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Golden brown baked turkey meatballs on a parchment lined sheet pan, fresh from the oven

Juicy Baked Turkey Meatballs That Stay Tender and Moist

Baked turkey meatballs made with a milk-soaked panko paste, grated onion, and tomato paste stay juicy inside and brown outside. They bake on one sheet pan in 20 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling Time 15 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Panade
  • 1/2 cup plain panko breadcrumbs gluten-free panko works
  • 1/4 cup whole milk any milk works
For the Meatballs
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey 93% lean, from a certified butcher or brand
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 small yellow onion grated, about 1/2 cup
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For Baking
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for brushing

Equipment

  • Half sheet pan, 18 by 13 inches
  • Parchment paper
  • Box grater
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Large mixing bowl

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the center. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Stir the panko and milk together in a large bowl and let them sit for 5 minutes, until the mixture looks like thick, wet oatmeal with no dry crumbs.
  3. Add the egg, grated onion, garlic, parsley, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt, oregano, paprika, and pepper to the panade. Stir for about 30 seconds until the paste is pale orange with no red streaks.
  4. Add the cold ground turkey and mix by hand for 30 to 40 seconds, just until no streaks of paste remain. The mixture should look sticky and a little wet.
  5. With wet hands, roll about 3 tablespoons of the mixture into a golf ball sized ball. Place each ball on the pan 1 inch apart until you have 20 smooth meatballs with no cracks.
  6. Refrigerate the pan for 15 minutes, until the balls feel firm and dry to a light touch.
  7. Brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until they look lightly glossy.
  8. Bake in the center of the oven for 18 to 22 minutes without flipping, until the tops are deep golden brown and a thermometer reads 165°F in the center.
  9. Rest the meatballs on the pan for 5 minutes, until the bottoms lift off the parchment cleanly. Serve warm.

Notes

Use regular 93% lean ground turkey. Ground breast or 99% lean turkey bakes up dry.
Diamond Crystal salt is lighter than Morton. Use 1 1/4 teaspoons of Morton or 1 teaspoon of table salt instead.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container, or freeze up to 3 months.