Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
Turkey zucchini meatballs are a healthy and flavorful protein to add to your meal rotation! The zucchini gives them extra nutrients, and helps keep them moist, even when reheated. They are a great freezable protein for meal prep.

I love serving these meatballs with marinara sauce and spaghetti squash noodles. They also work well in wraps, sandwiches, and on salads.
Meal Prepping Tips
- Mixing the rest of the ingredients first, then adding in turkey helps to prevent over-mixing. Over mixing will make tough meatballs.
- Using gloves helps keep the meatball mixing process clean. (My favorite food safe gloves)
- The meatballs may release a white substance while cooking. This is a mix of juices and protein from the ground turkey, and is totally normal. If this bothers you, you can cook the meatballs with a baking rack on the baking sheet so the juices will drip down. Be sure to spray the baking rack generously with non-stick cooking spray.
- Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- This recipe makes 6-8 servings. Freeze half so you can enjoy the rest later.
- To freeze, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Add the cooked meatballs to the baking sheet. Freeze flat until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer bag to use later. Don’t forget to label and date! Store in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave, in a skillet, or in the sauce you are serving them in.
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Zucchini – One medium sized zucchini. Trim the ends off.
- Small onion – Or ½ a medium onion. Substitute for a shallot.
- Garlic cloves – 2 cloves fresh garlic or Substitute for 2 teaspoons minced garlic.
- Panko breadcrumbs – Use plain or seasoned breadcrumbs. The recipe was tested with plain panko breadcrumbs, so it will still be well seasoned.
- 85/15 ground turkey – This turkey has a little more fat content to help keep the meatballs even more moist. Substitute for other turkey mixes or ground chicken.
The Process
- Grate zucchini with the large holes of a box grater, and prep other ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs, and mix in the rest of the ingredients except for the ground turkey and mix well.
- Fold in the ground turkey and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Portion out meatballs and roll into a ball, then line up on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. They should be slightly browned on the outside, and juicy inside. (Baked meatballs shown in the photo below)
Meal Prep Idea
Make spaghetti squash meatball bowls.
Make sure to absorb all the extra liquid from the spaghetti squash before prepping the bowls.
Add homemade marinara sauce or your favorite jarred variety (I love Rao’s).
Top with meatballs, parmesan cheese, and some fresh basil!
Should be good for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave.
Lauren’s Meal Planning Tips
This recipe makes about 24 medium sized meatballs, which makes 6-8 servings. I like to freeze half the meatballs for later, and eat some over the next few meals.
Ways to repurpose these meatballs:
- Meal 1 – Serve with marinara sauce and pasta.
- Meal 2 – Toss with buffalo sauce and make pitas or wraps with celery, lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, and ranch or blue cheese dressing.
- Meal 3 – Serve over rice or spaghetti squash with roasted veggies and a sauce for meatball bowls.
New to meal planning? Start with Meal Planning 101.
FAQs
Baked Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
Equipment
- Box grater
- Large baking sheet, wire rack optional
- Large mixing bowl
- 1/4 cup measuring cup, optional
- Gloves, optional
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt*
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs, plain or seasoned
- 2 pounds 85/15 ground turkey
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grate zucchini with the large holes of a box grater. Finely chop onion. Mince garlic. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- MIX: In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and lightly beat them with a fork. Combine the rest of the ingredients except for the ground turkey and mix well. Next gently fold in the ground turkey and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- ROLL: Portion out a scant ¼ cup of turkey mixture and form a rough ball. Line meatballs up on the baking sheet giving them at least an inch of space between them. (Gloves are really handy for keeping this process clean!)
- BAKE: Bake for 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- SERVE: Serve right away, or store for later use.
Notes
- This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using a different salt, especially table salt, please salt to taste! 1 teaspoon of table salt will be much saltier than 1 teaspoon kosher salt. To know if your meatballs are properly seasoned, pinch a small amount off and cook in a skillet until fully cooked so you can taste test!
- Overmixing meatballs can make them tough. To prevent this, mix all ingredients first without the ground meat, then fold in the ground meat until just combined. The best way to mix meatballs is with a loose claw hand shape.
- Gloves are really handy for keeping this process clean!
- A scant cup means slightly less than a cup. To portion out medium sized meatballs, use a scant ¼ cup.
- Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- To freeze, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Add the cooked meatballs to the baking sheet. Freeze flat until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer bag to use later. Don’t forget to label and date! Store in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave, in a skillet, or in the sauce you are serving them in.