Turkey Meatball and Garlic Bread (Printable)
Hearty turkey meatballs in marinara sauce with a crispy garlic bread topping
# What You'll Need:
→ For the Turkey Meatballs
01 - 1 ½ lbs ground turkey
02 - ½ cup breadcrumbs
03 - 1 large egg
04 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
07 - 1 tsp dried oregano
08 - 1 tsp salt
09 - ½ tsp black pepper
→ For the Sauce
10 - 3 cups marinara sauce
11 - 1 tsp dried basil
12 - ½ tsp red pepper flakes
→ For the Garlic Bread Topping
13 - 1 large French baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
14 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
15 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
16 - 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
17 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
18 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
# How To Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - In a large bowl, combine all turkey meatball ingredients. Mix gently until just combined. Form into 1 ½-inch meatballs (about 18-20) and arrange in the prepared dish.
03 - Pour marinara sauce evenly over the meatballs. Sprinkle with dried basil and red pepper flakes if using.
04 - Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
05 - Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss bread cubes with melted butter, minced garlic, and parsley until well coated.
06 - Remove the baking dish from the oven. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the meatballs and sauce. Top with garlic bread cubes in an even layer.
07 - Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until bread cubes are golden and cheese is melted.
08 - Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The crispy cheesy bread on top is basically built-in garlic bread that soaks up all that sauce
- Everything cooks in one dish so you spend more time eating and less time cleaning
- Turkey meatballs stay surprisingly juicy while keeping things lighter than beef
02 -
- Overmixing the meatball mixture makes them tough so combine just until everything comes together
- The bread topping can burn quickly so check at the 12 minute mark during the second bake
- Letting it rest for those 5 minutes is essential or you will lose all that sauce when serving
03 -
- Use a cookie scoop for perfectly uniform meatballs that cook evenly
- Room temperature meat blends more smoothly so take turkey out of the fridge 15 minutes before mixing