Turkey Pesto Meatballs Recipe
Turkey pesto meatballs with ground turkey, basil pesto, and baby spinach. Simmered in marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese.
We love them with a side of our Easy Chickpea Tomato Salad for an easy weeknight meal.
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Simmered with marinara sauce and spinach, then topped with melty mozzarella cheese, these turkey pesto meatballs are the kind of weeknight meal that has my whole family running to the table.
It’s not always easy to find dinner recipes that kids and adults love equally, but these turkey meatballs deliver.
Pesto and spinach mixed into the meatballs makes them flavorful, juicy, and a little more fancy than your standard meatball recipe. And simmering them in marinara and smothering them with cheese makes them an instant hit with kids.
We love these meatballs with a side of my chickpea tomato salad for an easy weeknight meal. If I’m really short on time, I’ll serve them over spaghetti or with some garlic bread for sopping up any extra sauce. (I always keep a stash of this sourdough garlic bread in the freezer!)
Why You’ll Love These Homemade Turkey Meatballs
- Basic ingredients. Ingredients are all so easy to find at the supermarket or your own pantry.
- Freeze well for later. There’s nothing better than having freezer meals for busy nights. This recipe makes 15 meatballs and serves about 6 people (or more if you’re serving to little ones) so you can easily freeze the leftovers for later.
- Easy to make. Even though the recipe may look like it calls for a lot of ingredients but with minimal chopping or special prep it goes so quickly.
Ingredients for Pesto Meatballs
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Ground turkey: To allow the pesto flavor to really shine, I opted for ground turkey, which has a milder flavor than other ground meats.
- Plain breadcrumbs and egg: These work together to bind the meatball mixture.
- Yellow onion and garlic: Mince these finely so they blend right in with the ground turkey. You don’t want big chunks of onion or garlic ruining the texture of your meatballs!
- Basil pesto: You can use my homemade basil pesto or store-bought.
- Spinach: I use baby spinach because it wilts quickly into the sauce.
- Marinara sauce: Use a high-quality sauce like Rao’s for the best end results.
- Mozzarella cheese: Shred your own for a smoother, creamier melt, or buy pre-shredded cheese for convenience. Either option works here.
- Fresh basil: For a fresh finish that helps emphasize the pesto flavor in the meatballs.
How to Make Turkey Pesto Meatballs
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a rundown.
Step 1: Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, garlic, pesto, oregano, salt, spinach, and olive oil. Mix gently with hands to combine, and form into 15 meatballs, roughly golf-size.
Step 2: Cook the meatballs: Heat a large skillet, either stainless-steel skillet or a non-stick skillet with little olive oil, and when hot, add the meatballs to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.
Step 3: Add the marinara: Add the marinara sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook the meatballs, partially covered, for about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add the cheese: Top the meatballs with mozzarella cheese, cover, and cook until melted. Garnish with fresh basil and serve over spaghetti or any favorite pasta.
Tips for Homemade Turkey Meatballs
Do not overmix the meatball mixture otherwise, the meatballs will be tough. Put all the meatball ingredients into a bowl at once and always use your hands to mix.
If the meatball mixture is sticky, wet your hands with water or lightly oil your hands. It’ll help with the mixture not sticking to your hands.
To help meatballs stick together, do not leave out or substitute any ingredients. Yes, you do need an egg to bind the meat, breadcrumbs, and everything else together. Also, the breadcrumbs are necessary to keep meatballs tender and moist.
Do not skip the sear. You’ll get the best flavor out of meatballs by quickly searing them first. Technically you can add raw meatballs to the sauce and cook them that way but you just won’t get as much flavor out of them.
Make sure not to overcook the meatballs. They only need 3-4 minutes of sear time per side and then 5 minutes of active simmer in the sauce. Meatballs are cooked when an instant-read thermometer registers at 165°F in the middle.
How to Serve Pesto Meatballs
There are a handful of ways we love to serve these turkey pesto meatballs that do not involve some sort of pasta, such as with crusty bread to soak up all the sauce, over roasted veggies, twice baked spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or even cooked quinoa.
I personally love to make a bowl of meatballs to have with a green salad, such as Avocado Toast Salad or Chopped Wedge Salad. And of course, there’s always mashed potatoes that will transform any meal into comfort food heaven.
How to Store Pesto Turkey Meatballs
Transfer the meatballs and sauce to an airtight container. (I like to use glass whenever I’m storing marinara, as it tends to stain plastic storage containers.) Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat, thaw frozen meatballs in the refrigerator first. Warm leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low, stirring the sauce and turning the meatballs occasionally. The microwave works too, but the meatballs are more likely to get tough, so reheat them in 30-second intervals on medium power until they’re warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few secrets to moist meatballs, such as grated onion rather than chopped, which adds moisture to the ground meat mixture and cooking the meatballs in sauce helps lock that moisture in. I also like to use 93% lean ground turkey, which has a little extra fat for juicy meatballs.
Avoid over-working the meatball mixture, as mixing everything too vigorously will give you meatballs that are tough and dense. Be careful not to over-cook the meatballs too; using an instant-read thermometer can help with this.
More Meatball Recipes
- Orecchiette with Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Healthy Chicken Meatballs
- Mini Asian Chicken Meatballs
- Sweet and Spicy Meatballs
Pesto Turkey Meatballs
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Pan fry
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Turkey pesto meatballs with ground turkey, basil pesto, and baby spinach. Simmered in marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese. These are SO incredibly juicy and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs (not seasoned)
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup minced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tbsp. basil pesto
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1–2 Tbsp. fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, onions, garlic, pesto, oregano, salt, spinach, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with black pepper, to taste. Combine everything with your hands until the ingredients are evenly mixed. Do not overmix.
- Form the turkey mixture into 15 meatballs, each the size of a golf ball.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive in a large heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add meatballs and sauté for 3-4 minutes per side until browned.
- Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Top with mozzarella cheese, cover and cook until melted, about 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve over pasta of choice.
Notes
- Leftovers: Leftover meatballs in sauce can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze them up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2-3 meatballs with sauce
- Calories: 343
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 971.2 mg
- Fat: 20.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Protein: 27.7 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
I’d love to try this with fresh spinach – would I follow the same directions? Also, I can’t eat onion but can have onion powder. Do you think this would work or should I add something else to make up for the consistency?
Fresh spinach and onion powder will work just fine.
This was incredible. Used GF breadcrumbs and it still was awesome. Whole family loved it! I think this is our sixth or seventh recipe from you and they have all been amazing!
Aww thank you Mikaela! I so appreciate that.
Can you substitute turkey for chicken? Does it change the texture?
Meatballs were flavorful, served ours with a crusty bread: Easy prep, good directions many thanks!
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you.
Yum…. Goes into my recipe binder for sure.
Thank you!