Baked Turkey Meatballs in Beer Sauce
Make this Baked Turkey Meatballs recipe for an elevated take on classic comfort food! Tender turkey meatballs are flavored with sauteed onions and herbs, then gently simmered in a decadent beer onion sauce that has the perfect balance of richness and depth. Serve atop creamy mashed potatoes or egg noodles for the ultimate cozy and hearty dinner idea!
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
Turkey meatballs always make a fantastic weeknight main dish. While turkey is on the leaner side, when you combine it with a generous amount of sauteed onions, herbs, and breadcrumbs, these meatballs turn out super flavorful and tender. This recipe calls for baking them in the oven, which eliminates the mess of frying and takes only about 15 minutes!
The real star of the show in this recipe is the beer and onion sauce. Onions, sauteed until golden, make up the base and add a touch of sweetness. A roux, a blend of flour and fat, thickens the sauce and gives it a velvety, smooth texture. The addition of beer introduces a robust, earthy richness and brings complexity to the dish.
Ladle it generously over creamy mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, or tender egg noodles for a hearty and satisfying dish perfect for chilly weather!
This Ground Turkey Meatball recipe is:
- Tasty! The beer onion sauce is decadent with rich flavor!
- Easy! The list of ingredients looks long, but many are pantry ingredients or are used in both the meatballs and the sauce. The technique is easy, and the meatballs are baked in the oven for only about 15 minutes.
- Cozy and hearty! This recipe is perfect for colder weather and offers a satisfying, elevated version of comfort food.
- Make ahead! The meatballs and/or the sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated. To reheat, add extra broth to the sauce and simmer on the stovetop until heated. The sauce thickens in the refrigerator.
How to Make Baked Turkey Meatballs in Beer Sauce:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this baked turkey meatball recipe and instructions for preparing the ingredients. The recipe card below has the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Ground Turkey: I used 93% lean, 7% fat ground turkey. If you have a source for fresh ground turkey, such as The Fresh Market, you can get all-white ground turkey if you prefer something leaner. Other types of meat will also work, such as ground chicken, pork, or beef.
- Beer: Lager beer, a type of beer brewed at low temperatures, is recommended for this recipe. It has a clean, crisp taste with a hint of sweetness. Any variety of lager-style beer will work for this dish. NON-ALCOHOLIC SUBSTITUTION: Most alcohol will get cooked out as it simmers, but not all. If you do not consume alcohol, use a non-alcoholic beer.
- Onions: I used regular (not sweet) yellow onions for this baked turkey meatball recipe; they work best for general cooking.
- Dried Thyme: Dried thyme is used in the meatballs and the sauce. Its minty and slightly woodsy flavor highlights the earthy elements in the sauce. Dried thyme has a more concentrated flavor than fresh, so if you’d like to use fresh instead, use a third more of the amount that is called for. The standard ratio is one part dried to three parts fresh.
- Panko: Also known as Japanese bread crumbs, panko’s coarse texture is good for meatballs and meatloaf. It can be found in the baking aisle near the other breadcrumbs.
- All-Purpose Flour: I always use unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This fermented liquid condiment brings the umami element to this sauce. Worcestershire sauce balances out the sweetness from the brown sugar and adds a tangy, savory element to this dish.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard has a sharper and more complex flavor than yellow. You can’t go wrong with Grey Poupon and it’s always a good idea to keep this condiment on hand. The best substitute for Dijon mustard is stone-ground mustard, but you can also use yellow in a pinch.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a touch of sweetness and caramel-like flavor to this dish.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients for the baked turkey meatballs and the sauce.
- MEATBALLS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until soft.
- Add the garlic and dried thyme and stir.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
- Add the panko, 1/2 cup chicken broth, egg, salt, black pepper, and parsley and mix well.
- Add the ground turkey and mix well.
- Form into 1-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers at least 165 degrees.
- SAUCE: Heat butter and oil over medium-high heat in the same skillet you used to cook the onions for the meatballs.
- Add the onion, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 18 to 20 minutes or until soft and beginning to turn golden.
- Add the garlic, dried thyme, tomato paste, and all-purpose flour. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the beer and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir in parsley.
- Add the meatballs back in and heat through.
- Done and delish!! Tender, delicious, baked turkey meatballs in a super flavorful beer and onion sauce!
- Serve over buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, rice or pureed cauliflower.
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- You can free-form the meatballs, but I use a 1 or 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop to make the meatballs.
- Grab a handful of the meat mixture in one hand and the cookie dough scoop in the other.
- Use the heel of the hand holding the meat mixture to level off the scoop. Then, empty the scoop onto a baking sheet.
