Hands down…these are the best meatballs! You can never go wrong with a good meatball recipe and these baked turkey meatballs are beyond delicious! Not only are they easy to make, but they’re quick to prepare and extremely versatile. I bake these in the oven for 20 minutes and then dip them in the most flavorful avocado cream sauce. Not only are they the perfect appetizer, but you can also serve these baked turkey meatballs on a bed of rice or noodles for a delicious lunch or dinner.  Most meatball recipes contain either eggs or breadcrumbs to keep them from falling apart, but with this recipe you don’t need a binding agent. The fat in the chorizo acts as a binding agent and keeps these baked meatballs moist and held together tightly. 

🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need

The meatball ingredients I use are not only simple and flavorful, but they provide a bit of a kick. I like a good spicy meatball so I add some finely chopped jalapeño to the mixture. To make it even spicer, you can leave in some of the jalapeño seeds. Or if you don’t want to make a spicy meatball recipe, you can completely leave out the jalapeño. To make this recipe even more versatile, you can switch up the type of ground meat you use. Ground turkey is the base, but I love adding in chorizo. To keep these baked turkey meatballs as lean as possible, chicken chorizo is great to use. To add a bit more fat and flavor, use either pork or beef chorizo. I pair these easy turkey meatballs with a creamy avocado sauce. The avocado sauce is not only great for dipping, but it also tastes amazing when poured over the ground turkey meatballs and a bed of rice or cooked noodles. This sauce also has a bit of spiciness thanks to the cayenne pepper and jalapeño. While it’s a mild spicy flavor, those ingredients are optional. Feel free to leave them out. Using mayonnaise with olive oil adds a lot of creaminess to the avocado sauce but if you can’t find that combination at the grocery store, use regular mayonnaise and add in a ½ teaspoon of olive oil. 

📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

These baked meatballs are so easy to make! Start by preheating the oven to 375°F. Using a small amount of olive oil, lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Add all the meatball ingredients to a large bowl and using a spoon, mix well to combine. Expert Tip: While using a spoon works well, I like using both hands to combine the mixture. This helps ensure the spices and chopped vegetables are well combined. Using a small cookie scoop helps ensure you get an equal proportion in each ball. Scoop out the mixture and place them in a row in the baking dish. Expert Tip: If the meatballs need to be rounded, use your hands to form them into a ball. It’s also ok if the meatballs are touching while they bake. Once all the turkey meatballs have been formed, place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. The internal temperature of the meatballs needs to reach 165°F before removing them from the oven. While the meatballs are baking, go ahead and make the avocado sauce. Start by adding the avocado, cilantro, lemon and lime juice, jalapeño, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper to a food processor.
Pulse the ingredients until lightly combined, about 10 seconds. Open the lid and add in the mayonnaise with olive oil. Place the lid back on the food processor and process about 10 more seconds. If using the avocado sauce as a dipping sauce, you’ll want the mixture to have some texture and thickness. If using it as more of a creamy avocado sauce to pour over rice or noodles, then combine the ingredients in the food processor until the consistency is smoother and a bit more thin. Using a spatula, remove the avocado sauce from the food processor and it place in a dish. Top with additional fresh ground pepper and set aside. When the baked meatballs are done, remove them from the oven. Notice all the juice in the bottom of the baking dish. Don’t discard the juices especially if you plan to serve meatballs and rice. The juices can be drizzled on top to add even more flavor! Regardless of how you serve them, these are the best turkey meatballs and require very little effort to make! This is basic recipe anyone can make, yet tastes like you’ve been slaving in the kitchen for hours!

💭 Expert Tips

Use food safe disposable plastic gloves when chopping the jalapeño, removing the seeds, and mixing the raw meat. Fresh cut jalapeños can irritate and burn your skin for up to 2 days so be careful.If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender. There’s no need to turn these meatballs while cooking. Baking them at 375°F will ensure they cook evenly. Serve with any sauce you like. They taste amazing with marinara and pesto sauce.If you like meatball subs, then these homemade meatballs work really well!These also taste amazing in spaghetti, chili, and even in tacos! You can make these meatballs any size you want. Regardless of how big or small your meatballs are, use an instant read thermometer to make sure they are completely cooked.

🍽️ More Meatball Recipe Ideas

If you love meatballs as much as I do, then you should try these Asian Teriyaki Meatballs. They are sweet and are also extremely easy to make. And if you love a good spaghetti and meatball dish then try my Italian Marinara with Meatballs. An authentic recipe from Italy, you’ll love the fresh oregano and basil in each bite! Perfect over cooked pasta!

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