into the sauce. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, spooning sauce over the meatballs.
08 - While meatballs finish in sauce, cook pasta or rice according to package instructions.
09 - Serve turkey meatballs and sauce over pasta or rice. Garnish with fresh herbs and extra Parmesan if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The breadcrumbs and milk keep these impossibly tender without any heavy cream or complicated techniques
  • Baking first then simmering gives you that perfect texture, slightly crisp outside but melting inside
  • This makes enough for dinner tonight plus lunch tomorrow, which is basically the best feeling ever
02 -
  • Overmixing the meatball mixture makes them tough, so treat it gently and stop as soon as everything combines
  • The baking step before simmering is not optional, it creates texture that simmering alone cannot achieve
  • Let the sauce simmer gently, never boil hard, or those delicate meatballs might break apart completely
03 -
  • Wet your hands slightly before shaping meatballs to prevent the mixture from sticking everywhere
  • Use a cookie scoop if you want perfectly uniform meatballs without all the measuring fuss
Go Back