Turkey meatball subs are my favorite way to use up a pound of ground turkey! This classic comfort food recipe is family-friendly and perfect for a quick healthy weeknight dinner.
Or prepare these subs on gameday for a real crowd-pleaser! You can also freeze these juicy turkey meatballs, so stock up when you have time, so they’re ready when life gets busy.
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I started making these turkey meatball subs years ago when I searched for healthy yet family-friendly recipes. Well, years later, it’s still one of the most requested recipes from my kids.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make – This recipe uses simple ingredients and is perfect for the beginner cook.
- Healthy quick weeknight meal – From start to finish, dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
- Filling without feeling bloated – Lean turkey meatballs are high in protein to fill you up and keep you satisfied.
- Simple meal prep recipe – When you prepare the meatballs ahead of time, this dinner can be ready in half the time!
Ingredients
Ground turkey – You can use all-white meat, dark meat, or a blend. The label on the package usually discloses the type of turkey that’s in the ground meat.
If you purchase from a butcher, tell them what kind of ground turkey you’d like.
I prefer using a blend of dark and white meat because this creates the best juicy, flavorful turkey meatball that is still lean.
Egg – Egg binds the ingredients together.
Panko bread crumbs and milk – To prevent a dry turkey meatball, I always mix milk and breadcrumbs to add moisture. Often, I’ll use a slice of bread, but I like the panko breadcrumbs best for these meatballs.
Seasoning – Ground turkey is very bland, so to get a flavorful meatball requires a good seasoning blend. I kept it simple using basil, oregano, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
Worcestershire sauce – this is my secret ingredient for meaty, flavorful turkey meatballs. I use Worcestershire sauce in all of my ground turkey recipes.
Sauce – You can cook the meatballs in any spaghetti sauce. To keep the recipe easy, I like to use Rao’s marinara sauce.
Romano cheese – grated romano cheese adds another dimension of flavor to these baked turkey meatballs. You can also use parmesan cheese.
Mozzarella cheese (not pictured) – there’s nothing like ooey gooey cheese on a meatball sub! You can also use a blend of provolone, asiago, or any Italian cheese.
Whole wheat hot dog buns – Of course, you can use any roll to make turkey meatball subs lighter; I use small whole wheat hot dog buns. These buns are the perfect vessel for the meatballs without adding too many extra calories and carbs.
Where to get a high-quality package of ground turkey?
Using high-quality ground turkey will make the best turkey meatball subs.
Organic ground turkey can is available at many grocery stores, including Whole Foods. My favorite store to purchase organic ground turkey is online from Butcherbox.
FAQs
Yes, of course. These chicken parmesan meatballs are perfect for subs.
If you use ground chicken in this recipe, just keep in mind that ground chicken is very lean and has the tendency to dry out, so you’ll want to add some extra fat like oil or cream to the mix.
Either one will work fine for turkey meatballs. However, dark meat does have more fat which will give it more flavor.
If you use all-white turkey, I recommend adding a little extra fat with cream, melted butter, or olive oil.
My favorite toppings for turkey meatball subs is good old-fashioned melted mozzarella cheese. Even melted provolone is tasty.
Besides cheese, you can use basic sub toppings like lettuce, onions, and even banana peppers are delicious.
Or sauteed onions and peppers (cooked or raw) taste great!
Cooking tips
Keep it low carb – These turkey meatballs are delicious even without the roll, so if you need to lose the bread, don’t sweat it.
Eat these over zoodles in a lettuce wrap or baked with spaghetti squash for a delicious low-carb version.
Use a cookie scoop to get size meatballs evenly. Do you ever wonder how people get all their meatballs to be the same size? They use a cookie scoop.
I recommend purchasing a cookie scoop just for meatballs.
Have a small bowl of water nearby. Raw turkey meatball mix is wet and messy. It’s helpful to dip your hands in water as you roll the meatballs.
Use parchment paper or spray the pan with cooking spray. Both of these will help keep the meatballs from sticking to the baking sheet.
Make a double or triple batch. Meatballs freeze great, so make extra to freeze for subs at another time. Freeze the meatballs, sauce, shredded cheese, and rolls into a kit, so you have all of the ingredients ready to subs.
Learn more about make-ahead freezer meal kits.
Use fresh breadcrumbs – I’m all about keeping recipes easy, so I reach for store-bought bread crumbs. However, fresh breadcrumbs will also work in this meatball recipe.
Spread garlic butter on the rolls. I know this isn’t very “skinny,” but if you have some extra calories to spare, or are making this for a crowd, then spread some garlic butter on the rolls and toast for 1-2 minutes before adding the meatballs and cheese.
