Looking for an easy and delicious dinner idea? These turkey meatballs in tomato sauce are perfect! It is simple to make and tastes utterly delicious. Plus, they are a healthy option too. You can have them on their own or serve them over some cooked pasta with good crusty bread.
Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce recipe
This turkey meatballs in tomato sauce recipe is healthy, flavorful, and easy to make. Tender and juicy meatballs tossed in simple tomato sauce.
The meatballs are made with lean ground turkey and an assortment of herbs and spices and then air fried to perfection. They are so tender and packed with Italian flavor.
The tomato sauce is made from scratch using pantry staples ingredients, fresh tomatoes, and aromatics. The finished dish is hearty and satisfying, yet light enough to enjoy any day of the year.
Additionally, this recipe can be easily customized to suit your individual taste. Whether you're looking for a healthy weeknight meal or an impressive dish to serve in addition to your holiday table, this turkey meatballs in tomato sauce recipe will not disappoint.
This recipe is not only easy and delicious, but it's also a great opportunity to get the kids involved in cooking. They'll love rolling the meatballs! I also love that it can be made ahead of time, it keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and it reheats well.
Related posts: quick tomato sauce, marinara dipping sauce, and gnocchi in tomato sauce.
What you will need to make these turkey meatballs in tomato sauce
For the tomato sauce you will need the following ingredients
Tomato: I used a mixture of chopped tomatoes and passata. You can use either of the two for this sauce
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Olive oil
Onions
Garlic
Sugar
Salt and pepper
To make the succulent meatballs you will need the following
Ground turkey: also known as turkey mince in the UK, I used 93% fat lean ground turkey
Onion
Garlic granules
Large egg
Italian seasoning
Panko breadcrumbs
Mayonnaise
Fresh parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
How to make meatballs in tomato sauce
Make the meatballs: To a large bowl add ground turkey, grated onion, garlic granules, egg, Italian seasoning, panko breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper. Using your hand or a spatula, gently combine all the ingredients until well mixed
Form into balls: Using a tablespoon, medium ice cream scoop, or your hands, form the mixture into small meatballs, about 1 ½ inch in diameter. You should get about 12-16 meatballs from this recipe
Air fry, bake, or saute the turkey meatballs until well done. Alternatively, you can cook the meatballs directly in the sauce without cooking it first.
Here are recipes for how long to cook the meatballs in the air fryer or oven.
PS: If the turkey mix is wet and sticky, spray your palms with some cooking oil, and that would help in making round balls.
Make the tomato sauce: While the meatballs are cooking, make the tomato sauce. To a saute pan or Dutch oven, add olive oil and heat over medium heat until hot and simmering. Add diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
Next, add garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes, passata (add about ⅓ cup of water in the can of tomato and rinse it into the pan) sugar, dried basil, salt, and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil for about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Finish the dish: Once the meatballs are cooked, add them to the tomato sauce and stir gently to combine. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
Take it off the heat and serve it over cooked pasta, polenta, rice, cauliflower rice, spaghetti squash, or quinoa. You can also serve it as is with some crusty garlic bread on the side.
Enjoy!
Tips
- Don't overwork the meat mixture or the meatballs will be tough
- You can cook the meatballs ahead of time and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days until you're ready to use them.
- This sauce can also be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, as long as it is kept at the proper temperature.
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, simply swap the chopped tomatoes for passata
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a larger crowd.
Instead of turkey meatballs, can I use beef, lamb, or pork
Yes! You can absolutely use any ground meat you like in this recipe. Just keep in mind that the cooking times may vary slightly depending on the type of meat you use.
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Turkey Meatballs In Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
tomato sauce ingredients
- 400 g chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup passata
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onions finely chopped
- 3 Garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- Salt and pepper
Meatballs Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ Tablespoons full fat mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the meatballs
- To a large bowl add ground turkey, grated onion, garlic granules, egg, Italian seasoning, panko breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper. Using your hand or a spatula, gently combine all the ingredients until well mixed
- Form into balls: Using a tablespoon, medium ice cream scoop, or your hands, form the mixture into small meatballs, about 1 ½ inch in diameter. You should get about 12-16 meatballs from this recipePS: If the turkey mix is wet and sticky, spray the palm with some cooking oil, and that would help in making round balls.
- Air fry, bake, or saute the turkey meatballs until well done. Alternatively, you can cook the meatballs directly in the sauce without cooking it first.
Make the tomato sauce
- While the meatballs are cooking, make the tomato sauce. To a saute pan or Dutch oven, add olive oil and heat over medium heat until hot and simmering. Add diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Next, add garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes, passata (add about ⅓ cup of water in the can of tomato and rinse it into the pan) sugar, dried basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil for about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- Finish the dish: Once the meatballs are cooked, add them to the tomato sauce and stir gently to combine. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Take it off the heat and serve. Enjoy
Notes
- Here are recipes for how long to cook the meatballs in the air fryer or oven.
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
There you have it, a simple homemade turkey meatballs in tomato sauce recipe that you can make at home in 5 minutes. As always, if you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Kindly rate the recipe 5 star and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save it away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox
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