This Baked Turkey Meatballs with Spinach recipe is healthy, full of flavor, and baked in the oven. Use these meatballs for a spaghetti dinner, in meatball sandwiches, or as an appetizer.
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional – adjust to your preference)
16 oz frozen chopped spinach (defrosted, drained, and squeezed to remove excess water)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs
Categories
Main Dish
Cuisine
American
Steps
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a large baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray. I actually line my baking sheet with foil and then spray with cooking spray.
In a frying pan on medium heat, heat olive oil until hot. Then add onion, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until onion is tender (about 5-6 minutes total time).
Add spinach to pan and combine with onion mixture. Add Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth and mix well to combine. Cook until most of the liquid has cooked out (evaporated). I don’t have much liquid in my pan after I combine all these, but it will depend on how well you drained your spinach. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, and egg. Add cooled onion/spinach mixture to the meat. I do all of this step with my hands, but you can use a spoon if you prefer.
With your hands, create meatballs that are about 1 – 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place them on the baking sheet. Leave a little bit of space between each meatball. When you are done shaping your meatballs, you will probably have about 40-42 meatballs from this recipe. Don’t need that many? Freeze them after baking or cut this recipe in half (but I say freeze them and then you’ve done the work only once and have a future meal).
Bake until your meatballs are cooked through with an internal temperature of 160 degrees F – which was about 20 minutes for my oven. Remove from oven and serve as desired.
Reviews
Jess on 2015-02-25 (5 stars): I made these for dinner last night (with a few ingredient substitutions based on what we had on hand) and they were awesome. Thanks for the great recipe! I'm always looking for ways to sneak more veggies into our meals.
Elizabeth on 2015-08-25 (5 stars): Thank You for this yummy recipe. I made last night with ground chicken and fresh spinach. I substituted the breadcrumbs with parm cheese to make it little more low carb. I used the fresh herbs from my garden too. My meatballs were getting boring...This is my new 'go to' recipe ! I love adding the Worcestershire, thyme and spinach. Exactly what I needed. We gobbled the up!
joel on 2015-12-04 (5 stars): Omg I made this for my family,my wife said they were the best meatballs she's ever had!!!! Thanks for sharing we loved this recipe!!
Joanne Hampton on 2016-02-06 (5 stars): Can I put frozen meatballs in the crockpot?
Nora on 2016-05-15 (5 stars): This is literally the best healthy recipe I've ever made--EVER!!!! I made these two weeks in a row, that's how good they are. My fiance loves them, too! A+++!
KendraB on 2016-06-25 (5 stars): I am not a great cook and was worried to try and make meatballs but these were super easy and amazingly juicy! I have made them several times now and my boyfriend loves them! Thanks so much!
Cindy McEuen on 2016-08-03 (5 stars): I made these and added 2/3 of a cup of Parmesan cheese. I didnt have all of the spices listed, so I improvised using Tony Chachere Cajun Seasoning and Salt Free Greek Seasoning. They are FANTASTIC! Thanks so much for sharing!
Cheryl Bliefernich on 2016-09-28 (5 stars): These are so delicious!! What a great recipe for using ground turkey. My new favorite meatball recipe. Thank you!
Jessica on 2017-12-13 (5 stars): I substituted a pound of turkey sausage for a pound of chopped turkey. It was delicious! I will definitely be making this again. Anyone know what the calories and such is for this recipe?
Catherine on 2018-01-17 (5 stars): These baked turkey meatballs with spinach were delicious! I made mine with fresh spinach. I made my own breadcrumbs using Ezekiel bread. I didn’t use the Worcestershire sauce.
I used them in my healthy meatball vegetable soup.
LAUREN CLEAR on 2018-01-27 (5 stars): This was excellent. I made the sauce the day before. For the turkey burgers, I simply mixed the ingredients and then baked it in the oven in one slab (350 degrees 20 min) and then cut them in burger sizes. They were very good.
Brittany on 2018-02-01 (5 stars): This is probably one of my favorite recipes I’ve found on Pinterest ever!! My roommate and I have made these at least 4 times this year and we can’t get enough!! We started adding shredded carrots and fresh spinach to them and make them into patties instead of balls!
Yesica Bravo on 2018-02-21 (5 stars): Oh yes I today use fresh spinach every time :) I just try to get the baby spinach that doesn't have the long stems :)
P.J. on 2018-05-12 (4 stars): Very good after making some changes. Added 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro to the chopped spinach. Also added about 1/3 cup French Fried onions- crushed (from the can) and cut back on the breadcrumbs. With the sauteed onions and garlic, I also added chopped mushrooms. I used Italian seasoning mix, and 1 tsp. of chili paste.
Baking worked great, I used a little bacon grease on top of parchment paper.
