These Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs are filling, delicious, incredibly moist, and packed with flavor! Loaded with ground turkey, oatmeal, broccoli, cheese, salt, pepper and spices, they’re also egg-free and can be gluten-free depending on your brand of oatmeal. And, bonus! They’re freezer-friendly! Which means you can have a healthy meal on your table on a crazy weeknight in less than 20 minutes!
Freezer-Friendly Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs
I started making these Freezer-Friendly Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs for my baby, Cal, when he was experiencing multiple food allergies and I needed a freezer-friendly protein to keep on hand for him.
I was really struggling with prepping fresh proteins for Cal since I had to trial each food one at a time over 3-6 days before determining whether it was a “safe” food or not. So in the beginning, I had very few “safe” proteins that I could feed him. I felt like I was having to cook fresh meat every couple of days (and either eating the leftovers myself or trying to feed it to my picky toddlers) and I honestly just did not have the time for that much cooking (not to mention the dishes), but also I do not like consuming that much meat for climate reasons.
So this is also why my turkey meatballs are egg-free (thanks to Cal’s egg allergy) and gluten-free (thanks to his possible wheat allergy). Oats are naturally gluten-free, but you’ll need to check your oatmeal manufacturer because many warn about possible contamination issues with wheat.
If you want to make these as more “traditional” meatballs using breadcrumbs and an egg as a binder instead of the oatmeal, go for it! However, I don’t think the oatmeal changes the flavor too much and I feel like it makes the meatballs more filling. I urge you to try it once before changing the recipe!
Ready to make some Freezer-Friendly Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs?
Ingredients for Freezer-Friendly Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients:
- ground turkey
- quick-cook oatmeal
- water (or milk) to cook oatmeal
- broccoli
- butter
- cheddar cheese
- applesauce
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- salt
- pepper
My photo above does not show the salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder because I was making these for my son who was under 1 year-old at the time, so if you’re planning to make these meatballs for a baby, feel free to omit the salt and possibly the spices if your baby isn’t used to other flavors yet.
Meatballs are so easy to make! Just combine everything into one big bowl and mix together with your hands until everything is combined.
Just be sure not to over mix or they could become “tough.”
And you can either form the meatballs with your hands or use an ice cream scoop in order to have equally-sized meatballs.
Then bake your meatballs for 20-24 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F.
Here’s a link for a great meat thermometer if you don’t happen to have one!
What to make with these Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs? Almost anything! Meatball sandwiches, spaghetti and meatballs, cheesy pasta dishes, meatballs and mashed potatoes, etc.
And, like I mentioned, they’re also great for babies and toddlers! I simply cut a meatball into smaller bites and, once cooled, let my toddler feed himself. He LOVES these meatballs!
To freeze, place your cooked meatballs so they aren’t touching on a clean, cool baking sheet covered with parchment paper and place into your freezer for about an hour.
Once they’ve frozen, you can place the meatballs into a freezer safe bag. I really like these reusable freezer storage bags – I have 8 of them and none of them have torn, ripped, or grown mold.
Be sure to label and date your bag and you can freeze for up to three months.
To reheat, I simply remove a meatball or two (or three) from the bag and place onto a microwave safe plate, I then pour a tablespoon of water over each meatball and microwave on high for one minute for one meatball, 1 minute 30 seconds for two meatballs, 2 minutes for three meatballs, etc.
Or you can reheat the meatballs on a baking sheet, bake for 15 minutes at 350 F or until heated thoroughly.
I think they’re delicious and filling on their own or served on a meatball sandwich. How will you eat these Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs?
Looking for other meatball recipes? Check out my:
- Gluten-free, Eggless Chicken Meatballs (also freezer-friendly)
- Freezer-Friendly Super Moist Beef & Pork Meatballs
Freezer-Friendly Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs
Cheesy Broccoli Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup oatmeal, cooked
- 1.5 cups steamed broccoli, chopped
- 1 TB butter, melted
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 TB unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a large bowl, place the ground beef, oatmeal, broccoli, butter, cheese, applesauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Use your hands or an ice cream scoop to prepare meat mixture into equally-sized meatballs (about the size of golf balls.)
- Place meatballs evenly spaced onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cook for 20-24 minutes or until interior temperature reaches 165 F.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 98Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 123mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 7g
All information presented and written within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on saltycanary.com is provided as a courtesy, is an estimate only, and should only be used as a general guideline.
Looking for more freezer-friendly and meal-prep friendly recipes? Look no further! Here they are:
Cay
Tuesday 25th of April 2023
I was very happy to discover this recipe as my son is allergic to eggs. I have made this recipe two times and both times the “balls” turned into flat patties in the oven. While still delicious I would really like these to remain in ball form. Anyone else have this problem?