My kiddos love meatballs! This is a good thing because they’re easy to whip up, and they make great leftovers for school lunches in a Thermos. Since I love finding shortcuts in the kitchen, I bake these delicious orbs of goodness on parchment-lined baking sheets, which prevents the splattered mess that typically occurs when you cook meatballs on the stovetop. This makes me happy.
MEATBALL INGREDIENTS
2 pounds (907 g) ground turkey thighs (or 1 pound (454 g) ground thighs and 1 pound (454 g) ground breasts)
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP (30 ml) chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp (5 ml) finely chopped fresh ginger
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 eggs (or 1 TBSP (15 ml) ground flax seeds mixed with 3 TBSP (45 ml) hot water; let it sit for a few minutes until it gels)
Coconut oil for serving day
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup (720 ml) drained and finely chopped canned pineapple chunks (reserve the juice)
1 cup (240 ml) pineapple juice from the can of pineapple chunks
1 TBSP (15 ml) honey
2 TBSP (30 ml) red wine vinegar
2 TBSP (30 ml) coconut aminos
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup tomato sauce
2 TBSP (30 ml) tomato paste
Makes 32 meatballs
Prep Day:
In a medium-sized bowl, use your hands to combine the meatball ingredients. Roll the mixture into 1½-inch balls.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Place the meatballs, evenly spaced, on the sheet, and place it in the freezer.
When the meatballs are frozen very firm, transfer them to an airtight container or a 1-gallon freezer bag, and freeze until needed.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce thickens a bit.
Remove the sauce from the heat, and let cool for 15 minutes.
Pour the sauce into mason jars, cover them, and place them in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Once the sauce is cold, store the jars in the freezer until needed.
Serving Day:
Thaw the meatballs and the sauce in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Placed the thawed meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the thawed sauce on medium-low until warm.
Serve the hot meatballs with a bowl of sauce on the side for dipping.
More Recipes You'll Love
Baked turkey meatballs with sweet-n-sour dipping sauce are a two-part freezer win. The meatballs bake up tender with pineapple, ginger, and red pepper folded through, while the glossy dipping sauce — pineapple juice, coconut aminos, honey, and tomato — comes together in minutes.
Pro Tips
- Mix the meatball ingredients with your hands until just combined — overworking the turkey makes the meatballs dense and bouncy instead of tender.
- Ground turkey thighs (or a mix of thighs and breasts) keep these meatballs juicy; all-breast meat tends to dry out in the oven.
- Freeze the rolled meatballs on a wax-paper-lined sheet until firm, then bag them — that way they don't fuse into one giant meatball lump in the freezer.
- The flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons hot water) works perfectly as a binder if you're avoiding eggs; let it gel before mixing in.
- Simmer the sauce 5–10 minutes until it thickens slightly and cool it before jarring — it thickens more as it chills and clings to the meatballs beautifully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these meatballs ahead?
That's exactly what the recipe is built for — freeze the raw meatballs and the sauce separately, thaw overnight, then bake and rewarm the sauce for a fast dinner.
Are these turkey meatballs paleo?
Yes: turkey, vegetables, pineapple, and egg, with a sauce of pineapple juice, honey, red wine vinegar, coconut aminos, and tomato. No breadcrumbs or refined sugar.
Can I use ground chicken?
Ground chicken works well with the same mix-ins and baking time. The pineapple and ginger keep the flavour bright either way.
How do I reheat frozen meatballs?
Bake them straight from thawed as written, then toss with the warmed sauce. You can also rewarm cooked meatballs in the sauce over low heat.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium-sized bowl, use your hands to combine the meatball ingredients.
- Roll the mixture into 1½-inch balls.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
- Place the meatballs, evenly spaced, on the sheet, and place it in the freezer.
- When the meatballs are frozen very firm, transfer them to an airtight container or a 1-gallon freezer bag, and freeze until needed.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce thickens a bit.
- Remove the sauce from the heat, and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Pour the sauce into mason jars, cover them, and place them in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- Once the sauce is cold, store the jars in the freezer until needed.
- Thaw the meatballs and the sauce in the refrigerator overnight.
- When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Placed the thawed meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the thawed sauce on medium-low until warm.
- Serve the hot meatballs with a bowl of sauce on the side for dipping.
