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Quick & Easy Gluten-Free Turkey Meatballs

The BEST turkey meatballs in red sauce! Serve it up over your choice of pasta noodles, zoodles or rice!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 12 Meatballs
Calories: 169 kcal
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey see note*
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs see note**
  • 1/3 cup yellow onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 28-ounce jar pasta sauce of choice, see note***

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Add all of the ingredients to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until the ingredients are well-incorporated and the meat begins to ball up. Note: If you don't have a mixer, you can mix everything by hand (yes, with your actual hands) in a mixing bowl. 
  2. Form balls out of the turkey meatball mixture (mine were 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter), and place them on a plate.
  3. Heat a large (10-inch) cast iron skillet to medium-high and add enough olive oil (or algae oil or cooking oil of choice) to generously coat the surface. Once the skillet is hot, carefully place the meatballs on the hot surface, giving ample room between each ball. 
  4. Cook for 1.5 minutes, flip the meat balls over, then cook an additional 1.5 minutes. Turn the meatballs a couple more times to get a good sear on them, but don't cook them all the way through. Reduce the heat to medium.
  5. Carefully add the sauce to the skillet (if the skillet is too hot, the sauce will splatter out..watch out for sauce debris). Cover the skillet and allow the meatballs to cook at a gentle boil for 20 minutes (or cook over medium-low at a simmer for an hour). 
  6. Serve meatballs over choice of zoodles, rice, pasta, gluten-free noodles, etc.

Notes

  • *You can use 1/2 pound ground turkey + 1/2 pound ground turkey sausage for a more traditional meatball flavor.
  • **If making paleo or Whole30 meatballs, omit the GF breadcrumbs and add 1/4 cup almond flour and 1 tablespoon tapioca flour. You can also use regular breadcrumbs if you don't follow a GF or paleo diet.
  • ***If using store-bought red sauce, red the label to be sure there isn't any added sugar. I like the Primal Kitchen Brand of marinara sauce. Or follow the marinara sauce recipe from this post.
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Nutrition Information

Serving 1of 12 Calories 169kcal (8%) Carbohydrates 7g (2%) Protein 11g (22%) Fat 10g (15%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 3g (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Meatballs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 169

% Daily Value*

Serving 1of 12
Calories 169kcal 8%
Carbohydrates 7g 2%
Protein 11g 22%
Fat 10g 15%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 3g 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.