Jenny on 2018-05-13 (5 stars): These meatballs are delicious! They have become a staple in our household. My husband and 14 month old gobble them up. We've been making a batch every 1-2 weeks-so tasty! I've been throwing in a handful of green peas too, which add a some extra sweetness to them. We are going to try sundried tomatoes next! Thank you for this easy, terrific recipe!
Amanda on 2018-08-27 (5 stars): Made these last night and they were delicious! Froze the extras and can't wait to have the, for a future meal!
Cara on 2018-09-01 (5 stars): I LOVE these meatballs. I make them every couple months, and after baking I freeze them. It usually gives me 2-3 meals out of one batch. My kids (2 and 4) love them also!
Emily Malloy on 2018-09-10 (5 stars): Love this recipe! Super delicious!
Amy on 2018-12-13 (5 stars): Super delicious and easy! I’ve made these numerous times. The only change I’ve made to the recipe is I use several handfuls of fresh, chopped spinach instead of the frozen variety. Freezing them sounds like a great idea...they’ve just not lasted long enough to do so:)
Nadia on 2019-01-06 (5 stars): This is the best pin I have on my food wall! Since I’ve been on a Keto diet these have saved me. They are delicious and filling and a hit with my husband as well!
I’ve made them twice so far and used panko bread crumbs both times. The second time I didn’t have any Worcestershire sauce so I used teriyaki sauce instead and tasted just as great. I assume soy sauce would work just as well. I also hate rolling meat balls specially meal prepping on a Sunday night but they are so good it is all worth it!
Tamara on 2019-01-30 (5 stars): Used more garlic, only 1 lb turkey 1 egg, made 20 meatballs, delish!
Nic on 2019-04-14 (5 stars): This may be my 5th time borrowing your recipe, so I had to finally leave a comment. I am so glad I found this recipe and started baking these balls, because they blow any other meatball I've ever made out the kitchen window. I would eat the onion-spinach-herb-garlic reduction(?) by itself honestly. The smell in the pan. It's perfect. I gobbled up a 2-lb batch of these delicious meat bombs alone within 48 hours. I'm obsessed! Thank you!
Brandy on 2019-05-07 (5 stars): 2nd time making these! I make them exactly as written and add some feta cheese crumbles into the mix. Serve with marinara sauce poured over the top. Makes my low carb diet super easy!
Carie on 2019-07-08 (5 stars): Love this recipe! I have been using it for several years now, both when cooking for my clients (I'm a postpartum doula), and my own family. Easy, versatile, and they freeze great! Thanks for a keeper!
Dawn on 2020-01-04 (5 stars): Absolutely the BEST meatballs I’ve ever served to my family! Every time I make these, they are gobbled up by kids and grandkids. Thank you!
Marianne on 2020-02-21 (5 stars): My cousin just made these meatballs as written with one exception - he added Some shredded mozzarella and they were amazing. This is a perfect recipe. Thank you.
Gaon on 2020-04-27 (5 stars): Greetings from downunder where turkey mince is about all we can buy. Awesome recipe! Thank you
Weir Family on 2020-06-08 (5 stars): I’ve been using your recipe for these meatballs for years. We make them exactly as written and they are an all-time favorite in this house. We love love love them.
Jessica viola on 2021-05-13 (5 stars): It was amazing i shared it with my daughter and she just had to have this recipe she just went on and on about how good it was thank you for sharing its just great.
Amanda on 2021-11-14 (5 stars): I come back to this recipe again and again for turkey meatballs. I love the amount of spinach in them too for added the veggies. I also diced up some sun-dried tomatoes in oil to add to the mixture this time. Served them for a dinner with a group of friends and they were a big hit (which I knew they would be!).
Melissa Cassell on 2021-11-21 (5 stars): It came out really good, I made Orzo with a white creamy sauce and roasted broccoli plus homemade garlic bread 🍞
Dawn A. on 2021-12-13 (5 stars): Made these tonight for my first time. It will not be my last time. These meatballs are really really good. I used fresh spinach instead of frozen. They are also really pretty easy to make.
imsen on 2022-01-31 (5 stars): LOVE this meatball recipe. It’s my go-to favorite recipe for meatballs.
Camila Gregoire on 2022-07-21 (5 stars): Absolutely the BEST meatballs.
Rhonda on 2024-01-04 (5 stars): I have been making these since they were published years ago. It is a wonderful recipe, tons of flavor, easy to make, and sooooo good for you! I bake them all and then portion them out for meal prep w/broccoli. They freeze after cooking and reheat very well. I am now back to them in the new year once more! Love these!
Amy c on 2025-07-20 (5 stars): Good just need a recommended sauce
Otherwise delicious!
