The Best Lower-Fat Italian Meatball Recipe

I call these meatballs lower-fat because the meat mixture is prepared with both lean ground turkey and lean ground sirloin.  I do use parmesan cheese in them, but it is a low fat variety.  If you wish, you can use all ground turkey, but the texture will not be the same.  Turkey can, at times, have a gamey flavor; combining the two meats this way reduces the gaminess.
 

These meatballs can be made the day, or days before, which is what I did.  I made them, cooled them and then froze them.  To freeze, place the meatballs on a sheet pan in the freezer; once they begin to freeze transfer them to an airtight freezer container and place in the freezer until ready to use.  To thaw, I placed them in a covered container in the refrigerator until they were completely thawed and heated them in a marinara sauce.

 

I must admit, I tried one of the meatballs when they came out of the oven, and couldn’t wait to serve them.  In fact, I was so happy with the meatballs that I served them two days in a row.  The first day we had spaghetti and meatballs, and the second day we had meatball subs.

 

Enjoy!

 

The Best Lower-Fat Italian Meatball Recipe

Makes about 20 meatballs

1 Lb. Lean Ground Turkey

1 Lb. Lean Ground Sirloin, use 96% lean
1 Tbls. Crushed dried basil
1 Tsp. Dried oregano
1 Tsp. Crushed dried rosemary
1-1/2 Tsp. Dried fennel seed
¼ Tsp. Sea Salt, fine grind
¼ Tsp. Fresh ground black pepper
½ Cup Seasoned breadcrumbs – no salt variety
½ Cup 1% milk
1 Raw egg, beaten
1 Tbls. Ketchup
1/3 Cup Shredded low-fat Parmesan cheese
Pinch Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix together until all is incorporated, do not over-mix.  Shape the meat mixture into 1-1/2 inch balls and place on lined baking sheet pan.

 

Roast the meatballs in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes, turning them over halfway through.

 

Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or cool and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

 

Serving suggestions:

• Serve alone with marinara sauce
• Serve on top of whole grain spaghetti
• Meatball subs – serve on whole grain sausage rolls topped with marina sauce, and a small bit of low-fat cheese melted over the meatball.  I wrap the rolls halfway up with aluminum foil and place them in a preheated oven until the cheese melts.  The foil also makes the rolls a little crunchy.
• Meatball appetizers.  Make the meatballs smaller, and when you take them out of the oven, place a toothpick in the center and serve your favorite marinara sauce and/or honey mustard dipping sauce in separate bowls on the side.