Ricotta Turkey Meatballs
Ricotta Turkey Meatballs are flavorful, easy to make, and delightfully unique! Creamy ricotta cheese is mixed with sun-dried tomatoes and ground turkey to make a meatball so good, you won’t be quick to forget it. Oh, and you have to serve it with my favorite garlic asiago cream sauce!
Ricotta Turkey Meatballs
Meatballs are one of my favorite forms of protein to add to a plate. They’re always easy to make no matter how you mix ’em up and kids always gobble them up without question. As much as I do love traditional beef/pork meatballs with red sauce, though, these Turkey Ricotta Meatballs with garlic asiago cream sauce are a must make for times when you want something different! This recipe doubles as a hearty entree when served over pasta or as a low-carb meal when simply eaten alone with a fork.
One of my favorite things about these easy to make meatballs is the addition of sun-dried tomatoes. I absolutely love sun-dried tomatoes, especially in the summertime! There’s something so bright, yet savory about them that really compliment the other flavors here. As much as I enjoy the tomatoes, though, the ricotta cheese is what makes these meatballs so good. It makes the consistency of the ground turkey more thick and decadent without making them too heavy.
How to Make Ricotta Turkey Meatballs
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Sauté the onion and garlic. Add the onion and cook until softened, approximately 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Mix the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, ricotta, asiago, tomatoes, parsley, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper with the onion mixture using your hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
- Roll the meatballs. Roll portions of the turkey mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake the meatballs. Bake the meatballs in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until done.
- Start making the sauce. While the meatballs are baking, heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook until translucent and then stir in the garlic.
- Thicken it. Cook for 30 seconds and then stir in the cornstarch. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the half and half. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, approximately 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the final touches to the sauce. Add the garlic powder and asiago cheese stirring until smooth. Stir in the basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve! Transfer the meatballs to a serving platter and serve immediately with the sauce.
How To Freeze
Let the meatballs cool to room temperature, then pop them into a freezer proof food storage container. Label and date it, then keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips for the Best Ricotta Turkey Meatballs
- You can use store bought, but I personally love using Homemade Ricotta Cheese.
- Your meatballs should be golf ball sized. If they’re too big, they’ll need longer to cook.
- When you add the asiago to the sauce mixture, stir continuously to make sure it’s smooth and doesn’t clump.
More Easy Meatballs Recipes
- The Best Oven Baked Meatballs
- Easy Porcupine Meatballs
- The Best Pan Fried Meatballs
- Chicken Marsala Meatballs
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Get the Recipe: Ricotta Turkey Meatballs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Garlic Asiago Cream Sauce
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 vidalia onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in hot water, drained and minced
- 1/4 cup packed chopped parsley
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
- bowl
- 1 saucepan
- 1 baking sheet
- parchment paper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook until softened, approximately 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine the turkey, ricotta, asiago, tomatoes, parsley, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper with the onion mixture using your hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
- Roll portions of the turkey mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake the meatballs in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until done.
- While the meatballs are baking, heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook until translucent and then stir in the garlic.
- Cook for 30 seconds and then stir in the cornstarch. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Stir in the half and half. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, approximately 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic powder and asiago cheese stirring until smooth. Sitr in the basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the meatballs to a serving platter and serve immediately with the sauce.
19 Comments on “Ricotta Turkey Meatballs”
I didn’t believe ground turkey could be this moist and flavorful, so glad to be wrong. The sauce is delicious. I ended up with about 45 meatballs. Serving over low carb noodles they absorbed some of the sauce so I’ll double it next time. Definitely making this again. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m so happy you liked it!
I’m not lying when I say this is by far the best recipe and meal I probably have made in a very long time. This is incredible. My husband is obsessed.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! The ricotta just makes them so amazing. Thank you for your comment!
Lol… so, what are you supposed to do with tbe panko breadcrumbs, since the instructions dont say?
The panko goes into the meatball mixture, thanks for catching that!
These meatballs were phenomenal!
Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed them, they’re my absolute favorite.
Can I drink the cream sauce? This looks amazing!
Absolutely! Cheers!
I can handle a rainy day here and there but not too much! I hate when it gets all mushy because fear slipping in the mud…haha. These ricotta turkey meatballs look like the perfect thing to eat on a rainy day 🙂
I’ve slipped in the mud too many times to count. Thanks so much!
Mother Nature has been cruel, but I’m pretty sure those skies opened up for this dish! Oh, man does this sound delicious. I have to try ricotta in meatballs soon. Seriously. Next time you hear from me I’ll probably be 20 pounds heavier.
The ricotta is absolute perfection…I think you’ll love it!
These would definitely make a good Sunday supper meal.
These sound fantastic! I need to make a batch…the ricotta and turkey (or chicken) sounds perfect, and that creamy garlic asiago sauce is totally calling my name!
you are the second person that told me about ricotta in meatballs. I must try it
WHOA! That cream sauce alone sounds amazing! My family loves meatballs!
This recipe sounds absolutely incredible…so many of my favorite flavors in the meatballs and that cream sauce! Heaven…pure heaven…