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Our Favorite Turkey Ricotta Meatballs

Light, juicy and flavorful! These meatballs were a big hit with my family and friends! You can make them a little larger to serve with pasta or roll them smaller and they make great appetizers! I highly recommend serving a little extra ricotta (drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper) to dollop on the side. 
Tina Verrelli - epicuricloud.com
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Italian Style Meatballs, ricotta, turkey
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Simmer in Sauce Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Meatball Ingredients:

  • 1 pound 99% lean ground turkey
  • 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I use the whole milk Galbani brand) plus extra for serving if desired
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced or grated onion*
  • 2 cloves garlic* minced
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Romano (Locatelli) cheese or Parmesan
  • 1/4 cup finely minced Italian parsley
  • 1 teaspoom dry Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons if using coarse Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Other Items:

  • oil spray
  • your favorite marinara sauce
  • fresh basil, optional

Instructions 

Meatball Sizes:

  • 1-ounce (2 T.) scoop makes smaller appetizer size - about 45 meatballs - bake 12-15 minutes.
  • 1.5-ounce (3 T.) scoop, slightly rounded, makes larger "spaghetti & meatball" size - about 24-30 meatballs - bake 15-20 minutes.

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. I usually bake on parchment lined baking sheet, but you can bake on greased baking sheet as well.
  • Stir together all meatball ingredients until just combined.
  • Scoop and roll balls - damp hands can help with stickiness
  • Lightly spray with oil spray.
  • Bake Times: 425 degrees F.
    (Convection Oven 400 F)
    1-ounce (2 T.) scoop makes smaller appetizer size - about 45 meatballs - bake 12-15 minutes (Convection Oven 12 min.) or until 165 F. internal temp - use an instant read thermometer.
    1.5-ounce (3T.) scoop, slightly rounded, makes larger "spaghetti & meatball" size - about 24-30 meatballs - bake 15-20 minutes (Convection Oven 15 min.) or until 165 F. internal temp - use an instant read thermometer.
  • Simmer for at least 30 minutes in marinara sauce of your choice.
  • Serve if desired with some extra ricotta and Romano or Parmesan cheese on the side. I like to drizzle the ricotta with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Make-Ahead:
    After baking you can cool and freeze them. Freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to zip freezer bag or freezer container - or you can make ahead and refrigerate for a couple days.

Notes

Onions and Garlic:

The onions and garlic will cook enough (to not be raw) while the meatballs bake in the oven, but it's not a super-long bake time.  So they really soften further while the meatballs are simmered in the sauce.  If you don't plan on simmering the meatballs in the sauce, you may want to precook the onion and garlic a little bit. You can microwave with a little oil (covered) for a couple minutes or sauté in a pan with a little oil for several minutes or just until softened.

Nutrition (approx. data estimated via online nutritional calculator.)

Calories: 198kcal (10%) | Carbohydrates: 4g (1%) | Protein: 22g (44%) | Fat: 10g (15%) | Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 100mg (33%) | Sodium: 355mg (15%) | Potassium: 260mg (7%) | Fiber: 0.3g (1%) | Sugar: 0.5g (1%) | Vitamin A: 343IU (7%) | Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) | Calcium: 133mg (13%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
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