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Golden-brown meatballs simmering in rich marinara sauce in a black skillet, garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

These juicy turkey meatballs in tomato sauce are everything you want in a comforting dinner—tender, flavorful, and honestly? You won’t even miss beef. This is one of those recipes that feels fancy, but it’s actually super simple to throw together on a weeknight.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup minced onion
  • 2 tbsp garlic cloves minced or grated
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1½ pounds ground turkey
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 3 cups marinara sauce store-bought or homemade

Instructions
 

Step 1: Make the Meatball Mixture

  • In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, beaten egg, Parmesan, panko, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and dried basil.
    Raw turkey meatball mixture with egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasonings in a metal mixing bowl
  • Gently mix everything together using your hands until just combined. Don’t overmix—this is key for tender meatballs.
  • If you have time, cover and refrigerate the mixture for 30–60 minutes. This helps the flavors come together and makes shaping easier.

Step 2: Form the Meatballs

  • Roll the mixture into about 28 meatballs (roughly 1–1¼ inches each).
    Hand rolling seasoned ground turkey mixture into a meatball for homemade turkey meatballs recipe
  • Tip: Slightly wet your hands to prevent sticking.

Step 3: Brown the Meatballs

  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the meatballs in a single layer (work in batches if needed) and brown on all sides, about 5–8 minutes total. They don’t need to be fully cooked yet—just nicely browned.
    Turkey meatballs browning in a cast iron skillet with golden crust
  • Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining meatballs, adding more oil if needed.

Step 4: Simmer in Sauce

  • Pour the marinara sauce into the same pan, scraping up all those browned bits (that’s flavor).
    Turkey meatballs simmering in marinara sauce in a cast iron skillet
  • Add the meatballs back in, reduce heat to low, and let everything simmer for 15–20 minutes, partially covered, until the meatballs are fully cooked through.

Step 5: Serve

  • Serve hot over pasta, with extra Parmesan on top if you want.