Turkey Meatballs
Juicy baked turkey meatballs bound with almond flour and Parmesan instead of breadcrumbs, simmered in a no-salt-added tomato sauce. About 11 g of carbohydrate and 28 g of protein in four.
One serving
One serving is 4 meatballs with about ¾ cup sauce. Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min.
Steps
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and let it preheat for 15 minutes. Line a dark sheet pan with parchment.
Mix the ground turkey, egg, almond flour, Parmesan, 2 cloves of the garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and black pepper with your hands just until combined. Shape into 16 meatballs of about 1½ inches (4 cm).
AI-generated illustrative image. Bake until a thermometer in the center reads 165°F (74°C), about 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a skillet, cook the remaining garlic 30 seconds, then add the crushed tomatoes and basil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer together for 5 minutes. Serve 4 meatballs per person with sauce.
On the plate
Covers the protein quarter of the plate. Serve over Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash instead of pasta, with Mashed Cauliflower or a salad.
Nutrition
| Nutrient | Per serving (1/4 of recipe) |
|---|---|
| Calories (kcal) | 315 |
| Total carbohydrate | 11 g |
| Dietary fiber | 5 g |
| Total sugars | 6 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Total fat | 19 g |
| Saturated fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 375 mg |
Total carbohydrate includes fiber, as on US nutrition labels. Values are calculated from USDA FoodData Central for the ingredients as listed and are estimates. How we calculate.
Where these numbers come from
| Ingredient | Weight | Carbs | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ground turkey Ground turkey, 93% lean, raw | 450 g | 0.0 g | “Turkey, ground, 93% lean, 7% fat, raw”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 172850 |
| egg Egg, whole, raw | 50 g | <1 g | “Egg, whole, raw, fresh”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 171287 |
| almond flour Almond flour (blanched almonds) | 30 g | 5.6 g | “Nuts, almonds, blanched”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 170568 |
| Parmesan Parmesan, grated | 25 g | 3.5 g | “Cheese, parmesan, grated”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 171247 |
| garlic Garlic, raw | 9 g | 3.0 g | “Garlic, raw”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 169230 |
| parsley Parsley, fresh | 8 g | <1 g | “Parsley, fresh”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 170416 |
| oregano Oregano, dried | 1 g | <1 g | “Spices, oregano, dried”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 171328 |
| salt Salt | 2 g | 0.0 g | “Salt, table”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 173468 |
| black pepper Black pepper, ground | <1 g | <1 g | “Spices, pepper, black”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 170931 |
| olive oil Olive oil | 9 g | 0.0 g | “Oil, olive, salad or cooking”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 171413 |
| crushed tomatoes Tomatoes, canned, no salt added | 795 g | 27.6 g | “Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice, no salt added”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 170138 |
| basil Basil, dried | 2 g | <1 g | “Spices, basil, dried”, USDA SR Legacy, FDC ID 171317 |
Counted as zero because the source has no value and the amount is 1 g or less per serving: oregano (); salt (); black pepper (); basil ().
Calculation engine v1.3.0.
Swaps and variations
- Chicken
- Use ground chicken; the nutrition barely changes.
- Freezer
- Freeze baked meatballs without sauce up to 3 months; reheat in simmering sauce for 10 minutes, to 165°F (74°C).
Storage
Refrigerate within 2 hours, up to 4 days; reheat to 165°F (74°C).
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from USDA data for the ingredients as listed. This recipe is information, not medical advice; decisions about your diet belong to you and your healthcare team. How we calculate.
Printed from diabetesbites.com/recipes/turkey-meatballs. Nutrition per serving is calculated from USDA FoodData Central for the ingredients as listed.
FAQs
Quick answers about turkey meatballs.
How do you keep turkey meatballs moist?
Don’t overmix them, and use almond flour and Parmesan, which hold in the juices.
Can you make turkey meatballs without breadcrumbs?
Yes. Almond flour binds them with very little carbohydrate.
How many carbohydrates are in turkey meatballs?
About 11 g in four meatballs with sauce, with 28 g of protein.
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