These simple turkey spinach meatballs are a quick weeknight recipe ready in under 45 minutes. They are extra tender and made with ground turkey, fresh spinach, garlic and oregano. This recipe was originally published on January 12, 2014 and updated on February 21, 2021.
Easy weeknight dinners are my mission right now and these meatballs are a recipe that have solidified their place in my repertoire. I usually have a package of ground chicken or turkey in my freezer and because I like to have a lot of variety in my meals so I tend to alternate between lettuce wraps and turkey white bean chili.
I tossed these meatballs with my easy homemade (in 20 minutes, no less!) marinara sauce and served over pasta. They would also be delicious in a sandwich or served with a hunk of crusty bread.
These meatballs include all your regular ingredients (egg, milk, bread crumbs and garlic), but what makes them different is that they also include one cup of finely chopped spinach.
Since the spinach is finely chopped it blends into the ground turkey mixture–similar to the way that parsley does in more classic meatball recipes–so apart from some flecks of green in the meatballs, you don’t get any of the bitter taste typically associated with spinach.
Can I add more spinach to the mixture?
No, I would not add more spinach to this mixture. I’ve tested this recipe with different amounts of spinach, and adding more makes it really difficult to form the mixture into meatballs–they will fall apart.
Short answer? Stick with one cup of finely chopped spinach here.
While I use ground turkey in this recipe, you could really swap this out for ground chicken as well, or you could try adding one cup of minced spinach to your favourite meatball recipe. I’m planning to try it in my slow cooker meatballs next!
Can I use frozen spinach in this recipe?
I’ve only ever tested the recipe using fresh spinach, but frozen spinach could work as well. Keep in mind that because frozen spinach has a lot of liquid in it, you’ll want to fully thaw it and squeeze out as much liquid as possible before adding to your mixture.
Can I freeze these meatballs?
Yes! I’ve used Southern Living’s method for freezing meatballs before with great results.
Turkey and Spinach Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey, or chicken
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 2 cloves grated garlic
- 2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and grease a baking sheet with a little olive oil.
- In a large bowl, combine turkey with spinach, egg, bread crumbs, milk, garlic, parmesan cheese, dried oregano and salt.
- Form into 12 medium meatballs and place on baking sheet 1-inch apart.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes until lightly golden and fully cooked.
Let me know if you give these turkey spinach meatballs a try in the comments below.
Rebecca
Very tasty! I used chopped Swiss chard instead of spinach (because that’s what I had) and it worked well,
Rachel
Delicious and easy recipe! I’ve tried a few meatball recipes and this one is my favourite for its simplicity, and the fact it sneaks in some spinach too – perfect way to incorporate some greens into spaghetti meatballs
Jaime
Can these be prepared in a slow cooker?
Louisa Clements
Hi Jaime, I’ve never tried them in a slow cooker, but I do have another slow cooker meatball recipe–I would suggest doing the sauce from this recipe with the meatballs! They may be a little on the drier side because turkey has less fat than beef and pork. https://www.livinglou.com/slow-cooker-monster-meatballs-tomato-sauce/
Amanda
Easy to make and everyone loved. Will definitely make again. I used the Costco turkey package which is a little less than 2 lbs. Didn’t double it but added about 1/2-3/4 additional of ingredients, I got 24 out of it using a scooper and didn’t roll them by hand.
Ruth Wachspress
Easy, light, delicious. Thank you!
Louisa Clements
So glad you enjoyed these meatballs, Ruth! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, it is much appreciated!
meg
These are called “ninja turtle meatballs ” by my boys. So yummy!
Lou
I love to hear that, Meg! I’m so glad you and your family love this recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
Alex
These look delish!
Lou
Thank you, Alex! Let me know if you give it a try.