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Juicy mozzarella stuffed meatballs are coated in a hearty homemade marinara sauce and ready in just 30 minutes! This is a meal you’ll want to make over and over again!
Raise your hand if you’re ready for the easiest, cheesiest, tastiest meatball recipe around!
I hope your pretty little hand is waving wild and high in the air… because easy, cheesy, tasty meatballs is what we’re all about today.
I’m talking crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, super flavorful, STUFFED WITH CHEESE (squee!!!) and swimming in the best marinara sauce to eva hit your lips >>> These 30-Minute Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Homemade Marinara Sauce are sure to be a new go-to meal at least once a week 😉 I seriously can’t make them enough!
Meatball love is intense like that.
Let’s dive right into the nitty gritty with some step by steppies, eh?
First thing you’re going to do is grab your meatball ingredients and throw them in a big (maybe neon green?) bowl.
Then it’s time to get your hands messy.
And no prissy poking or prodding…
get your hands in there and give that meat a massage! Rub all that garlic and herbs in reeeeal good because lots of yummy ingredients in your meat = lots of yummy flavor in your meatballs. That is what we want!
Once your meat is ready, you’ll quickly chop your cheese into bite-sized chunks.
Fight the temptation to go BIG here and keep them about a 1/2 inch or even smaller. Any bigger and the cheese will overtake the meatball and seep out while frying. Lost cheese is a sad sad thing. Let’s fight against it the best we can!
And yes… that is string cheese. It works in a pinch 😉
Now, time to put that cheese to action. You’re going to stuff it in the meatballs.
How (you ask)? Well, quite easily my dear friend.
Just scoop a little smidge of meat in your hand, place the cheese smack dab in the center, then add another little bit of meat on top of it. Roll the meatball around in your hands a few times to seal the deal, and repeat with the remaining meatballs and cheese. This will only take a few minutes if you work fast – if you have a husband/girlfriend/kid/or parent that’s down for helping here, it’ll go even faster!
Now it’s time to fry. In olive oil. For just a few minutes on each side. I recommend letting your olive oil get nice and hot while your doing your prep work so it’s ready to go. In hot oil, the meatballs only need about 2 minutes on each side. You’re not fully cooking them here, just crisping the outsides. If you’ve never had a crunchy meatball, you haven’t fully lived… just saying.
The crispy but not completely cooked meatballs take a quick (10 minute) trip to the oven to finish baking. During this time you’ll make your marinara. That’s right… 10 minute marinara. Rejoice!
The marinara is easy as can be. Olive oil, garlic, italian seasoning, crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. They get combined in the meatball pan (minus the meatballs; they’re in the oven, remember?) and simmered down for 10 minutes.
Once the meatballs have emerged from the oven, simply plop them in the sauce, and serve! You can serve with crusty bread, on an Italian hoagie roll, or over spaghetti, of course. To be honest, they’re so good I sometimes simply eat them with a spoon. Yes… me, a spoon, and whole bowl of saucy meat-a-balls. Add a glass of red wine to that equation and I am in pure bliss.
The best news? You can be in meatball heaven too. 30-Minute Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Homemade Marinara Sauce … Get after it 😉
I hope you love these 30-Minute Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Homemade Marinara Sauce as much as I do!
If (or better yet, when!) you make this recipe, I’d love for you to snap a picture and share it on instagram using the hashtag #bakerbynature – seeing your kitchen magic makes my day! xoxo
30-Minute Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Homemade Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey meat
- 5 garlic cloves, minced, divided
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup whole wheat panko bread
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into bite sized cubes (you can use 4 (1 ounce) string cheese pieces, too)
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Allow the oil to simmer (you want it very hot) while you prepare the meatballs.
- In a large bowl combine ground turkey meat, half of the minced garlic, egg, cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and panko. Slowly add the water, a few tablespoons at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape when rolled into meatballs.
- Scoop one tablespoon of meat into a small ball. Press a piece of cheese in the center, then cover it with another piece of meat, roll to seal in the cheese. Repeat with all meat/cheese.
