Description
These juicy baked turkey meatballs are a flavorful and easy appetizer option, tossed in a sweet-tangy brown sugar glaze. Perfect for parties or as a savory snack, they combine lean ground turkey with aromatic spices and a delicious soy-based glaze.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 pounds ground turkey (or 1 package of Butterball Sweet Onion Turkey Burgers, thawed)
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg (lightly beaten to break up the yolk)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- ¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Glaze
- ⅔ cup water
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Prep the Oven and Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and set it aside; this will help the meatballs cook evenly.
- Combine Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the thawed ground turkey (or turkey burgers), Italian breadcrumbs, lightly beaten egg, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, and dried oregano. Use a wooden spoon to combine the mixture thoroughly, ensuring all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Shape the Meatballs: Form the mixture into 1-inch balls using your hands and place them onto the prepared wire rack on the baking sheet. You might need to do this in two batches depending on your baking sheet size.
- Bake the Meatballs: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake the meatballs for 16 to 18 minutes until they are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of at least 165ºF.
- Make the Glaze: While the meatballs bake, in a large non-stick frying pan, combine the soy sauce, water, light brown sugar, white vinegar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Bring this mixture to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes to meld the flavors.
- Add and Glaze the Meatballs: Transfer the baked meatballs to the frying pan with the glaze. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway through cooking and stirring occasionally to coat them evenly with the glaze.
- Serve: Remove the glazed meatballs from the pan and serve warm. They make a perfect appetizer and can be enjoyed with skewers at your next party!
Notes
- These turkey meatballs are lean and packed with flavor, perfect for a healthy appetizer or snack.
- The sweet-tangy brown sugar glaze adds an irresistible flavor that complements the spices in the meatballs.
- Use a wire rack during baking to allow the meatballs to cook more evenly and stay juicy.
- Adjust the cayenne pepper to your preferred spice level.
- Serve with toothpicks for easy party serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 59 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 84 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.01 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