Use these turkey meatballs in other recipes. If you’re not in the mood for subs then serve these meatballs with pasta for classic spaghetti and meatballs.
Or you can bake the turkey meatballs with pasta and cheese for a delicious meatball parmesan.
How to Make Turkey Meatball Subs
These turkey meatball subs come together in under 30 minutes. If you have the meatballs made ahead of time, you can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes or less.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, panko breadcrumbs, milk, seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, and romano cheese.
- Using your hands, mix until all the ingredients are distributed evenly. The meatball mixture is going to be wet. If it’s too mushy, then add 1-2 extra tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
- Using a cookie scoop, measure out 15 meatballs onto a cookie sheet that is coated with cooking spray. It’s helpful to have a small bowl of water to dip your hands in while rolling the meatballs.
- Cook the meatballs for 15-20 minutes or until just cooked.
- While the meatballs are baking, get out a large saucepan, heat the sauce over medium heat until bubbling, and then reduce to a low simmer.
- After the meatballs finish cooking, add them to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn on the broiler.
- Add three meatballs to a hotdog roll, then pour a little more sauce over top of the meatballs. Prepare the rest of the subs. Sprinkle two tablespoons of mozzarella cheese on each of the subs and place under the broiler, and cook until the cheese melts.
How to store and reheat turkey meatball subs
How to meal prep turkey meatballs for the week
These turkey meatballs reheat nicely, making them perfect for meal prep and freezer cooking.
After the meatballs finish cooking, they can be store in a glass container or plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can store them with or without the sauce.
On the night you’re planning to eat these subs, warm up the meatballs on the stove with the sauce, and then continue with the recipe.
You can also heat the cooked meatballs in the microwave. Place the meatballs and sauce into a microwave-safe dish and heat on high in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or until the meatballs are hot.
Then continue with the recipe.
How to freeze turkey meatballs
Turkey meatballs are one of my favorite freezer meals; you can freeze them raw or cooked.
I find it easier to freeze cooked meatballs because they just need to be thaw and warm-up and continue with the recipe.
To freeze raw meatballs, place them on a cookie sheet, sprayed with cooking spray, and flash freeze for an hour or until frozen solid. Then put all of the frozen meatballs into a large freezer bag and freeze for up to 3-4 months.
To cook the frozen raw meatballs, place them on a baking sheet in a preheated 350-degree oven and cook for 30 – 40 minutes or until cooked.
The time might be less if the meatballs or somewhat thawed. Then continue with the recipe.
Turkey Meatball Subs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup unseasoned panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons milk any milk will work
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup grated romano cheese grated parmesan can be substituted
- 24 ounce jar of marinara sauce about 3-4 cups of sauce
- 5 whole wheat hot dog rolls
- 10 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, panko breadcrumbs, milk, seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, and romano cheese.
- Using your hands, mix until all the ingredients are distributed evenly. The meatball mixture is going to be wet. If it’s too mushy, then add 1-2 extra tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
- Using a cookie scoop, measure out 15 meatballs onto a cookie sheet that is coated with cooking spray. It’s helpful to have a small bowl of water to dip your hands in while rolling the meatballs.
- Cook the meatballs for 15-20 minutes or until just cooked.
- While the meatballs are baking, get out a large saucepan, heat the sauce over medium heat until bubbling, and then reduce to a low simmer.
- After the meatballs finish cooking, add them to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn on the broiler.
- Add three meatballs to a hotdog roll, then pour a little more sauce over top of the meatballs. Prepare the rest of the subs. Sprinkle two tablespoons of mozzarella cheese on each of the subs and place under the broiler, and cook until the cheese melts.
Notes
How to store and reheat turkey meatballs
How to meal prep turkey meatballs for the week These turkey meatballs reheat nicely, making them perfect for meal prep and freezer cooking. After the meatballs finish cooking, they can be store in a glass container or plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can store them with or without the sauce. On the night you’re planning to eat these subs, warm up the meatballs on the stove with the sauce, and then continue with the recipe. You can also heat the cooked meatballs in the microwave. Place the meatballs and sauce into a microwave-safe dish and heat on high in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or until the meatballs are hot. Then continue with the recipe. How to freeze turkey meatballs Turkey meatballs are one of my favorite freezer meals; you can freeze them raw or cooked. I find it easier to freeze cooked meatballs because they just need to be thaw and warm-up and continue with the recipe.Nutrition
Other ground turkey recipes
- Turkey pesto meatballs
- Greek Turkey Burger
- How to make the most amazing turkey burgers
Have you tried this recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it!
