Baked Turkey Meatballs in Marinara
Juicy Italian-seasoned turkey meatballs, baked instead of pan-fried, then simmered in marinara. A dinner-sized portion of five big meatballs in sauce runs 47 grams of protein, and the recipe doubles for the freezer without thinking about it.
Method
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Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F and set a wire rack over a lined tray.
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Mix both turkeys, panko, egg, parmesan, garlic, oregano, fennel, salt, and chili flakes until just combined.
💡 Tip: The fennel is the secret. It is what makes them taste like Sunday-gravy meatballs. -
Roll into 20 meatballs with wet hands and space them on the rack.
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Bake 15 to 18 minutes until browned and cooked through.
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Warm the marinara in a wide pan, add the meatballs, and simmer together 5 minutes. Finish with basil.
💡 Tip: The simmer marries them to the sauce. Do not skip it.
Notes
The turkey blend does the heavy lifting: breast for protein, 93/7 for moisture.
Wet your hands to roll the meatballs and do not compress them. Light hands, tender meatballs.
Baking on a rack lets them brown all over without added oil.
Serve over pasta, zoodles, or in a roll. Nutrition covers meatballs and sauce only.
Nutrition Information
| Calories | 380kcal |
| Total Fat | 13g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 17g |
| Protein | 47g |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why bake instead of fry?
Frying meatballs takes a few tablespoons of oil and constant turning. On a rack in a hot oven they brown on all sides at once with none of the added fat, and twenty meatballs cook in one batch.
How do I freeze them?
Bake, cool, and freeze the meatballs on a tray before bagging, up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen straight in simmering marinara for 10 minutes. Doubling the batch for this purpose is strongly recommended.
What are the macros with pasta?
The listed nutrition is meatballs and sauce. Add 75g dry weight of pasta per person for roughly 265 extra calories and 55g carbs, or use a chickpea pasta to push the protein over 60g for the plate.
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