- Then, wet your hands and fine-tune them, rolling them into neat little balls in the palms of your hands.
- Don’t rush sauteeing the onions! Taking the necessary time to saute the onions ensures that the flavor and texture are just right. Cooking on medium-low brings out the onions’ natural sweetness and adds an umami element. You don’t need to caramelize the onions; you just want a nice golden color. Cooking at too high a temperature risks burning the onions.
- When reheating, you might want to stir in a splash of broth or two to maintain the sauce’s perfect consistency, as it tends to thicken when refrigerated.
- These easy, simply-flavored meatballs can go with numerous other sauces.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Since this recipe makes 1 1/2-inch ground turkey meatballs, cooking them takes 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees. This ensures that they do not get overcooked and dried out. Always use an instant-read thermometer to see if they have reached the safe internal temperature of 165 degrees in the center.
Baking meatballs takes the least amount of effort, and it’s easier to make a larger batch of them. Panfrying will yield a nice, caramelized exterior, but the process can also be messy and you have to make sure you turn them all to get the nice browning on as many sides as possible.
Yes! In fact, we found it tasted even better the next day! This recipe for ground turkey meatballs and the beer sauce reheats well, making it a convenient meal to make ahead of time and serve later or have for leftovers. To reheat, bring the sauce and meatballs to a simmer on the stovetop and cook until heated. You may need to add a splash of broth when reheating, as the sauce may thicken in the fridge.
When cooking with beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages, some of the alcohol content evaporates during the simmering process, but not all of it goes away. The amount of alcohol that remains in a dish depends on several factors. Generally, after simmering for about 20 minutes, it is estimated that around 10-15% of the alcohol may remain. If you’re looking to minimize the alcohol content, longer cooking times will help more evaporate off. If you need to avoid alcohol, you can use a non-alcoholic lager-style beer for this recipe, but even those can have trace amounts.
Storage:
- Refrigerate any leftovers from this baked turkey meatball recipe and enjoy within five days.
- Freeze in the desired portions for two to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator or in the microwave. Reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan or in the oven.
Serve with:
- Riced Cauliflower
- Celery Root Puree
- Creamy Mashed Turnips
- A green vegetable and salad!
More great meatball recipes you’ll love!
- Meatballs in Spicy Curry
- Middle Eastern Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
- Asian Turkey Meatballs
- Asian Barbecue Chicken Meatballs
Get all my turkey recipes at Turkey Meatballs – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Baked Turkey Meatballs in Beer Sauce
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Equipment
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 tablespoons canola oil - or vegetable oil
- 1/2 large onion - finely chopped (2 loosely packed cups)
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup panko - (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 large egg - beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pound ground turkey
Beer Onion Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons canola oil - or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 large onions - halved and thinly sliced (4 loosely packed cups)
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup beer
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar - to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 8-10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and dried thyme and stir.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Let cool slightly. Add the panko, chicken broth, egg, salt, black pepper, and parsley and mix well.
- Add the ground turkey and mix well. Form into 34 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers at least 165 degrees.
Beer Onion Sauce
- In the same skillet you used to cook the onions for the meatballs, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 18-20 minutes or until soft and beginning to turn golden.
- Add the garlic, dried thyme, tomato paste, and all-purpose flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the beer and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir in parsley.
- Add the meatballs back in and heat through.
Recipe Notes
- Other types of meat will also work, such as ground chicken, pork, or beef.
- NON-ALCOHOLIC SUBSTITUTION: Most alcohol will get cooked out as it simmers, but not all. If you do not consume alcohol, use a non-alcoholic beer.
- Stone-ground mustard is the best substitute for Dijon mustard, but you can also use yellow in a pinch.
- Don’t rush sauteeing the onions for the sauce. Taking the necessary time to saute the onions ensures that the flavor and texture are just right.
- These easy, simply-flavored meatballs can go with numerous other sauces.
- This recipe for ground turkey meatballs and the beer sauce reheats well, making it a convenient meal to make ahead of time and serve later or have for leftovers. To reheat, bring the sauce and meatballs to a simmer on the stovetop and cook until heated. You may need to add a splash of broth when reheating, as the sauce may thicken in the fridge.
- Freeze in the desired portions for two to three months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator or the microwave.
- Reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan or in the oven.
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
I love Meatballs. Cannot get enough of them. This sounds fantastic. The sauce is interesting. I am definitely saving this recipe. Thanks!!
Hi, Rob, Thanks so very much! Hope you enjoy!
Yea you had me at beer too. Excellent recipe. The family loved it! TY
Thanks so very much and glad you and yours enjoyed!