These juicy oven baked Turkey Zucchini Meatballs are a great healthy recipe for an easy and comforting meal! They are perfect for a meal prep or to serve with some Marinara sauce and spaghetti for a quick weeknight dinner.
If you are looking for a healthy comforting meal, you should try these amazing Turkey Zucchini Meatballs! Made with ground turkey, zucchini, grated onion, and Parmesan cheese, they are tender and juicy inside and have lots of flavors.
I love serving them with marinara sauce over a bowl of spaghetti or orzo. Although, if you want them to be even healthier, zoodles, quinoa, and roasted veggies will be a great addition to this dish.
The best part of this recipe is that the prepping time takes only about 15-20 minutes, then cook them to perfection in the oven. Also, these tasty meatballs are freezer friendly and will be great for a meal prep!
And if you love meatballs as much as I do, check out my Greek Meatballs, Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe, Oven Baked Meatballs, Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs.
Table of contents
What makes this recipe healthy
Zucchini. Using grated zucchini is a great way to incorporate vegetables into the meal. If you have some “picky eaters” at home, they will gladly eat these meatballs.
Turkey. Turkey is a healthy option if you want to cook with lean meat that has more nutrients.
Baking. Instead of using a classic technique of frying in a pan using lots of oil, baking will do the same job, while cutting down on extra calories and keeping the meat juicy and tender.
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add 1 pound ground turkey, 1 cup of grated and squeezed zucchini, ½ cup of bread crumbs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup grated onion with juices, 1 egg, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Using your hands or a spatula, mix everything together until well combined.
Using a 1 ½ tbsp ice cream scoop, scoop out the mixture, roll it into a ball, and transfer to a baking sheet with parchment paper. Repeat the same with the rest on the mixture.
Bake them at 400°F for about 18-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
You can serve the meatballs as they are, or add to the marinara sauce.
Preheat a large skillet with marinara sauce, then lower the heat to medium/low. Add cooked meatballs and stir them in. Cover with a lid and let cook for about 7-10 minutes.
Tips for best results
- Turkey. When I use ground turkey, I always buy dark meat, because it has more flavor than lean white meat.
- Onion. I love adding grated onion with juices instead of chopped onion, as it adds more aroma and moisture.
- Bread crumbs. I prefer to use seasoned bread crumbs, because they are already mixed with the spices. Although you can use regular plain panko bread crumbs.
- Red Pepper Flakes. I always like to have a bit of “heat” in my meatballs. If you don’t like spicy food or are making this for kids, you can easily skip this ingredient.
- Marinara Sauce. My Homemade Marinara Sauce from Scratch is my always go-to sauce for different recipes. If you don’t want to make it yourself, you can use a store-bought sauce.
How to squeeze water out of zucchini
Removing liquid from zucchini is a very important step. If you skip it, the meatballs will come out too watery and less flavorful. There are a few techniques you can use to squeeze out the water.
- Use a cloth. I like to use a cotton or cheese cloth to squeeze out all the juices. Put shredded zucchini in the middle of the cloth, and using your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
- Use a mesh sieve. You can put all the shredded zucchini in the mesh sieve and press it down with a large spoon. Then put the sieve on top of the bowl, and let it sit for about 20 minutes, as more water will leak out.
- Use towels. You can use regular towels or paper towels. Place one layer of the towel on the counter, spread the shredded zucchini evenly, then place another towel on top and press in to absorb the liquid.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store them with or without tomato sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
I prefer to freeze them without the tomato sauce, as they will keep better and will be easier to defrost. First, cool them on the baking sheet that they’ve been cooking on. Then transfer the baking sheet with the meatballs to the freezer for about 30 minutes. Once they are frozen, transfer to an air-tight container or a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. The reason you want the meatballs to freeze separately before putting them together in a container is so they don’t stick to each other.
Yes. While this recipe is for “turkey” meatballs, you can easily substitute it for beef, chicken or pork meat.
When you roll out the meatballs, they should feel soft. But if they are too mushy and don’t hold together, they probably have too much moisture. To fix it, you might want to add some extra bread crumbs that will help to absorb the extra liquid.
