Healthy Turkey Meatballs

Healthy Turkey Meatballs are a nutritious twist on a classic Italian dish. Whole30 friendly, paleo, gluten free, dairy free and so delicious! Made with lean turkey and fresh herbs- they’re the perfect dinner! I love pairing with tomato sauce and zucchini noodles.  

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Whether you’re Italian or not – there’s no denying that there are few better things in life than a big bowl of pasta + meatballs. Especially when they’re gluten free, dairy free, paleo, whole30 AND taste just like what you grew up eating!

These Healthy Turkey Meatballs are loaded with flavor, packed with lean protein and super easy to make.

Plus.. they have no breadcrumbs! Yes, it’s possibly to make meatballs with out breadcrumbs, I’ll show you how!

When I tell you that my Gram could easily win awards for her cooking – I’m not joking.

There is always something going on in her kitchen – whether it be a Banana Cake (another one of her famous recipes, which I made healthier in this Healthy Banana Bread recipe), chicken cutlets, or dessert of some sort.

Another thing that she makes that are SO delicious are her meatballs.

When I did my first Whole30… I knew I was going to have a big problem with giving up pasta and meatballs. It’s something we eat almost every week, and it’s one of my favorite meals.

I was determined to come up with a Whole30 meatball recipe that tasted amazing + wouldn’t leave me feeling left out on Sunday dinners.

Nothing can compare to my grandma’s recipe – but these Healthy Turkey Meatballs are a close second.

What you need to make Healthy Turkey Meatballs

You only need a few ingredients to make healthy turkey meatballs, and you can easily customize them depending on what you have on hand. These healthy meatballs are bursting with flavor from the fresh herbs that we use, lower in fat with the swap from beef to turkey, and are so easy to make!

How to make Healthy Turkey Meatballs

To make healthy turkey meatballs add al of your ingredients into a bowl. Mix together until combined. Roll into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake + enjoy!

We love to make a big batch of these and freeze half of it. That way you can have dinner for another night all ready go, or a simple snack waiting for you in the freezer.

These clean eating turkey meatballs are perfect with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper on top, or they are great when cooked in our Healthy Crockpot Tomato Sauce low and slow for hours.

The longer you cook them in sauce for, the better they taste and the more tender they are!

Tips for making the Best Healthy Turkey Meatballs

• Use fresh herbs! Dried herbs will work in a pinch, but these are SO much better when you use fresh herbs!
• Make a full batch or double batch and freeze some of these clean eating meatballs. It will make your life SO much easier. These freeze perfectly in a big ziploc bag and then you can just defrost them as you need them!
• Cook the meatballs in sauce after baking them. They’re delicious on their own, but so yummy when you let them cook low and slow!
• Add things in! These Caprese Meatballs or Greek Turkey Meatballs have fun add ins and are SO yummy!

How to serve Healthy Turkey Meatballs

• Over zoodles (zucchini noodles)– If you don’t have a spiralizer you have to get one! As much as I love eating a bowl of pasta – it’s nice to have a lighter alternative and a spiralizer is key for getting through Whole30. The zucchini noodles are a great swap when you’re craving pasta. They are also great if you are gluten free or paleo.
• Over pasta– My favorite gluten free pasta is Modern Table.
• Over a salad
• With our Healthy Crockpot Tomato Sauce (If you’re still buying jarred sauce PLEASE try this!!)

Can you freeze these Healthy Turkey Meatballs?

YES! And you totally should. I like to double the batch and freeze half of them.

Then you can quickly defrost for busy nights or a simple lunch! I recommend allowing them to cool completely and putting in a container or freezer size ziploc bag.

When you’re ready to eat you can microwave them or heat in a pan!

Substitutions for Healthy Turkey Meatballs:

• Nut free: sub almond meal with breadcrumbs (this will make the meatballs non-whole30)
• Coconut/Almond Flour – If you don’t have coconut flour or almond meal you can sub whole wheat breadcrumbs
• Herbs – If you don’t have fresh herbs you can used dried (but fresh have so much more flavor!)
• Meat- You can sub chicken or beef for the turkey
• Extra Veggies –You can add in chopped spinach or kale for extra veggies. I actually like to pulse in the food processor so it get’s super find. You can’t even taste it!
• WW Freestyle Note: Points calculated using 99% fat free turkey

Other healthy turkey recipes:

• Turkey Mushroom Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
• Paleo Turkey Chili
• Whole 30 Turkey Bolognese Stuffed Zucchini
• Paleo Turkey Taco Stuffed Delicata Squash

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4.72 from 14 votes

Healthy Turkey Meatballs

Healthy Turkey Meatballs are a nutritious twist on a classic Italian dish. Whole30 friendly, paleo, gluten free, dairy free and so delicious! Made with lean turkey and fresh herbs- they're the perfect dinner! I love pairing with tomato sauce and zucchini noodles.  

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword gluten free meatballs, Healthy Turkey Meatballs, whole30 turkey meatballs

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings of approx 5 meatballs

Calories 363kcal

WW Freestyle Points 4

Author The Clean Eating Couple

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons almond milk
• 3/4 cup onion (finely chopped, I pulse mine in a food processor)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Optional if not paleo/whole 30:

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

Oven Instructions:

• Spray a lined baking sheet with olive oil. (Or use nonstick foil/parchment paper).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined
  
• Roll into approximately 1.5 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
  
• Bake the meatballs for 10-15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes on the other side.
  

Instant Pot Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until combined. Roll into approximately 1.5 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
• Freeze meatballs for 10 minutes to make them easier to handle.
• Once meatballs have been frozen, place trivet insert into Instant Pot. Pour 1 cup of water into bottom of pot.
• Place meatballs on top of trivet, stacking as needed.
• Cover instant pot and make sure the pressure release is set to sealing. Set instant pot to pressure cook for 7 minutes.
• Allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and remove with tongs.
• See Notes for additional tips/tricks for cooking meatballs in instant pot.

Notes

Substitutions for Healthy Turkey Meatballs:

• Nut free: sub almond meal with breadcrumbs (this will make the meatballs non-whole30)
• Coconut/Almond Flour - If you don't have coconut flour or almond meal you can sub whole wheat breadcrumbs
• Herbs - If you don't have fresh herbs you can used dried (but fresh have so much more flavor!)
• Meat- You can sub chicken or beef for the turkey
• Extra Veggies -You can add in chopped spinach or kale for extra veggies. I actually like to pulse in the food processor so it get's super find. You can't even taste it!
• WW Freestyle Note: Points calculated using 99% fat free turkey

Instant Pot Notes

• Cook time does not include time to come to pressure (about 14 minutes).
• Freezing meatballs isn't necessary but will make the meatballs easier to handle and they won't cook together in the pot.
• If you want the meatballs to be browned, you can either sauté them before cooking. In the Instant Pot you can use the sauté method - be sure to scrape off any bits of food on the bottom of the pan before cooking or you may get a burn notice.
• You can also sauté or broil meatballs after cooking to brown them.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Turkey Meatballs

Amount Per Serving (5 meatballs (approx))

Calories 363 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 116mg39%

Sodium 640mg28%

Potassium 514mg15%

Carbohydrates 11g4%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 43g86%

Vitamin A 405IU8%

Vitamin C 4.7mg6%

Calcium 158mg16%

Iron 2.5mg14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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