These Baked Turkey Meatballs are served in a red wine mushroom sauce for an easy, quick, and filling weeknight dinner.

Baked Turkey Meatballs - in a Skillet with Mushroom Sauce and Parsley

While there’s no childhood nostalgia in meatballs for me (can I please get a surrogate Italian nonna?!), as a cook I really appreciate how quick, easy, filling, and comforting they tend to be.

I like meatballs in all varieties but gravitate toward a rotation of the classic Italian beef and pork meatballs, turkey meatballs, and even vegetarian meatballs like eggplant & white bean.

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite turkey meatball fixes.

Healthy Turkey Meatballs on a Plate with Mushroom Sauce

This is one of those recipes that you’d call solid, satisfying, simple, and perfect for dinner.

Here I serve the turkey meatballs with a savory mushroom sauce, which coats the meatballs with an earthiness and saltiness that I really enjoy, but you could certainly make the turkey meatballs and pair with your sauce of choice.

Turkey Meatballs on a Plate with Mushrooms and Herbs

I have also enjoyed making the turkey meatballs plain without the sauce, to add them to salads. There are many ways to eat them!

How to Make Turkey Meatballs:

In a bowl, combine panko bread crumbs and buttermilk. You can also use regular milk:

Pouring Milk Into Panko Bread Crumbs in Bowl

Using soaked panko breadcrumbs is my preferred bread component for meatballs, to give them a softer texture.

If you’re accustomed to something else, like using a slice of white bread, you could certainly substitute that instead.

Let this sit for 5 minutes to soften, then add it to a bowl with ground turkey, egg, parsley, parmesan, salt, and pepper:

Ground Turkey, Bread Crumbs, Cheese, Egg, and Herbs in Bowl

Mix to combine:

Ground Turkey Meatballs Mixture in Glass Bowl

Portion the mixture into meatballs.

My favorite tool to use for this is a cookie scoop, so the meatballs are all the same size and cook evenly:

Scoops of Turkey Meatball Mixture On sheet Pan

Bake the meatballs in the oven, then make the sauce in the meantime.

In a large skillet cook sliced baby bella mushrooms in some butter:

Sliced Mushrooms in Butter in Skillet

After about 5 minutes, they should look slightly softened:

Sliced Mushrooms in Skillet with Purple Spatula

Add a touch of red wine to the pan:

Pouring Red Wine Into Mushroom Sauce

Cook for a few minutes, then add a cornstarch slurry:

Pouring Thickening Liquid Into Mushroom Sauce

Cook for a couple minutes until the sauce thickens, then add the meatballs to the pan.

Cook for another couple minutes until the sauce coats the meatballs:

Healthy Turkey Mushroom Meatballs In Skillet

They’re now ready to enjoy, and I like serving them with a side of Rice Pilaf.

More Ground Meat Recipes:

Enjoy!

Baked Turkey Meatballs in a Skillet with Mushroom Sauce and Parsley

Baked Turkey Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce

These Baked Turkey Meatballs are served in a red wine mushroom sauce for an easy, quick, and filling weeknight dinner.
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Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk or milk
  • 1 pound dark ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt + more for the mushrooms
  • a few grinds of black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 lb baby bella mushrooms sliced
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425F.
  • In a bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and buttermilk. Let this sit for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the turkey, parmesan, egg, parsley, the salt, and pepper. Mix this mixture together with your hands until the ingredients are combined, taking care not to overmix.
  • Use a cookie scoop to portion out the meatballs, and place on a sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until the meatballs are fully cooked through to 160F.
  • Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat, then add the mushrooms. Season with a pinch of salt, then cook for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened. Add the red wine to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Whisk together the cornstarch and chicken broth to make a slurry, and add to the mushroom pan. Cook for 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for 2 more minutes, until the meatballs are also coated in the sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 147mg, Sodium: 580mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Post updated in March 2019. Originally published September 2016.