I had originally planned on posting this Mini Turkey Meatball recipe on the Baby Tooth page, but when I realized that Jay and I ate just as many, if not more, of the meatballs out of our last batch, I figured I really had to share with all of you.
These meatballs. Oh mannnn, are they good. And talk about easy?!
I’ve been making batches of these for a good few months now, and they have yet to disappoint us. At first, I was just making them for Lucas, but after sneaking a few here and there, they’ve now most definitely become a “family favorite.”
For Lucas, we just cut them up into small hunks for now. We’ve tried adding a few dollops of ketchup to them, but he actually likes them best plain, which I have no qualms over.
Along with his Easy Cheesy Spinach Pasta, of course. Kid can’t get enough of either of them!
Jay and I, on the other hand, have enjoyed them many ways, our most recent being sliced up on pizza. They’re also awesome over pasta, of course, and in meatball subs.
But if you’re not feelin’ like meatballs, no problem-o. The beauty of ground meat recipes is simple enough where you can just form some into a couple of patties to make some burgers, too.
We did that last month…formed two patties, cooked them on the grill, then made the rest into meatballs and cooked them in the oven. Easy peasy!
I’m seriously loving these things. The flavor is amazing, thanks in part to the sautéed onions and the little hint of sweetness you occasionally get from the apples, and I just love how easy they are. Make a batch on the weekend, have them for the whole week!
So whatever your situation…you have a picky toddler at home, no kiddos at all, or just cooking for yourself…I’m still recommending you give these Mini Turkey Meatballs a try. Because they even freeze well, too (cooked, stored in an airtight container). So really, you have no excuse NOT to try them, right?
Mini Turkey Apple Meatballs (Toddler Approved!)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped or minced
- 1/2 small apple Mac, Granny Smith, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 lb 1 package lean ground turkey (or chicken, both work great!)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or 2 slices of bread, dried and crumbled to make fresh breadcrumbs
- 3 tsp dried parsley
- 2-3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- ~1 tbsp tomato sauce optional
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and apple for 3 minutes, stirring until softened. Add the garlic sauté for 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.
- Mix together the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan and tomato sauce. Stir in the sautéed onion, apple, and garlic, and add the beaten egg to bind.
- Form the mixture into mini meatballs, about 3/4-1 inch in diameter and line up in rows in prepared baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden and internal temperature reads 165 degrees F. Allow to cool and enjoy!
And be sure to let me know if you try them!
What are some of your favorite meals that are sure to go over well with your whole family?
Tiff @ Love, Sweat, & Beers says
Yum!! I just made lean turkey zucchini meatballs last night for the family, and Ethan loved them.
Brynn says
Apples are such an interesting twist. I like to add safe when I cook apples in a savory dish- such a great flavor combo. My go to dish is Moroccan spice roast chicken; super easy, ton of flavor and a total crowd pleaser.
Carrie (This Fit Chick) says
I love meatballs!! I wonder if I can make them on the stove as my oven doesn’t work :/
Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie says
Apples and turkey – that’s such a great fall combo! My go to meal is usually spaghetti squash. Boring, I know. But, it’s so good and easy!
Linz @ Itz Linz says
Apples? I would have never thought to put apples in meatballs! Ill have to try these – meatballs are definitely very versatile!
Torry @ A World Without Wheat says
I cannot thank you enough for this post!! I was planning on making meatballs this weekend – I am going to try making these just with GF bread!!
Emily says
I already love your blog, but I will love it 8,000 times more if you keep including toddler recipes :) We are struggling big time with food for my almost 2 year old and he really likes the spinach pasta recipe you posted recently! Thank you!
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says
I love meatballs! Thanks for sharing your recipe. Have a great Wednesday!
Britt@MyOwnBalance says
I love the idea that these are great not just for toddlers but the whole family! I love to cook but I don’t want to have to make separate meals for baby and then for us!
Heather @Fit N Cookies says
Mmm these look delicious! I’m always looking for meals I can freeze and then pull out.
Jenn@Mark My Miles! says
Making these tonight! Love these toddler approved ideas. And YES, we will be eating them as a family : ) Sounds Delicious!!!!
Beks says
Those do sound awesome. :-) I’ve always been a fan of meatballs, and it’s amazing how you can jazz them up.
