These delicious veggie turkey meatballs in cream sauce are so tender and flavorful. They are also very versatile. Serve them over noodles, potatoes, rice or stuff them in a sandwich! Veggie turkey meatballs freeze well so you can stash a few bags in the freezer for super fast meals.
Veggie turkey meatballs in cream sauce is the first recipe I created that my whole family was actually happy I was feeding them ground turkey. I knew I'd break them eventually, but it took a few tries (and a lot of turkey burger fails) before I found a ground turkey dish that packed in enough flavor. Ground turkey can be very bland and dry. But these aren't! The sauce really puts it over the top.
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Ingredients
- ground turkey - I prefer the 85/15 mix, a little bit of fat helps the flavor and tenderness of the meatballs
- chicken stock
- spinach
- shallot
- lemon
- white wine
- Italian seasoning blend - use your favorite Italian seasoning blend but one of my favorites and a pantry go-to for me is Spice House's Tuscan Olive Oil Seasoning blend (Not sponsored, I am a Spice House fan and use their products every day)
- garlic
- heavy cream
- bread crumbs
- egg
- cherry tomatoes
- zucchini - I grate zucchini into a lot of recipes because no one ever notices and I can get extra fiber into our diets
- parmesan cheese
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Veggie Turkey Meatballs in Cream Sauce
Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements and instructions.
Step 1: In a large skillet, sauté the shallot in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Remove from the skillet and reserve half for the sauce.
Step 2: Add in spinach and grated zucchini and sauté until the spinach is wilted and the zucchini's liquid is evaporated, roughly 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, shallots & garlic, grated parmesan, egg, spinach, zucchini, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Gently mix with your hands just until combined.
Step 4: Using a cookie scoop or spoons, roll the mixture into golf ball sized meatballs. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Step 5: Sauté the meatballs olive oil over medium high heat in batches so no meatballs are touching. Turn every 2 to 3 minutes until browned all over. Set aside the cooked meatballs to rest while you make the sauce.
Step 6: Over medium heat sauté chopped tomatoes in olive oil until broken down and the liquid has reduced. Add reserved shallots & garlic.
Step 7: Add white wine to deglaze skillet and reduce by half. Then add chicken stock and cream, reduce down and allow the sauce to thicken at a slow simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add lemon juice.
Step 8: Add meatballs and simmer another 5 minutes until meatballs are hot.
Step 9: Sprinkle with a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Serve and enjoy!
Substitutions
- Bread crumbs - regular or gluten free work great in this recipe
- Wine - use use extra chicken stock in place of wine, if you prefer
- Ground Turkey - you can absolutely use ground beef or ground chicken instead of turkey
- Spinach - use frozen chopped spinach in place of sauteed fresh spinach, just be sure to thaw and squeeze out the liquid before adding it to the meatball mix
- Shallot - replace shallot with onion
- Tomatoes - I like the sweetness of a cherry tomato in this recipe but you can use any tomatoes you have on hand, cut them to a medium size dice.
Variations
Make it cheesier!
- Extra cheesy - add a layer (1 to 1.5 cups) of mozzarella, provolone or fontina cheese to the top and broil for 3 to 4 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Love cheese? Try this broccoli cheese soup!
Equipment
This recipe doesn't need any fancy equipment. Just a good skillet, this is my favorite, and a #40 cookie scoop if you have one. Hands work just as well!
Storage
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To freeze meatballs, prepare meatballs, cook and freeze without the sauce. When you are ready to eat the meatballs, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator and prepare the sauce when serving. Meatballs will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Top tip
Don't overhandle the meatball mixture when forming the meatballs. Ground turkey can get tough when it's compacted too much. This "dough" is fairly wet, making a nice tender texture but rolling and squishing the meat mixture into too much will make them tougher. Scoop, give them a quick rounding out and put them down.
FAQ
Yes! If you would prefer to bake them, preheat the oven to 350°, spray them with a light layer of oil spray of your choice (I use olive oil) and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the middle of a meatball reads 365°. Make the sauce on the stovetop as recommended in the recipe and combine at the end to serve.
Absolutely! After forming the meatballs and placing them on a sheet tray, put the sheet tray in the freezer for 6 hours to overnight. Put them in an airtight freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Cook them from frozen on the stovetop or in the oven until they reach 365° in the middle.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Veggie Turkey Meatballs in Cream Sauce
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds ground turkey (85/15)
- 10 ounces fresh spinach (or 10 ounce frozen spinach thawed and drained)
- 1 medium zucchini, grated
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (gluten-free if preferred)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium shallots, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
Cream Sauce
- 1 tablespon extra-virgin olive oil
- shallot & garlic, half of previously cooked
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the meatballs
- In a large skillet, sauté the shallot in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Remove from the skillet and reserve half for the sauce.
- Using the same skillet, sauté fresh spinach and grated zucchini in a olive oil until the spinach is wilted and the zucchini's liquid is evaporated. *If you are using frozen spinach; thaw, drain and squeeze until as much liquid is gone as possible. Sauté the zucchini as recommended in this step.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, shallots & garlic, grated parmesan, egg, spinach, zucchini, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Gently mix with your hands just until combined. Form into golf ball sized meatballs, be careful not to over handle the meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on a tray and place them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Sauté the meatballs olive oil over medium high heat in batches so meatballs are not touching. Turn every 2 to 3 minutes until browned all over. Set aside the cooked meatballs to rest while you make the sauce. Set aside and keep warm while making the sauce.
For the cream sauce
- Over medium heat sauté chopped tomatoes in olive oil until broken down and the liquid has reduced. Add reserved shallots & garlic.
- Add white wine to deglaze skillet and reduce by half. Then add chicken stock and cream, reduce down and allow the sauce to thicken at a slow simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add lemon juice.
- Add meatballs and simmer another 5 minutes until meatballs are hot.
- Sprinkle with a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Serve and enjoy!
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Michael says
Another great way to sneak in those veggies