15 Minutes Italian Meatballs {with Ground Turkey}
These homemade Italian meatballs are made with a creamy tomato sauce is the best combination. The meatballs are so juicy and packed with flavors. The meatballs can be cooked in the oven within 15 minutes. Then pair them with an easy dairy-free tomato sauce, this quick recipe is the perfect dinner for the whole family!
I have been obsessed with ground meat recipes like turkey burgers and these Italian meatballs.
Why Do I love these Lighter Italian Meatballs?
- The most tender and juicy gluten-free meatballs made from scratch!
- So easy to pack meatballs with flavors
- Lighter and easy dinner for the family
- They be made ahead of time and are perfect for meal prepping
Every time when I make these juicy and flavorful meatballs I double the batches to have for the week. It is a lot of chopping and rolling. So I have to get my time worth.
Freezer Friendly
All you need is to store cooked and cooled meatballs in an airtight container or a storage bag.
These Italian Meatballs can freeze beautifully for a couple of months.
Tip: To prevent meatballs from sticking to each other due to the moisture, you can place them on a sheet pan or a plate and freeze them for a couple of hours with room between each meatball.
Then take them off of the plate and throw them in a container or bag.
How to Make Turkey Meatballs from Scratch
First of all, wash, dry and chop all the veggies. Sauteing the veggies before mixing into the meatballs will help bring out the aromatic even more.
Second, mix ground meat with veggies and seasoning by hand. Either use a cookie dough scooper or roll the ground meat mixture into balls by hand.
Third, roast in the oven at 425 F. The high temperature will help the meatballs stay moist, tender inside, and yet charred and crispy on the outside.
Additionally, adding Arrowroot flour can prevent the meatballs from being tough.
While the meatballs are cooking in the oven, we will make the easy creamy tomato sauce.
All you need is a jar of your favorite marinara sauce and canned coconut milk. The creamy and sweet coconut milk balance out the acidity in the tomato sauce. It is my favorite creamy tomato sauce.
Lastly, mix the meatballs with sauce and serve with your favorite pasta and vegetables.
What to Use in Place of Breadcrumbs in Meatballs
Another one of my secret ingredients, arrowroot flour!
Man, I am really giving out all of my secret weapons for you guys to make the best ever meatballs at home.
Arrowroot flour is my go-to flour when it comes to cooking meat.
Either I am marinating chicken for stir fry recipes:
Or using arrowroot flour in meatball recipes in the place of breadcrumbs in traditional meatball recipes.
Besides helping trap the moisture inside of the meat during the cooking process, arrowroot flour is naturally gluten-free.
How to Make Creamy Dairy Free Tomato Sauce
In order to make my Secret Sauce, you will need:
- 1 jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce (24 oz)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
Bring all the ingredients to boil in a small pot, and simmer until the mushroom is soft.
The sweetness of the coconut milk complements the acidity from the marinara sauce so well.
Best Combo.
Ever.
What Should I Serve with Italian Meatballs?
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs will always be the classic go-to. Smothered in some creamy tomato sauce, this is one of our all-time favorite dinners.
Meatball Sub Sandwiches
Serving these meatballs on a sliced hearty sub sandwich, a generous scoop of marinara sauce, a sprinkle of extra fresh basil, and there you have the easiest lunch to go.
Italian Version of Buddha Bowl
I can never skip a jam loaded buddha bowl. Fill a bowl with cooked quinoa, sweet potato, broccoli, and zucchini noodles.
Top it off with a few of these Italian meatballs, sprinkle some extra parmesan cheese, and you have a quick lunch ready.
Last but not least, scroll down to check out the full recipe for these Gluten Free Italian Meatballs with creamy tomato sauce.
This recipe is perfect for dinner on a date night, the whole family to enjoy and meal prep for the week. It will become your favorite Italian dinner option for the whole family!
Ooo also I look forward to seeing your creations! You can use “Tried it” on Pinterest or share on Instagram by tagging #shuangyseats
Get the recipe:15 Minutes Italian Meatballs {with Ground Turkey}
Ingredients
Italian Mealballs
- 1 lb Ground Chicken, or ground beef
- 1 lb Ground turkey
- 1/4 cup Onion, Minced
- 2 -3 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1/4 cup Poblano pepper, Chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1.5 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 – 2 tbsp arrowroot flour *
Creamy Tomato Sauce
- 1 jar 24oz Marinaria Sauce
- 1/2 can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup Mushroom, Chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F
- Finely chop the onion, garlic, poblano pepper (if using any). Heat 1 tbsp avocado oil in a pan and sauté the aromatic for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Set aside.
- Combine all meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until combined well, using your hands. Roll into balls (approx. 24 – 28 meatballs for 2 lb of meat)
- Bake 13 – 15 minutes until it’s completely cooked through (no pink when cut open)
- Creamy Tomato Sauce
- Pour a jar of your favorite marinara sauce and 1/2 cup coconut milk into a small pot
- Fold in chopped mushroom. Bring to boil then simmer until mushroom is soft
- Pour the sauce over meatballs and serve with your favorite pasta and vegetables. Enjoy!
Notes
- * I generally follow 1 tbsp of arrowroot flour per pound of ground meat.
- When combining meatballs, do not overmix. Otherwise, meatballs will tend to dry out during the cooking process.
- Using a Cast Iron Skillet will make the meatballs extra crispy on the outside while remaining juicy on the inside.
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
Just made this for dinner at first! so good!! thank you for this healthy and delicious recipe!! 🙂
Hi Diane,
So glad you enjoyed it!
Shuang
This dish was absolutely delicious!! Can’t wait to make again. Highly recommend!