Mary says
This recipe looks amazing, thank you for sharing! My tot has an egg allergy–do you think it would work without the egg? Clearly I have never attempted meatballs before!
Courtney says
Yes, I definitely think so. It just helps bind it a bit better, but I think you could certainly do without!
Becca says
Do you think these would taste okay with ground beef!?!?! Thinking about making them for lunch and was gonna use what I have on hand! :) LOVE all your toddler recipes lately! :)
Courtney says
Oh absolutely!! Let me know how they turn out ;)
Becca Nemecek says
I had to come back and comment because these were a huge hit with my 2 and 8 year old! :) My 6 year old not so much (but she is CRAZY picky)!!! I made them into meatball subs for the hubby and I and added a small amount of mozz cheese and tomato sauces with more caramelized onions! YUM!!!!!
I will definitely be adding this to the rotation for my 2 year old and I’s lunches since it was obviously a HUGE hit with us! :) **OH and by the way I did use ground beef! :)
Courtney says
Awesome!!!! So glad to hear they were a hit! :)
Alex says
Yum! These look so good. I totally forgot about meatballs until recently but they seem like a great addition to a meal plan, say spaghetti and meatballs while watching football? Definitely gotta give these a try. Your recipe has me thinking about lasagna now. I feel like that is a dish that stretches a few days and is always a family pleaser.
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves says
I am allllll about the mini meatballs! (Is it socially acceptable if I eat them with my fingers like Lucas?) ;) These look delicious!
Britt @ Fit Fit Britt Britt says
These look YUMMY!!! I’ll have to try them soon :P
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says
Love this! I am in need of “kid approved” recipes because I am nannying for a 6 year old right now. It’s so much fun cooking with her, but it’s definitely a change from cooking for me and Brian (my husband!) Thanks for sharing!
Christina says
I’m totally making these! I just went apple picking so have tons of apples to use up and happen to have ground turkey in the freezer – SCORE!
rachel says
amazing idea of putting apples with turkey! Im sure thats an awesome sweet and savory combo! Yum!
Jaime D says
Made these today for my 19 month old and she loved them! I did too. :) Thanks for the great recipe – I love making new things for my little one.
Gail W says
I made these this weekend and they were amazing! They will definitely be on my list of “go-to recipes”! Yummo!
Carrie says
I made these last night and I put 2 in my spaghetti squash for lunch! By the way they look and smell, I know I’m going to love them! Thanks for the recipe!
Ella says
I want to try these but can’t use parmesan cheese..can I sub it with something else (non-dairy) or just leave it out? has to be kosher..thanks
Ella says
I want to try these but can’t use parmesan cheese..can I sub it with something else (non-dairy) or just leave it out? has to be kosher..thank you..sorry i put my wrong email address
Amanda says
LOVE LOVE LOVE these! I think you should change the prep time, though. Takes 10 min just to shape all of the balls. Add in the sautéing and chopping and it’s gotta be 30 min. Off to make them now!
Courtney says
I’m so glad you love them, Amanda! Thanks for the tip on the prep time, too!
Rebekah Wolf says
Agreed! From start to end, this recipe took me about an hour.
kate says
hello! i just made these and they are good and healthy tasting. but i noticed that these did not taste as apple-y? your recipe called for 1/2 a small granny smith apple and i used almost half of a medium granny smith apple…my 2.5 year old and 9 month old will try it tomorrow!
Courtney says
They’re not going to be super apple-y…just a hint of sweetness! I’m sure you could always up the amount of apple you use though, if you’re looking for a bit more apple flavor! :)
Holly says
I made these meatballs last night with ground turkey. Although I didn’t read the directions fully, I didn’t sauté anything I just threw all the ingredients together and formed balls they we’re a huge hit for my 2 & 4 year olds! They even went back for seconds and grab some for breakfast today. Next time I will sauté the apple,onion and garlic which I believe will bring a sweeter taste! Thank you.
Courtney says
Hey Holly, thanks for the feedback! So glad they were a hit :)
Elise Lord says
Meatballs are in the oven now :-) I didn’t have any apples so I used unsweetened applesauce. I’ll let you know how they turn out!
