Juicy Baked Turkey Meatballs with Cottage Cheese
These baked turkey meatballs stay tender thanks to grated zucchini and blended cottage cheese, two tricks that keep lean ground turkey from drying out in the oven. No pan-frying required, just mix, roll, and bake.
Servings: 4
Calories: 238kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ cup small curd cottage cheese drained
- ½ cup zucchini grated, squeezed very dry
- ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- cooking spray
- marinara sauce and spaghetti, or other pasta noodle, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- 2. Grate the zucchini and squeeze out as much moisture as possible in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
- In a food processor or high-speed blender, pulse the cottage cheese until smooth with no lumps remaining.
- In a large bowl, gently combine the turkey, cottage cheese, zucchini, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, basil, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix just until combined.
- Using wet or oiled hands, roll the mixture into 14 meatballs (about 3 tablespoons each; confirm against your actual yield) and place on the baking sheet. Spray lightly with olive oil or cooking spray.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes at the end for extra browning, if desired.
- Serve as-is, or simmer in marinara sauce for about 5 minutes and serve over spaghetti or your favorite noodle.
Notes
- Squeeze the zucchini as dry as possible. Too much moisture makes the mixture harder to shape.
- Blend the cottage cheese completely smooth before mixing it in. Lumps will show up in the finished meatball.
- Use wet or oiled hands to roll the mixture. It's tender and a little sticky.
- Mix just until combined. Overworking the mixture makes the meatballs dense.
- Bake time will vary if you roll the meatballs larger or smaller than 2 tablespoons each.
- The marinara simmer is optional. It adds a lot of flavor if you're serving these with pasta and have the extra 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 366IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 2mg
