• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

epicuricloud (Tina Verrelli) logo

  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • Cooking Contest Experiences
  • Tina’s Recipes
  • QVC Demo Recipes
  • Tasty Travels
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Cookbook
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Our Favorite Turkey Ricotta Meatballs

January 12, 2023 by Tina Verrelli Leave a Comment
Modified January 27, 2023 at 9:04 am

Thanks for Sharing!

3 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These meatballs were a big hit with my family and when served at our neighborhood annual cookie exchange! They are light, juicy and very flavorful! (a rarity with ground turkey recipes!)

You can make them a little larger to serve with pasta or roll them smaller and they make great appetizers! I highly recommend serving a little extra ricotta (drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper) to dollop on the side.

I’ve been developing this recipe for well over a year. Truth be told, my family has not always been in agreement over the use of ground turkey. Sometimes ground turkey recipes can just be so dry and flavorless. But, now, after lots of testing and tweaking we have “go-to” recipes for both delicious and juicy turkey burgers (will post recipe soon!) and these Turkey Ricotta Meatballs!

The first time I made Turkey Ricotta Meatballs was from a recipe I saw linked in the New York Times Cooking Newsletter – it was a really simple recipe with just turkey, ricotta, Parmesan and a few seasonings. I’m not sure if I made them incorrectly, but they were super dense, dry and flavor lacking

I started with a pound of the leanest 99% ground turkey along with a pound of the 93% lean – to have the best of both wolds. Then, I experimented with adding different amounts of bread crumbs (to loosen the denseness of the protein), some very finely minced onion and fresh Italian parsley (for flavor and moisture), eggs, various amounts of ricotta as well as baking time and temperature.

Finally, a recipe we love! Hope you do too!

Our Favorite Turkey Ricotta Meatballs

Light, juicy and flavorful! These meatballs were a big hit with my family and friends! You can make them a little larger to serve with pasta or roll them smaller and they make great appetizers! I highly recommend serving a little extra ricotta (drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper) to dollop on the side. 
Tina Verrelli – epicuricloud.com
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Italian Style Meatballs, ricotta, turkey
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Simmer in Sauce Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Meatball Ingredients:

  • 1 pound 99% lean ground turkey
  • 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I use the whole milk Galbani brand) plus extra for serving if desired
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced or grated onion*
  • 2 cloves garlic* minced
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Romano (Locatelli) cheese or Parmesan
  • 1/4 cup finely minced Italian parsley
  • 1 teaspoom dry Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons if using coarse Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Other Items:

  • oil spray
  • your favorite marinara sauce
  • fresh basil, optional

Instructions 

Meatball Sizes:

  • 1-ounce (2 T.) scoop makes smaller appetizer size – about 45 meatballs – bake 12-15 minutes.
  • 1.5-ounce (3 T.) scoop, slightly rounded, makes larger "spaghetti & meatball" size – about 24-30 meatballs – bake 15-20 minutes.

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. I usually bake on parchment lined baking sheet, but you can bake on greased baking sheet as well.
  • Stir together all meatball ingredients until just combined.
  • Scoop and roll balls – damp hands can help with stickiness
  • Lightly spray with oil spray.
  • Bake Times: 425 degrees F.
    1-ounce (2 T.) scoop makes smaller appetizer size – about 45 meatballs – bake 12-15 minutes or until 165 F. internal temp – use an instant read thermometer.
    1.5-ounce (3T.) scoop, slightly rounded, makes larger "spaghetti & meatball" size – about 24-30 meatballs – bake 15-20 minutes or until 165 F. internal temp – use an instant read thermometer.
  • Simmer for at least 30 minutes in marinara sauce of your choice.
  • Serve if desired with some extra ricotta and Romano or Parmesan cheese on the side. I like to drizzle the ricotta with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Make-Ahead:
    After baking you can cool and freeze them. Freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to zip freezer bag or freezer container – or you can make ahead and refrigerate for a couple days.

Notes

Onions and Garlic:

The onions and garlic will cook enough (to not be raw) while the meatballs bake in the oven, but it’s not a super-long bake time.  So they really soften further while the meatballs are simmered in the sauce.  If you don’t plan on simmering the meatballs in the sauce, you may want to precook the onion and garlic a little bit. You can microwave with a little oil (covered) for a couple minutes or sauté in a pan with a little oil for several minutes or just until softened.

Nutrition (approx. data estimated via online nutritional calculator.)

Calories: 198kcal (10%) | Carbohydrates: 4g (1%) | Protein: 22g (44%) | Fat: 10g (15%) | Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 100mg (33%) | Sodium: 355mg (15%) | Potassium: 260mg (7%) | Fiber: 0.3g (1%) | Sugar: 0.5g (1%) | Vitamin A: 343IU (7%) | Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) | Calcium: 133mg (13%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
Tried this recipe?Share it! Tag @epicuricloud – Please Leave A Comment & Rating Below! TY!

Filed Under: Dinner / Lunch, Fall/Autumn Recipe, Turkey Tagged With: ground turkey, meatball

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to epicuricloud!