Amy says
Thanks for the recipe! Just made these for my 15 months old… He’s yet to try them but mommy thinks they’re good! Just wanted to comment with a few changes I made based on what i had around. I used red onion, Pablo crumbs, Italian seasoning instead of parsley, a little bit of tomato paste, and I used my box grater to shred the apple since I had it out already for the Parm! Yummy! I was worried they’d be bland without Any salt but they taste great, thanks!
Ellen says
If I were to serve these meatballs with pasta, what kind of sauce do you recommend? Just a tomato pasta type jar sauce?
Verena Pichler says
Added some finely chopped broccoli and ended up with a tasty/healthy turkey meatballs pasta!Kids loved it! thanks for sharing!
Katie @ Live Half Full says
I am definitely making these soon. I am hoping to do a “freezer stock up” for my son in a few weeks since I feel guilty with all of the ready made stuff I’ve been giving him. Hoping to make mini muffins for snacks and breakfast, meatballs and veggie tots. Adding these to my list!
Annie says
These look great!! I am always looking for meals for my little guy.
Emma says
I made these tonight and they taste great. Fingers crossed and my very picky toddler will like them too. The grown-ups love them!
Leah says
Made these tonight for my 16 month old and both he and I loved them! Great easy recipe, thanks :)
Amber says
These were delicious! Made them for my daughter and ended up loving them myself. We made sandwiches one night and put them in spaghetti another night. Will definitely make again!
Sabrina James says
I have a very very fussy 2 year old who has been refusing to eat meat for going on a month.. I made these today and she absolutely loves them! Couldn’t be happier. I used a full granny smith apple though. Turkey mince isnt something i would usually cook with so i’m glad i stumbled upon this :)
Megan says
Made these for my baby a few years ago and she loved them.. time for round too! I halved the amount of onion.. I feel like it was way too much… even minced. Also subbed ground oatmeal for breadcrumbs and it worked just as well! Thanks for this tried and true recipe!
Melissa Boos says
I know this post is super old, but I just had to post and say thanks! Im making these today for my 1 year old… we are having trouble getting her to eat anything but bottles and MEAT, so I’m excited to sneak something else in there!
Courtney says
Thanks so much for sharing that, Melissa!!!
sylvie weston says
Made these tonight with chicken and was a bit disappointed. To get them looking appetizingly browned enough, I had to bake them longer than indicated and they ended up being somewhat dry.
For me as well, it was the idea of including apples that really made me want to try out this recipe.
Boz says
Next time sauté them first.
sylvie says
Thanks, that did the trick.
Aileen says
Thank you so much for this receipe! My 20 month is refused to eat any meat for a while and she ate some of this beautiful meatballs! It’s very delicious
Liz says
This recipe looks amazing ! What method do you recommend for reheating after freezing and for how long ? Thanks
Kelly says
I’ve made this recipe twice now and they are an absolute hit! I was thinking that next time I might make then with ground beef for a changr. Do you think they would be good? Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Kate J. says
Love this recipe! My son just turned one and this was perfect for the transition to table foods. He now prefers these meatballs over his mashed/pureed food! Thank you for sharing! Everyone in the house thought they were tasty.
April says
Thanks for this! My 13-month-old would never eat turkey. After a few introductions, he is now eating these meatballs. Since texture is still an issue and turkey is a little dry, I soak chopped-up pieces in water to make them easier on the gums. Finally, he’s eating a meaty finger food!!
I also made your cheesy spinach pasta with whole wheat macaroni and it’s delicious! Still working on getting baby to try it and admit he likes it…!
Kana says
My 14-months old loved it!! He’s so picky but he kept feeding himself. Hooray! I made a couple of burgers for myself and hubby, which was delicious as well. Thank you so much!
Julie says
Making this for my little boy tonight! Since we cut up his food anyway I just spread it out in a baking dish and cut it up into little cubes. No need to spend the time making meat balls if he isn’t eating them like that. Saving this working full time mom some time but still waiting my little to eat healthy. Thank you for the great inspiration of this meal.
Kaity says
Made these for my toddler but unfortunately this recipe has way too much onion for the palate of a toddler. She wouldn’t eat. I didn’t think they were very flavorful either and definitely needed some salt.