Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Sauce
These Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Sauce are stuffed with herbs, garlic, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses and baked with a lemon wine sauce. Delicious! Healthy and flavorful, these turkey meatballs are easy enough for any weeknight meal.
Turkey Meatballs…
Turkey meatballs are a healthy alternative to red meat. These are juicy, moist, and loaded with lemon flavor. Best of all, you make these meatballs in less than 15 minutes.
Plus, they are baked rather than fried, so the oven does all the work for you.
The lemon sauce is made with only 5 ingredients and bakes with meatballs for the last 12 to 15 minutes in the oven, making them truly delicious.
Serve them with your favorite side, and maybe even a dessert like our lemon pound cake to complete the meal. It’s divine!
What is needed to Make Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Sauce?
With turkey meatballs, we need to give them a lot of flavoring, otherwise, they will turn out bland. For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Ingredients Needed For the Meatballs…
- lean ground turkey – one pound package of ground turkey is enough for 4 to 5 servings.
- bread crumbs – are needed to make them moist and help bind them together.
- grated cheeses – grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses are needed to add in some natural salt, while they flavor the turkey.
- seasonings – salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper are the spices to flavor the ground turkey and to give them some heat.
- herbs – fresh chopped Italian parsley and some dried oregano to give additional flavor.
- garlic – fresh cloves of garlic finely minced are preferred to give a nutty, pungent flavor to poultry.
- one egg – to help bind the entire mixture.
For the Lemon Sauce…
Our lemon sauce consists of a few simple ingredients but makes a huge impact on flavor.
- white wine – (preferably any drinking wine you have on hand, we used pinot grigio).
- freshly squeezed lemon juice – fresh is better and never leaves a bitter aftertaste.
- extra virgin olive oil – to give a healthy fat while it helps balance out the flavors in the sauce.
- garlic powder – a small amount goes a long way.
- crushed red pepper flakes – to give the sauce some heat.
- fresh chopped Italian parsley – is needed for additional freshness, and a clean taste while it brightens up the dish.
How to Make These Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Sauce?
There are 3 easy steps to making these Turkey Meatballs. (*Full recipe card below)
The first step, make the mixture…
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray your baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
- Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a mixing bowl. Use a fork or your hand to mix the turkey mixture, until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
The second step, make the meatballs…
3. Make them into meatballs, grab a spoonful of the mixture and use your hands to roll them into a ball, the size of a golf ball.
4. Then transfer each one to your baking dish. Try your best to make them all the same size, so they will bake evenly.
The third and final step, bake them and add lemon sauce…
5. Pop them into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, you can prepare the lemon wine sauce in a measuring cup, or small mixing bowl.
6. Next, carefully remove the baking dish from the oven, and pour the lemon sauce over the meatballs.
7. Then return them back to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and serve.
… and ENJOY!!
Options for serving…
These moist and juicy meatballs are so delicious, you can enjoy them alone with some crusty bread (for dipping) and a green salad as the side. They also pair very well with couscous or quinoa, to help soak up some of that tangy lemon sauce.
But here are additional sides you might want to try:
- angel hair pasta with lemon sauce
- best creamy mashed potatoes
- asparagus au gratin -lightened!
- cooked rice
- creamy mashed cauliflower
Questions and Answers…
1. Can we make ahead and freeze?
Yes, you can make the meatballs, and freeze them in a sealed container. Then allow them to completely thaw before baking. Also, keep in mind, you can freeze leftovers, along with the lemon sauce for another meal in the future.
2. How long will they stay fresh in the refrigerator?
Any leftover meat is only good to stay fresh for up to 3 days. After that, you should discard them. If you know you will not have them again during the week, transfer any leftovers to a sealed container and freeze them.
3. Can we use this recipe with other meats or poultry?
Yes, you can. Instead of turkey, you can use ground chicken, lamb, or veal and make these juicy, flavorful meatballs.
4. Can we make them gluten-free?
Yes, you can use “cornbread crumbs” instead of plain bread crumbs. We prefer to use “plain” bread crumbs and add in our own spices and fresh herbs.
Additional delicious recipes to try…
- Parmesan Crusted Turkey Cutlets
- Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast
- Mom’s Sunday Meatballs
- Turkey Burgers with Fresh Tzatziki Sauce
Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Sauce
Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Sauce are stuffed with herbs, garlic, parmesan, and Romano cheeses and baked with a lemon wine sauce. Healthy and flavorful, these turkey meatballs are easy enough for a weeknight meal.
Ingredients
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
- 1 pound (16 ounces) ground turkey
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3 garlic cloves - minced (about 1 Tbsp.)
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped Italian parsley
- 1 egg
- freshly cracked black pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
FOR LEMON SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- dash of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
- 3 to 4 slices of lemon - sliced in half
Instructions
Write instructions
1. Preheat the to 375 degrees F (190C). Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey with bread crumbs, grated cheeses, salt, cayenne pepper, minced garlic, parsley, oregano, egg, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. You can use a fork, or your hand to blend the mixture.
3. Shape the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and transfer each one into the prepared baking dish. Continue until all the turkey mixture is done. You can use your hand to shape them into balls, or you can use a small ice cream scoop. Place them on the center rack in the oven.
4. BAKE the meatballs for 20 to 25 minutes.
5. In the meantime, make the lemon wine sauce, stir to combine lemon juice, olive oil, white wine, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and fresh parsley.
6. Then remove from the oven and pour the lemon wine sauce into the baking dish. Add a few lemon slices to the baking dish.
7. Return to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish and spoon all the lemon wine sauce over them and serve.
yields: about 21 to 22 meatballs
Notes
Per serving: Vitamin D 3mcg, Calcium 190mg, Iron 3mg, and Potassium 312mg
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4 to 5 servingsServing Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 20.6gCarbohydrates: 9.6gFiber: .7gSugar: 1.3gProtein: 31.9g
That’s it friends! If you have any questions, ask away! And if you tried our Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Sauce recipe, let us know and leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you.
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Happy and Healthy Cooking! 🙂
thanks for stopping by…
xo anna and liz