Hi I'm Tina, Mom-Teacher-Foodie-Recipe Creator

On-Air Guest for KitchenAid on QVC

EPICURI: Foodie, passion for food and drink.
CLOUD: A sharing place.
Love to share my recipes here! Join me!

Read More…

Search

KitchenAid on QVC Calendar:

Mar
29
Wed
12:00 am KitchenAid TSV Hour Show on QVC ... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
KitchenAid TSV Hour Show on QVC ... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
Mar 29 @ 12:00 am – 1:00 am
From QVC Studio TSV Item  
8:00 am KitchenAid TSV Hour Show on QVC ... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
KitchenAid TSV Hour Show on QVC ... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
Mar 29 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 am
From QVC Studio TSV Item + Other KitchenAid Items  
12:00 pm KitchenAid TSV Item During “Q at... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
KitchenAid TSV Item During “Q at... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
Mar 29 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
From QVC Studio TSV Item   
2:00 pm KitchenAid TSV Hour Show on QVC ... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
KitchenAid TSV Hour Show on QVC ... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
Mar 29 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
From QVC Studio TSV Item + Other KitchenAid Items  
7:00 pm KitchenAid TSV Hour Show on QVC ... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
KitchenAid TSV Hour Show on QVC ... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
Mar 29 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
From QVC Studio TSV Item + Other KitchenAid Items  
8:00 pm KitchenAid TSV Item During “In t... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
KitchenAid TSV Item During “In t... @ QVC Main Channel - Tina at QVC Studio
Mar 29 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
From QVC Studio TSV Item + Shave Ice Attachment  
View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
  • Add to Apple Calendar
  • Add to other calendar
  • Export to XML

Dinner & Lunch Recipes:

Shiitake, Ginger & Pork Pot Sticker Soup

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef: 2 meals in 1

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons & Prosciutto Crisps Recipe (+ Vegan Version)

Empanada Party: 4 Fillings + 3 Sauces = YUM!

PB & Fluff Push Pops (Just a Quick Idea)

Warm Farro Salad w/ Grilled Flank Steak

All-Time Favorite Recipes:

KitchenAid Bread Bowl (Gluten-Free) Bread

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Sweet and Sour Coleslaw with Warm Bacon Dressing

Yeasted Waffles: Syrup pouring onto stack of waffles on a plate with bacon and strawberries

Overnight Yeasted Waffles

No-Churn Ice Cream

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese (No Boil Pasta)

Our Favorite 5-Star Beef Chili

10 Winning Tips for The Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest

Pet Treat Recipes:

Homemade Dog Waffles – “Woofles”

Purr-fect Kitty Salmon Treats

Ruff, Ruff Truffles: Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Doggie Biscuits

Meow-ums Kitty Crackers

“gnaw, gnaw” Biscuits: Teeth Tamers for Guinea Pigs and Rabbits

Cockatiel Seed “Tweets”

Peanut Butter and Banana “Barkies” (Dog Cookies)

Recipe & Post Archives

  • March 2023 (1)
  • January 2023 (2)
  • December 2022 (2)
  • November 2022 (6)
  • October 2022 (3)
  • September 2022 (3)
  • July 2022 (1)
  • June 2022 (4)
  • May 2022 (1)
  • April 2022 (4)
  • March 2022 (1)
  • February 2022 (1)
  • January 2022 (3)
  • December 2021 (1)
  • November 2021 (1)
  • October 2021 (3)
  • September 2021 (1)
  • August 2021 (2)
  • July 2021 (3)
  • June 2021 (4)
  • May 2021 (5)
  • April 2021 (3)
  • March 2021 (3)
  • February 2021 (1)
  • January 2021 (2)
  • December 2020 (2)
  • November 2020 (3)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • September 2020 (4)
  • July 2020 (2)
  • June 2020 (6)
  • May 2020 (3)
  • April 2020 (4)
  • March 2020 (6)
  • February 2020 (6)
  • January 2020 (6)
  • December 2019 (4)
  • November 2019 (4)
  • October 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (8)
  • August 2019 (6)
  • July 2019 (6)
  • June 2019 (5)
  • May 2019 (5)
  • April 2019 (6)
  • March 2019 (4)
  • February 2019 (5)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • September 2014 (1)
  • August 2014 (1)
  • August 2013 (1)

Tina’s Recipe Categories

Appetizer BBQ sides Beef Blender Recipe bread Breakfast Breakfast & Brunch Brunch cake chicken Chopper Recipes Christmas Christmas Recipes Cocktails / Beverages Condiment Cookies Cooking for A Crowd Dessert Desserts for a Crowd Dinner / Lunch Easter food adventure Fourth of July Halloween Holiday Recipes Lunch Box Ideas Pasta Pet Treats QVC Demo Links by Date QVC Recipe salad Salads / Sides / Vegetables Sauce Sauces & Condiments School Treats Side Dish Snacks Soup Spring Foods summer foods Thanksgiving Uncategorized Vegetables Vegetarian yeast dough

Footer

 

Subscribe via Email!




Copyright © 2023 epicuricloud (Tina Verrelli)

3 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Yummly
  • Email

Homemade Made Easy Cookbook - Order Now! Dismiss