- Fry meatballs in batches in the hot oil, 2 minutes on each side.
- Place semi-cooked meatballs on prepared baking sheet. Once all meatballs have been panfried, place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they're cooked though.
- While the meatballs bake, make your marinara!
- Add remaining oil to the same pan the meatballs were in, then add the remaining garlic and sauté for one minute, or until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar, seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes, mix well to combine. Simmer the sauce for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- When meatballs are done cooking, add them to the sauce, stir to coat, and serve!
I just had to pin this! Next time I get groceries, the stuff to make this will be on my list. 🙂
Saw this on Pinterest and had to come over for a look Great idea. Pinning this one to try over this holiday season. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lea Ann! So happy you decided to make the leap over 😉 This meal is one of our all time favorites – I hope you love it, too!
Can you make these ahead of time?
Hi Courtenay! I don’t see why not 🙂 I would recommend doing the meat part ahead of time, then popping them in the fridge until needed.
How many do they make?
12-14 depending on how big you make them.
GIRRRRRL.
I love you.
MUST. MAKE. Michael’s gonna worship you for this.
Awwww yay! Wish I could just come over and join you guys for dinner 🙂
Can you make them without the panic crumbs? We are on no carbs
Hi Karen. I’ve never tried this recipe without the panko, so I cannot give a solid answer. If you try, I’d love to hear how they turn out!
I am doing low/no carb so I used 1/2 cup of Italian breadcrumbs (didn’t have panko) & did NOT add water because the meat mixture stayed moist. They turned out just fine! I also only had diced tomatoes with garlic/oregano, used extra minced garlic & served over bed of uncooked spinach…this was SO GOOD! I was surprised it really was as good as it looked! Will definitely make again!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Rachel! And thank you for letting us know your modifications – always helpful for other readers out there 🙂
I’m going to try with almond meal rather than panko crumbs. (I need gluten free). I am going to try these for company tonight. 🙂
How did these urn out with the almond meal? I also need gluten free.
We made these the other night – SOOOO good!! And super easy. Your recipes always turn out for us. Thanks once again for a great meal!!
Hi Jabba! Your comment just made my morning! Thank you so much for reporting back 🙂 I always love to hear success stories! xo
What would you serve these with (are they stand alone)? Would I serve them over spagetti with a salad. They look fantastic and I want to try them for the family.
Hi Janet! Spaghetti and salad would be the perfect additions! I hope your family loves them 🙂
Ashley these look mighty tasty. I’ve made some similar meatballs, but with a chile relleno theme in mind. Love the cheese in the center in any meatball. Nice!
Cheese in the center is always an upgrade, right!? xo
UGH. I wish this recipe was posted yesterday.
You’re totally going to judge me but I just bought pre-made meatballs for the hubs, because after a day of blog cooking,I don’t want to cook him dinner. I’m the worst.
These looks SO GOOD! Pinned!
I would never you judge you! After blog baking all day I pretty much always want to eat out haha… unfortunately the MR is spoiled on my food and wants to eat home. Hence the bounty of 30 minute meals I chug out lol.
These are so perfect, the texture, flavor, you name it. Love ’em!
Thanks so much, Matt!
I just realized it says grated romano will shredded work,because thats all I have please help
Hi Amie. It should work flavor wise, but obviously the texture will be a little different since shredded cheese is larger than grated. You could pulse the shredded cheese in a blender for a few seconds?
Hi
Is that Panko Bread Crumbs?
Thank you
Hi Kathie. Yes, Panko Bread Crumbs will work!
These sound great, but could you use tomato sauce instead of crushed tomato. My husband doesn’t eat tomatoes.
Hi Amie. You can use any sauce you’d like. Tomato sauce (like a puree) will be a different consistency, but should still taste pretty good 😉
My mom used to use an immersion blender to liquefy the sauce after cooking. We didn’t like chunks or veggies. Definitely got our veggies those nights.
I can not wait to try this recipe. They look delicious!