Easy, healthy Turkey Meatballs the whole family will enjoy! This gluten free turkey meatballs recipe is made with ground brown rice crackers, herbs, and garlic, and slow simmered in a homemade basil marinara sauce for an hour. An easy dinner recipe you’ll come back to again and again!
*Today I’m partnering with Sharp Home USA ~ Sharp creates quality home appliances that make life easier! I’ve been using the Induction Cooktop for the past few months, and can’t wait to share how luxurious it is in the kitchen. Thanks for supporting me and the brands I work with. I only share this space with the very best ~ and that’s a promise.
Contents
Healthy Turkey Meatballs that are Easy to Prepare!
There is something so comforting about a marinara sauce simmering on the stove for hours!
This is the kind of meal I love to make in the winter when I want a house that smells of delicious food, and a high protein, low fat meal that will keep us full and satisfied. Plus, leftovers! <3
I’ve taken an easy turkey meatball recipe, and made it gluten free by subbing my favorite “breadcrumb” substitute — blended brown rice crackers. If you’d like the recipe to be paleo, seasoned almond flour works here too! Just add a few pinches of salt to the almond flour and sub it in the recipe.
These turkey meatballs have:
- Garlic! (and lots of it)
- Minced sweet onion
- Parsley (sneak those greens in anywhere you can!)
- Coconut Aminos (a wheat and soy free alternative to soy sauce for extra flavor)
- Egg, salt and pepper — the staples!
Prepare these easy Turkey Meatballs in Basil Marinara Sauce by:
- Mixing the ground turkey in with the seasoning ingredients
- Browning the meatballs in a large skillet, then removing them
- Browning some extra garlic for the marinara sauce
- Adding the crushed tomatoes and spices for the sauce,
- Adding the meatballs into the marinara sauce, and slow simmering for an hour.
The Perfect Stovetop to Simmer Away!
I’ve been so lucky to work with Sharp Home USA this year! They have been sending me some amazing kitchen appliances to test and develop recipes for, and it sure has changed the work flow in my kitchen.
The newest appliance I have been working with is the Sharp Induction Cooktop. This beautiful cooktop comes in a standard 30 inch size, and a luxurious and spacious 36 inch size.
My favorite feature? The POWER BOOST! (because I am impatient). Set a pot of water on the cooktop, and select Power Boost, and little bubbles form on the bottom of the pan almost instantly. If you’re like me, and are always in a hurry to get your pasta water to boil, this cooktop is ready to go in the time it takes to walk to the pantry and grab a box of pasta.
Another feature that is great to have is the simmer enhancer — something that is so helpful if you are preparing a meal like these meatballs! The simmer enhancer gives a steady supply of heat to the dish at low temperatures, meaning delicate sauces or dishes such as the marinara sauce simmer evenly — no sauce splattered, no burning on the bottom of the pan.
When I cook on a regular electric cooktop, I really notice all the differences between it and my new Sharp Induction Cooktop. Kitchen luxury!
Try these Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs for a more hands-off recipe!
What to Eat with Turkey Meatballs
These healthy turkey meatballs are a meal on their own! I love having a few meatballs with marinara sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese as a light and protein packed lunch or dinner.
To serve these for a family, try:
- Gluten free pasta (or just serve your family’s favorite pasta!)
- Brown rice or quinoa
- Spiralized Zucchini Noodles (see how to make them in this Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Sauce post — see the spiralizer I love here)
- The Best Green Salad (because sometimes we just need a little crisp lettuce)
Healthy Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
Turkey Meatballs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 3/4 cup brown rice crackers ground into crumbs
- 1/4 cup onion finely minced
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- black pepper to taste
Basil Marinara
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Grind rice crackers in a blender to form gluten free bread crumbs, or sub your favorite bread crumbs.
- In a large bowl, add ground turkey, and all other meatball ingredients, except olive oil. Stir well to combine.
- Scoop out turkey to form large meatballs, rolling them between palms to make the edges smooth and even.
- On the Sharp Induction Cooktop, place a heavy skillet on a cooking zone, and turn on to level 7. Drizzle the pan with olive oil.
- Add all turkey meatballs to the skillet, and allow to brown. Roll over and brown on the other side, then remove meatballs from the pan.
- Add the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the minced garlic. Saute the garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, oregano, and red chili flakes, and reduce the cooking heat to 3 to activate the simmer enhancer.
- Add the turkey meatballs back into the pan, and simmer in the sauce for 1 hour. Reduce the cooking heat to 2, or add water to thin, if necessary.
Video
Nutrition
Other Healthy Pasta Recipes:
- Vegan One Pot Pasta, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Mediterranean One Pot Pasta, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Baked Eggplant Parmesan Pasta, by Sunkissed Kitchen
I’d love to connect with you on social media! Find me on Facebook or Instagram where I post daily healthy eating and lifestyle inspiration.
This Healthy Turkey Meatballs post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase, I will receive part of the sale as a commission. This helps me continue to bring you lots of fresh and inspired recipes!
Wow! I never knew that these gorgeous induction cooktops exist! They look so sleek! So they are used only with induction cookware, right?
P.S. Your meatballs look delicious, Michelle!
Thank you Judi! I found that actually more cookware than I knew can be used with it — the pans just need to be magnetic. Most of mine already were!
I am always on a lookout for healthy, gluten-free recipes. I just saved these Turkey Meatballs to my MUST TRY board on Pinterest. The cooktop looks so nice! I am also impatient when it comes to cooking, so I need the the power boost button too!!!
The power boost button is a life saver!
There really is something so comforting about meatballs in marinara bubbling away on the stove. These turkey meatballs sound truly amazing and I love your two bread crumb substitution ideas! Definitely trying this recipe!