There are a few reasons why I am really excited to share this recipe with you: 1) I love pasta and any recipe that encourages me to eat more of it, 2) each turkey meatball is packed with shredded mushrooms, and 3) these tender turkey and mushroom meatballs are so moist and juicy! What's the trick for tender turkey meatballs? I use my secret ingredient, ground mushrooms! Oh yes, just wait till you try a bite.
Lately I have been playing around with ground turkey and have been finding ways to boost its flavor and tenderness. Ground turkey is a great lean protein but it tends to be a bit dry and bland. Adding blended mushrooms to the ground turkey mix before cooking plumps up the ground turkey, adds that delicious meaty flavor, and boosts your veggie intake.
Chef's Tip: Different mushroom varieties have add different flavors to ground meat. Portobello and crimini mushrooms have a stronger, meatier flavor while button mushrooms tend to be a little less bold. For this recipe, I am using button mushrooms, but feel free to adjust the mushroom type depending on where your cravings are taking you.
Enjoy these tender turkey meatballs coated in your favorite marinara sauce, lay them in a bed of freshly cooked pasta, and top them with chopped herbs and grated parmesan.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate & comment in the section below or tag me on Instagram @mymillennialkitchen. I’d love to know if you made any ingredient swaps or if you have any questions!
PrintTurkey Mushroom Meatballs
These delicious turkey and mushroom meatballs are so juicy, tender, and unbelievably flavorful. These turkey meatballs are healthy because they are a blend of mushrooms and turkey which keeps these meatballs juicy and full of 'meaty' flavor. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 12 Meatballs 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
¼ bunch of flat leaf parsley (fits into ½ a cup if packed down with the stems)
3 garlic cloves
8 oz of sliced mushrooms, (baby Bella, cremini, and button mushrooms are recommended) cleaned and dry
16 oz of ground turkey
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Set your oven to 400˚ F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with tinfoil. Add parsley and garlic cloves to the food processor (see NOTE 1). Pulse a few times to break down some of the bigger ingredients, then process on high for 10-15 seconds, until everything is a ground consistency.
2. Add mushrooms to the same food processor and pulse intermittently for about 1 minute to break up the mushrooms into a ground consistency. Pulse the mushrooms slowly, making sure they do not become a puree (see NOTE 2). If you have a few stubborn mushrooms that won’t break down, open the food processor and give everything a stir, then continue to pulse.
3. In a medium bowl, add the food processor mix, ground turkey, parmesan cheese, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and mix with your hand until evenly combined. Make sure not to over mix.
4. Using a ¼th cup measure, scoop and roll each turkey meatball and place onto the lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, ensuring the meatballs have reached an internal temperature of 165˚ F. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy.
Notes
NOTE 1: If you don’t have a food processor, you can always use a knife and cutting board, mincing everything as finely as you can.
NOTE 2: If you break down the mushrooms too much, don’t worry the recipe will still turn out great! The meatballs will just be a little more watery and not hold their circular shape as well and release more juice when cooking.
NOTE 3: I highly recommend cooking with a meat thermometer, which you would place at this point in the cooking process. Insert the stem of the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meatball before cooking. Position the temperature reader towards the oven window so you see the thermometer temperature reading without having to open the oven door.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 Meatballs
- Calories: 369
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 625 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 131 mg
Keywords: Turkey Mushroom Meatballs, Healthy Turkey Meatballs
A special thank you to the 2020 ASU and Maricopa County Dietetic Interns for helping me recipe test and analyze the nutritionals for this recipe!
This recipe was given a major update on March 17th, 2021 where the post, recipe, nutritional information, and images were updated.
Angela says
Love it Michele, such a good idea to use mushrooms! I will try your recipe with the help of my best friend, my food processor. And don't think I didn't notice your new last name! Congrats!
Michele says
Thank you Angela! Let me know how the recipe goes!
Anna says
So fun and easy to whip up! I loove this recipe
★★★★★
Michele says
Thank you Anna, this is one of my top go-to-recipes. I'm glad you love it!