Spicy Baked Turkey Spinach Meatballs
Ground turkey + spinach + all the right spices and a little heat make the best meatballs ever!
- Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield15-18 meatballs 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound (16-ounces) ground turkey meat (93% lean)
- 5 ounces cooked, chopped spinach (can be frozen, remove as much liquid as possible)
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs (1/4 cup for rolling meatballs)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Combine turkey meat, spinach, parmesan cheese, egg, 1/4 cup bread crumbs (reserve the other 1/4 cup), basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Mix together, being careful not to over-mix (using your hands to mix is recommend by many chefs).
- Once combined, refrigerating the mixture for at least an hour is recommended to enhance flavor and keep the meatballs together (can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours).
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a cooking sheet with cooking spray or foil.
- Using a kitchen scale (affiliate link!) covered with plastic wrap (for easy clean-up), measure out 1.5 ounce portions of the meatball mixture, forming each portion into a ball in your hand. Roll the ball in remaining bread crumbs until mostly covered, and place on the prepared baking tray. Continue procedure until all the meat is used.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the outsides are just barely golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees.
- Serve with additional parmesan cheese and red sauce over quinoa, rice, or noodles.
Notes
Recipe can easily be doubled. Meatballs can be frozen and stored for eating any time in the following 2-3 months.
Recipe adapted from Baked Meatballs Recipe by Alton Brown on Food Network.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 182
- Fat: 8.3g
- Carbohydrates: 6.1g
- Protein: 22.1g