There are so many ways to serve these delicious Turkey Zucchini Meatballs! Here are a few ideas:
– Classic Marinara Sauce and spaghetti or orzo
– Zoodles made with zucchini and carrots
– Spaghetti squash
– Best Tzatziki Sauce
– Salads, like Orzo Pasta Salad, Farro Salad Recipe, Potato Salad with Bacon and Egg, BLT Pasta Salad, or Chicken Macaroni Salad.
– Side dishes, like Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan, Oven Roasted Corn, Sheet Pan Sausage and Vegetables, Oven Roasted Butternut Squash, Crispy Smashed Potatoes, and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes.
Want more healthy dinner recipes?
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Taco Skillet
- Simple Guacamole
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
- Easy Chicken Stew Recipe
- Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe
- Buttermilk Chicken Tenders
- Taco Zucchini Boats
- Margherita Flatbread
- Vegetables Teriyaki
Oven Baked Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup zucchini grated, juices squeezed
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup onion grated with juices
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt, pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 pound ground turkey, 1 cup of grated and squeezed zucchini, ½ cup of bread crumbs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup grated onion with juices, 1 egg, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Using your hands or a spatula, mix everything together until well combined.
- Using a 1 ½ tbsp ice cream scoop, scoop out the mixture, roll it into a ball, and transfer to a baking sheet with parchment paper. Repeat the same with the rest on the mixture.
- Bake them at 400°F for about 18-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- You can serve the meatballs as they are, or add to the marinara sauce.
- Preheat a large skillet with marinara sauce, then lower the heat to medium/low. Add cooked meatballs and stir them in. Cover with a lid and let cook for about 7-10 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Turkey. When I use ground turkey, I always buy dark meat, because it has more flavor than lean white meat.
- Onion. I love adding grated onion with juices instead of chopped onion, as it adds more aroma and moisture.
- Bread crumbs. I prefer to use seasoned bread crumbs, because they are already mixed with the spices. Although you can use regular plain panko bread crumbs.
- Red Pepper Flakes. I always like to have a bit of “heat” in my meatballs. If you don’t like spicy food or are making this for kids, you can easily skip this ingredient.
- How to store. You can store them with or without tomato sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- How to freeze. I prefer to freeze them without the tomato sauce, as they will keep better and will be easier to defrost. First, cool them on the baking sheet that they’ve been cooking on. Then transfer the baking sheet with the meatballs to the freezer for about 30 minutes. Once they are frozen, transfer to an air-tight container or a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. The reason you want the meatballs to freeze separately before putting them together in a container is so they don’t stick to each other.
This is a delicious and simple recipe. Thank you!
I have a tip–
* Scrape the seeds out then geate the zucchini. This makes it less wet, so no need to squeeze. Once mixed and rolled, cover and set in refrigerator overnight. The breadcrumbs will fully absorb any extra moisture and the texture will be perfection.
I didn’t see what the serving size was anywhere,did I miss it?
I never comment on recipes but these were amazing. So easy to make and so good
Thank you so much, Lori! I’m so happy you loved the recipe!
These meatballs were a hit with my family! The zucchini made them super moist.
This is a great way to sneak in zucchini! The turkey meatballs turn out moist and flavorful. They are a nice twist to the beef version.
I love the sound of zucchini and turkey together, it sounds really delicious and interesting! These meatballs look super flavourful and i cant wait to make these, thank you for sharing this recipe!
I love this recipe! It is so easy and healthy. For me, baking your meatballs is a perfect way of cooking them.
Love the combination and love the comforting meal too. Looks delicious and tempting.
These easy turkey meatballs are so delicious. The perfect recipe for using up zucchini from my garden.
Yes to hidden veggies! What a great way to make meatballs healthier and without my kids knowing!!
Grate idea!! (see what I did there?) I’ve made meatballs with shredded carrots and onions, but never zucchini. Always appreciate learning another way to use up zucchini!
This recipe is a winner! The meatballs are so flavorful. I loved using zucchini and ground turkey together. Perfect pairing! Thank you so much!
What a great alternative to regular beef meatballs. A healthy option. The perfect way to use some zucchini too.