Baked Turkey Ricotta Meatballs

by Erin

These baked turkey meatballs are filled with ricotta and spinach making pasta night even more delicious while being slightly more nutritious at the same time!

Baked Turkey Ricotta Meatballs with Spaghetti

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Warning: These meatballs require 2.5 hours of baking time. And having the oven on at all, let alone that long, during these hot summer days seems like borderline insanity. Which is why I baked these in the morning over the weekend and had them for lunch, before the temperatures rose up too high for my A/C to successfully ward off from entering my apartment.

However, any spike my A/C bill was worth it to produce these tender, flavorful meatballs. They are also packed with spinach making them a great way to sneak in some extra nutritional value. Served over some whole wheat pasta and a side of veggies and you’ve got a fantastic meal that you can feel good about.

Check out the list of other great meatball recipes listed right before this recipe to celebrate #NationalMeatballDay on March 9th!

Baked Turkey Meatballs

And yes, I am still the very broke grad student who just paid a $500 deductible for car repairs. Sometimes I fail at being frugal when I comes to delicious food.

But I am getting a break from the heat this week. The highest high predicted for the next 7 days is 88 which is almost twenty degrees less than what I’ve been plagued by for the past month. Hooray!

In other hot-weather-related news, I bought a slip ‘n slide at Target for $4.91. Best $5 purchase ever?! I thought so too. Now to convince a friend with a yard and hose to let me frolick around…

Baked Turkey Ricotta & Spinach Meatballs with Spaghetti

Celebrating National Meatball Day!

  • Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs from Cheese Curd In Paradise
  • Best Spaghetti and Homemade Meatballs from Blogghetti
  • Baked Turkey Ricotta Meatballs from The Spiffy Cookie
  • Firecracker Meatballs from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
  • Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs from That Recipe
  • Hoisin Asian Meatballs from Making Miracles
  • Sriracha Turkey Meatballs from Sweet Beginnings
  • Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Thai Coconut Turkey Meatballs from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
  • Post updated 3/7/21, photo above is the original.

    Baked Turkey Ricotta Meatballs with Spaghetti

    BAKED TURKEY RICOTTA MEATBALLS

    Print
    Yield: 6-8 servings Prep Time: Cooking Time:
    Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

    Ingredients

    • 2 lb. ground turkey
    • 1 small red onion, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
    • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
    • 8 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
    • 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
    • 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
    • 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
    • 2 Tbsp prepared pesto

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside.
    2. Heat a skillet over medium low heat; add the oil and onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach; it will wilt with the carry-over cooking from the onions and garlic. Let the mixture cool for about 4-5 minutes off the heat.
    3. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, Parmesan, bread crumbs, ricotta and Italian seasoning. When the onion mixture has cooled fold that in. Add the turkey and, using your hands, mix until everything is well combined. Form into 20 meatballs (about 2 inches in diameter). Wash your hands. In another bowl mix together the tomatoes and pesto.
    4. Pour about 1/4 cup of the tomato mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, then evenly place the meatballs on top – you may have to squish them together some, but they’ll shrink a bit during the cooking. Top the meatballs with the remaining tomato mixture. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 2.5 hours. Let sit for a few minutes when done baking to let them cool and to allow the juices to stay in the meatballs. Serve hot over whole wheat pasta topped with Parmesan cheese.
    Did You Make This Recipe?
    I want to see! Tag me on Instagram at @TheSpiffyCookie and hashtag it #TheSpiffyCookie.

    Source: Heather’s Dish

    Did you make this recipe? I want to see!
    Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

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    13 comments

    Best Spaghetti and Meatballs March 9, 2021 - 11:34 am

    […] Baked Turkey Ricotta Meatballs from The Spiffy Cookie […]

    Reply
    jill March 9, 2021 - 10:27 am

    2.5 hours, really??? Looks delicious!!!

    Reply
    Erin March 9, 2021 - 12:34 pm

    Yup worth it! Your house will smell amazing. I bet they can be made in a slow cooker too – on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.

    Reply
    Wendy Klik March 9, 2021 - 10:16 am

    Great way to sneak in some extra veggies and I’ll bet the ricotta helps add some moisture to the turkey.

    Reply
    Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs Can be Moist and Flavorful March 9, 2021 - 6:00 am

    […] Baked Turkey Ricotta Meatballs from The Spiffy Cookie […]

    Reply
    Firecracker Meatballs - Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks March 9, 2021 - 5:32 am

    […] Baked Turkey Ricotta Meatballs from The Spiffy Cookie […]

    Reply
    Peter @Feed Your Soul July 13, 2012 - 12:53 pm

    looks really good and I bet the addition of the ricotta added a great richness to the flavor.

    Reply
    natalie@thesweetslife July 10, 2012 - 2:49 pm

    hahah LOVE that you bought a slip n slide! so necessary right now!

    Reply
    Baker Street July 10, 2012 - 10:14 am

    LOVE turkey meatballs! Not much of a beef eater so this is right up my alley! :)

    Reply
    Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray July 10, 2012 - 9:17 am

    Mmm, love turkey meatballs. Worth the borderline insanity!

    And P.S., if I didn’t live so far away I’d totally be first in line to come help you make use of that Slip ‘n’ Slide. Great purchase.

    Reply
    Becca from It's Yummilicious July 10, 2012 - 9:01 am

    These look AWESOME, Erin! Do you happen to have any nutritional information on them?

    Reply
    spiffycookie July 10, 2012 - 9:11 am

    I do not, but you can use sites like http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp to determine.

    Reply
    sally @ sally's baking addiction July 10, 2012 - 8:13 am

    I don’t eat much beef, so these turkey meatballs look perfect for a nice homecooked for me one night. I think I’d cut the recipe in half (although I probably could eat 20 meatballs… is that weird?!) I’d throw them on a crusty italian roll and be happy as a clam!

    Reply

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