Sweet and Savory Turkey Meatballs

I am on a ground turkey kick lately. I feel like it is such a sweet tasting meat and takes on the flavors of my sauces and marinades more than ground beef.

I also feel like ground beef is a much heavier meat, so if I can switch out ground beef for ground turkey, I usually do.

These meatballs are so easy to make and taste delicious. If you have not tried making homemade meatballs,  you need to give them a try.

They have so much more flavor, are easy to make, and healthier because you get to decide what all goes in them.

A lot of the packaged or frozen meatballs I see at the store don’t look like actual meat. They look very processed and unrealistic.

When you make your own meatballs, you can actually see the meat and the ingredients you put in them.

how to make meatballs

When I make meatballs, I like to start with a base. I get my ground turkey, and bread crumbs. I find it easiest to use my hands to mix them all together. I add a little salt and pepper, diced onion, and garlic to the mixture.

I then shape them into small one inch balls, much like the size you would roll cookie dough into.

I place them on a heated and sprayed skillet. I usually add a little olive oil to the skillet to give the meatball a nice crunch to the outside.

We do the same thing to our Brown Sugar Meatball Recipe and they are amazing. I don’t like when meatballs are soft without any texture, so that’s why I place them on a skillet before placing them in the oven.

You can easily skip the skillet step and place them right on a pan and put them in the oven, but again, the texture of the meatball will be softer on the outside, and won’t have the best crunch to it.

Once all the meatballs are golden on the outside from cooking in the skillet, I place them on a baking sheet about one centimeter apart from each other.

You don’t want them touching, or it will effect their shape and their cook time. They don’t need to be fully cooked from the skillet, I just use the skillet to add texture to the meatballs.

Once all meatballs are on the baking sheet, place them in the oven and cook them for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.

I wouldn’t make the meatballs much bigger than 1 inch because they won’t cook as evenly and could dry out your meat, then be under cooked in the middle.

While the turkey meatballs are baking, get out a fresh pan and begin to make the sauce. This is a simple sauce that only requires a few ingredient.

Because it is a little sweet, we are going to start with the brown sugar and water. Mix them together until the brown sugar has become part of the liquid, and it is fully combined with the water.

Next, you will want to add the orange marmalade, honey, barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce, and just a little bit of mustard.

Whisk it together until it is fully combined and begins to bubble at the edges. Remove from heat and continue stirring.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs as soon as they are done baking in the oven. Serve the turkey meatballs over rice, or chow mien noodles.

You could also eat them just as meatballs and have a side of mixed steamed veggies. Enjoy.

If you are looking for other meatball sauce recipes, check out our delicious Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs.

watch how to make 4 different meatball recipes in just minutes, here:

Did you know we have a Youtube Channel? We have hundreds of simple and delicious recipes, your family is going to love. We take you through each recipe, step by step, and show you exactly how to make it.

what do I serve these meatballs with?

I love eating my meatballs with rice. I prefer brown rice, but any rice, or even quinoa, would be tasty.

I also like serving mine with some steamed or roasted broccoli. If you are looking for a good broccoli recipe, you should try our Oven Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower recipe.

I also love serving this with our Parmesan Lemon Asparagus recipe.

If you are looking for something fruity, we highly recommend trying our Berry Cheesecake Fruit Salad. It goes with just about anything. It is so delicious, it could be a dessert.