Turkey, Spinach & Cheese Meatballs
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If you’re looking for an easy, flavorful weeknight dinner that’s a little lighter, these turkey spinach and cheese meatballs fit the bill. The turkey sausage keeps them juicy and well-seasoned, while the spinach blends right in.
Photo by Johnny Miller, Clarkson Potter 2021
I used to be one of those opinionated people who felt you shouldn’t sneak vegetables into your children’s food, but then I gave birth to a picky eater and all that righteousness went right out the window. Parenting is nothing if not humbling, right? These meatballs are a great way to sneak in some spinach, but what really makes them special is the addition of turkey sausage. It keeps the meatballs tender and adds plenty of flavor without the need for a long list of ingredients. Serve them with pasta, Parmesan smashed potatoes or creamy polenta, plus a big Italian salad, and dinner is done.
“DELICIOUS!!!! I make a full batch and freeze for individual dinners. We serve it with zucchini noodles—really great twist on meatballs.”
What You’ll Need To Make Turkey Meatballs
You’ll need extra virgin olive oil, an egg, baby spinach, a few scallions, garlic, 93/7 ground turkey (I use Shady Brook Farms), Italian turkey sausage (removed from the casings; again, I use Shady Brook Farms here), shredded mozzarella, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Italian seasoned bread crumbs, and marinara sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the meatball mixture. Mix the egg with chopped spinach, scallions, and garlic. Add the ground turkey, turkey sausage, bread crumbs, mozzarella cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano. Mix until evenly combined.
Step 2: Shape and bake the meatballs. Shape the mixture into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Broil the turkey meatballs until golden, about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Simmer and serve. Add the meatballs to the marinara sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Meatball Recipes You’ll Love
Turkey, Spinach & Cheese Meatballs
These turkey spinach and cheese meatballs are tender, flavorful, and surprisingly simple—thanks to a little help from turkey sausage.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 3 ounces baby spinach, chopped (3½ cups whole; 1½ cups chopped)
- 3 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1.25 pounds 93/7 ground turkey (I use Shady Brook Farms)
- 1.25 pounds Italian turkey sausage, removed from the casings (I use Shady Brook Farms)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (preferably whole milk but low-fat will work)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce, homemade or good quality store-bought
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack on the second-highest rack. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and grease with the olive oil.
- In a bowl large enough to hold all of the ingredients, beat the egg. Add the chopped spinach, scallions, and garlic and stir until evenly combined. Add the ground turkey, turkey sausage, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix until evenly combined. Shape the mixture into 1½ inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Broil the meatballs until golden brown on top, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a large pan on the stovetop. Add the broiled meatballs and simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: These can be frozen in their sauce for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, reheat the meatballs in their sauce on the stovetop over medium heat until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 509
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 49g
- Sodium: 1409mg
- Cholesterol: 194mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Excellent meal prep! Wonderful with a side of sautéed zucchini. Thanks so much! I will definitely be making these again!
I mixed everything together by accident.i didnt mix eggs scallions and spinach together first.will that make a difference
Not at all Elaina – it will be fine. Enjoy!
Could you freeze these?
Sure, they freeze and reheat nicely!
Made these, and now I am addicted!! We have them once a week with zucchini spaghetti and sauce!! Absolutely delicious!! I use vidalia onion instead of green onion but follow the rest of the recipe. A++++++
Wonderful recipes including this one. Rave review from my family!
Was wondering if in a pinch if I could substitute with brown bread?
Glad everyone enjoyed them. You could make bread crumbs from the bread if you’d like, but you’ll likely need to add a few pinches of Italian seasoning to boost the flavor a bit. Hope that helps!
I should have clarified better. I used the white bread and milk mixture instead of bread crumbs and ground beef that I had on hand instead of ground turkey. They were fantastic. Also was hinky about broiling but worked great!
Thanks Jenn
Hi, Jenn,
This is one of my favorite recipes. I know every oven is different, my broiler causes the meatballs to get too well done even when the rack is on the 2nd position. Today, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees F and rolled the meatballs closer to 2″ (I liberally used a 1/8″ cup spoon measure). Instead of placing them on an oiled cookie sheet, I put each meatball into a slot in a 24-slot mini non-stick muffin tin (at that size, they were a little large). I baked them for 16 minutes, turning them at exactly 8 minutes. They were perfect and very moist! Allowing the meatballs to bake in their own juices was the answer to my overly hot broiler. I then browned the extra meat, drained it and added it to the sauce. It came out similar to Bolognese (is it dinner time yet?) 🙂
Hi Jenn
Would love to make these for a gathering next weekend. In the UK I’m not sure I’ll find turkey sausage easily, can you give me an idea of what ingredients they contain or any substitution ideas?
Thanks as always,
Maxine
Hi Maxine, If you can find chicken or pork sausage, those will work too. If you can find those, there are a number of readers that have commented that they eliminated the sausage and have been happy with the results. If you do that, though, I would definitely stick with the 93/7 turkey; I’m concerned that using all turkey breast will make them too dry. Hope that helps!
Store out of ground turkey so used ground chicken instead. Added red pepper flakes cause we like everything spicy. Wonderful! Hard to stop eating them. Was making chili at the same time so tossed in the meat mixture which really added to the chili! No more ground meat in chili from now on. Excellent recipe !! Looking forward to making again.
Hi, I would like to make these using 1lb of hamburger. Would I just cut the whole recipe in half? Thanks!
Hi Rose, because you have less than half the meat (the recipe calls for 2.5 pounds total), I’d suggest cutting the remainder of the ingredients by just over half. Hope you enjoy!
These meatballs are delicious!! I was a little nervous because of the turkey. Couldn’t imagine a wonderful meatball without pork or beef. But here it is!!! These are definitely a keeper and we’ll be having these often! These are super easy to prepare. The taste is fabulous! The seasoning is spot on. These are well worth your time. Your tastebuds and stomach will thank you.