Tender Turkey Swedish Meatballs

Did someone say meatballs? These tender Turkey Swedish Meatballs are a great way to turn ground turkey into a fantastic, moist, and flavorful dinner idea — all covered in a creamy gravy that is downright tasty!

So who wants in?

This saucy low-carb meal is loaded with flavors from simple ingredients like onion, basil, and grated parmesan. Blended with ground turkey, many of these ingredients are pantry staples and items you may already have in your kitchen. So, you’ll be making this recipe in no time.

Swedish Meatballs are typically made with a 50-50 ratio of ground pork and ground beef, but for this better-for-you version, I used ground turkey. I’ve also made some minor adjustments to the typical seasonings and replaced nutmeg and allspice with more Italian flavors, like Italian breadcrumbs and garlic.

And while these meatballs are great served solo, they can also be the basis for a complete meal when paired with your favorite veggie or egg noodles (for a more traditional approach).

Ingredients you’ll need to make tender Swedish meatballs:

• At the foundation of this recipe sits tender turkey meatballs. You’ll combine lean ground turkey, Italian breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, an egg, onion, and basil. Basil is one of those herbs that can enhance any dish. The basil gives the meatballs and the sauce a well-balanced aroma with its herbal flavors. The grated parmesan cheese is also an everyday go-to because of the creaminess it can provide and the nuttiness this dish needs.
• You will season these meatballs with smoked paprika, black pepper, sea salt, and ground thyme.
• And to make the creamy gravy, you’ll need beef broth, onion, heavy whipping cream, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and of course, garlic. You will season the gravy with sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
• The consistency of the gravy comes from the cornstarch and water combo that gets added at the end.

How to make Swedish meatballs:

1. Begin by adding all meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mixing everything well with your hands.
2. You will form the meatballs into palm-sized balls and then sear them on high heat for a few minutes before removing them from heat.
3. The gravy will be made in the same pan, so you will add the garlic and chopped white onions on medium heat, cooking for 4 minutes.
4. Pour the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, basil, and remaining seasonings into the pan, stirring them together before adding the meatballs back to the pan.
5. Spoon some gravy over the meatballs before covering and allow the meatballs to cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Once done, you will add the whipping cream and parmesan cheese, followed by the cornstarch and water mixture (add to a small bowl first and mix before adding to the pan with all ingredients).
7. Allow to cool for 3 to 5 additional minutes before serving.

How do you make tender turkey meatballs?

There is nothing like biting down on a tender meatball. The most important thing to remember is you must add moisture in to get the moisture out. And that certainly holds true to a protein like ground turkey, which is much lower in saturated fat when compared to ground beef. The combination of the egg, breadcrumbs, and grated parmesan cheese are your keys to staying clear of dry meatballs.

This recipe is fully loaded with flavors and is super easy to prepare. You can enjoy your turkey meatballs Swedish style served over egg pasta, or you can low carb it out and serve it with a side of spinach. However you serve this dish, I think you will enjoy this any day of the week.

Love meatballs? You should also try my:

• French Onion Gouda Stuffed Meatballs
• Meatball and Mushroom Pasta
• Meatballs with Sage Brown Butter Sauce
• Italian Meatball Sub Sandwich
• Buffalo Chicken Meatball Pizza
• Chicken Meatball Mac & Cheese
• Lamb Meatballs with Buttery Lemon Orzo & Tzatziki
• Cajun Meatballs and Dirty Rice Meal Prep

Print