Baked Italian Turkey Meatballs

This is a recipe my kids make for me now. They LOVE these & I use them in a multitude of dishes like spaghetti & meatballs, ravioli & meatball casserole, and meatball sandwiches.

Obviously, these are unbaked. I totally forgot to get a photo of them after they were done! (duh!) Picture them all browned & yummy. :)

You can bake a double or triple batch and freeze them after they're baked for future dinners.

Baked Italian Turkey Meatballs

1 pound ground meat - I use ground turkey but you can use ground beef, if you prefer
1/3 cup Italian spiced bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 garlic clove minced OR 1 tsp prepared minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


Preheat oven to 400*F. Line cookie sheet(s) or baking pan(s) with foil. Be sure to seal the corners so juices don't flow off onto your oven floor.

Mix all ingredients by hand in a large bowl. (You can mix with a spoon, but the texture is very different - more dense, I guess.)

Shape into 1 1/4" balls (about 33) and evenly space them on the foil-lined cookie sheets/baking pans. (I use a cookie dough-type scooper for this part - much faster!)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned on the outside & cooked through.

Serve immediately over pasta with your favorite spaghetti sauce or in meatball sandwiches topped with grated mozzarella cheese & spaghetti sauce.

YUM!!

TO FREEZE: ** After they're baked **
Freeze extra meatballs (not touching) on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Transfer to a Ziploc freezer bag or freezer container & store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheat, frozen or thawed, in the sauce with which you plan to serve them.

FOR RAVIOLI & MEATBALL CASSEROLE:
Mix together gently:
2 9-oz pkgs fresh cheese ravioli (or defrosted from frozen)
1 16-oz jar spaghetti sauce
1/8 cup water (only if sauce is too thick - you can omit this if your sauce is thinner)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Gently pour into a 9x13" baking dish. Place 12 meatballs throughout the ravioli mixture. (press them down into the mixture, not just sitting on top)

Top with more grated mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.

Bake 30-45 minutes at 375*F or until ravioli are tender & cheese is browned.