It's Thanksgiving dinner rolled into a delicious ball! This easy Turkey Stuffing Meatballs recipe is a savory mouthful of turkey, stuffing, and traditional spices in every bite that's good year-round!
This recipe may be our favorite way to enjoy the tastes of a Thanksgiving feast! These Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs are so easy and taste like a forkful of turkey and stuffing goodness in every bite!
We wanted to introduce you to an easy recipe that you can make all season long as we head into the holidays. Think Friendsgiving or appetizer for when the family stops by during the holidays.
Serve them with toothpicks for an easy turkey meatball appetizer.
And don’t forget the gravy!
Make sure you try these Goat Cheese and Honey Bites for Thanksgiving. They make a spectacular appetizer. No one needs to know they're so easy 😉
Table of Contents
More Meatball Recipes
If you're craving meatballs, try:
- our tender and juicy 3-ingredient Crockpot Meatballs
- or Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs
- The best Cheesy Chicken Meatballs
How to Make Turkey Stuffing Meatballs - Step by Step Instructions
No, bland meatballs here! It is nice to get the classic taste of Thanksgiving so easily! With the addition of cornbread stuffing and fresh herbs and spices, these turkey meatballs are moist and packed full of flavor.
To get that classic flavor, we used traditional stuffing ingredients like onions, celery, and sage to keep the characteristics genuine.
Did we mention kids love these things! Yep, even picky eaters tend to like this recipe.
Step 1 - Cook Veggies
Start by preheating your oven to 375°F and then sauté your onions and celery in butter on
However, a time-saving tip would be to add them to your ground turkey without sautéing. Just so you know, they tend to create a more robust aroma and flavor in the meatballs this way, so choose your preference.
Step 2 - Make Meatball Mixture
Once you’ve added your garlic and sage (yum! It’s smelling a lot like Thanksgiving!) to your veggies and let them cool, it’s time to add them to your ground turkey along with all your other ingredients, including stuffing.
Mix them, but don’t over mix because that will cause the meat to become tough.
Step 3 - Make Meatballs
Now, create 1 ½ - 2-inch meatballs using your hands or a cookie scoop and place them on a parchment-lined baking pan.
Tip: If using your hands to create your meatballs, wet them to keep the mixture from sticking to them.
Spray with cooking oil or baste with a bit of olive oil and place them in the oven to cook and become slightly browned.
Step 4 - Bake
Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the Turkey and Stuffing Meatball center measures 165°F.
Tip: Using a meat thermometer ensures that you cook your meat to the correct temperature—never over or undercooking. For poultry, it’s 165°F.
Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Tips for Making Turkey Meatballs with Stuffing Mix
- As with most meatballs, you want to avoid overworking the meat when you mix it. This will help it stay soft.
- After you cook the onions, celery, sage, and garlic in butter, you’ll want to let the mixture cool slightly before adding to the ground turkey and egg to avoid starting cooking the turkey before its time.
- We usually use Stove Top Stuffing or Mrs. Cubbison's Stuffing Mix for our stuffing meatballs.
- Use a cookie scoop to create evenly proportioned meatballs.
- Always cook poultry to an internal temperature of 165°F.
These Thanksgiving Meatballs are so flavorful and delish! But they’re good with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes, too! They are the perfect pairing for The Best Cranberry Sauce.
If you're craving stuffing, make our easy Crockpot Stuffing Recipe.
How to Keep Your Meatballs from Falling Apart
Great question! How you keep Thanksgiving meatballs from falling apart is a good binder that acts as glue. This recipe is fool-proof since it includes a great binder—cornbread stuffing. Binders for other meatball recipes include breadcrumbs and almond flour.
How to Serve
There are a couple of ways to serve these Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs. One is on a bed of homemade cranberry sauce! Our favorite way. Oh, so good!
Another way is on or with mashed potatoes and gravy. Heck, you could even toss these on a sandwich and make one delicious meal!
If you're wondering What To Do With Leftover Cranberry Sauce, we have lots of delicious ideas!
Can you Freeze Turkey Meatballs?
These turkey meatballs and meatballs, in general, freeze and reheat beautifully!
- Place cooked and cooled meatballs on a parchment-lined pan in the freezer until frozen (this is called flash freezing).
- Transfer to a plastic bag or airtight container, and keep in the freezer until ready to use.
To reheat, simply place your Turkey Stuffing Meatballs on a baking pan, cover with foil, and then bake in a 350°F oven for about 15-20 minutes. Or until heated through.
We recommend making a double batch and freezing one for later—nothing beats a hot, tasty recipe on busy weeknights or when the holiday hustle and bustle hits. Just pull them from the freezer, and you’ve got dinner or apps!
You can reheat these in a crockpot for ease, especially during the busy holidays. Just defrost overnight in the fridge and place in your crockpot with a bit of chicken broth or gravy.
If you have any questions, check out our Guide To Prevent Freezer Burn.
Kitchen Items Used
Parchment Paper - helps keep things from sticking and makes cleanup easier!
Baking pan - perfect for sweet and savory dishes when oven cooking is required.
Cookie Scoop - the best way to get perfectly proportioned meatballs (and cookies).
Meat Thermometer - the ideal way to know if meat or poultry is truly done.
More Turkey Recipes
Crock Pot Turkey Chili
How to Cook a Turkey Perfectly
Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
If you try these Turkey Stuffing Meatballs or any other recipe on Suburban Simplicity, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it went in the comments below; we love hearing from you! Better yet, use the hashtag #suburbansimplicity if you make the recipe.
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Turkey Stuffing Meatballs Recipe
Equipment
- sheet pan
- cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (sliced lengthwise and diced)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage (minced)
- 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ cup pre-seasoned cornbread stuffing mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat a saucepan to medium heat and melt the butter. Add the diced onions and celery and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Cook onions and celery, occasionally stirring for about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and fresh sage. Continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes. Take the mixture out of the pan and let cool to room temperature.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside, and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the onion mixture to a large mixing bowl with the ground turkey, dried sage, black pepper, nutmeg, thyme, cornbread stuffing mix, and eggs. Use your hands to mix well, but not aggressively.
- Use a cookie scoop or hands (see tip) to portion out the meat mixture into 1 ½ - 2-inch balls and place them on the baking sheet. Be sure to leave room between the meatballs, so they cook evenly. Spray with cooking oil or baste with a little olive oil. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the center of the Turkey and Stuffing Meatball measures 165°F.
Notes
- As with most meatballs, you want to avoid overworking the meat when you mix it together. This will help it stay soft.
- After you cook the onions, celery, sage, and garlic in butter, you’ll want to let the mixture cool slightly before adding to the ground turkey and egg to avoid starting cooking the turkey before its time.
- Use a cookie scoop to create evenly proportioned meatballs.
- Always cook poultry to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Monique Carre says
This was amazing with gravy , mashed potatoes and green beans . will defiantly will make again , kids and grandkids loved it.
Erin Henry says
So good to hear! Our kids love it too! An easy recipe that pleases everyone 🙂