Easy Oven Baked Meatballs
This recipe for oven baked meatballs is an easy weeknight dinner. The meatballs are made with ground turkey, a combination of spices and a few other basic ingredients. The meatballs are baked in the oven until tender and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85% lean ground turkey
- ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 24 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven of 375°F. Pour ½ cup of the crushed tomatoes to the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Set aside.
- Make the Meatballs: In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir together until well combined— avoid overmixing as it can make the meatballs tough.
- Roll the Meatballs: Take 3 Tablespoons of the meat mixture, roll into balls and place into the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining crushed tomatoes over the meatballs— it's OK if they aren't completely covered. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the mozzarella cheese on top of each meatball. Place back into the oven for 10 minutes. If desired, place under the broiler for 1 minute.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve over pasta, with garlic bread, etc. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions:
- Make-Ahead: You can make this entire recipe the night before, cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator. The next day, remove from the refrigerator and bake!
- Pre-Make: You can make the meatballs up to 2 days in advance and store them in the refrigerator in the baking dish covered with aluminum foil. Pour the sauce on top and bake!
- Freeze: You can make the meatballs and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can either thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or bake frozen and add an additional 5-10 minutes prior to adding the cheese.
- Meat: You can use ground beef or ground turkey for this recipe.
- Crushed Tomatoes: You can also use your favorite pasta sauce.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer to use Panko breadcrumbs but regular breadcrumbs will work too. If you are gluten free, use certified GF breadcrumbs.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!