Healthy Meatball Recipes

Find healthy, delicious meatball recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Most Popular

Cheesy Meatball Casserole

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This cheesy meatball casserole is a family favorite, with basil adding flavor to the meatballs and grated onion adding moisture. Melted mozzarella cheese tames the spice, but feel free to cut back or eliminate the crushed red pepper if you prefer a milder dish.
By Liv Dansky

Tamari-Ginger Meatball & Eggplant Casserole

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Eggplant soaks up the flavors of ginger, garlic and tamari in this Asian-inspired casserole recipe. A hot pepper in the topping adds a bit of heat, but opt for sweet if you prefer.
By Hilary Meyer

Spinach & Feta Turkey Meatballs with Herbed Quinoa

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With a variety of flavors and textures (and a whopping 30 grams of protein!), these meal-prep bowls will keep you fueled all afternoon. The spinach and feta turkey meatballs are adapted from Turkey Burgers with Spinach, Feta & Tzatziki by Hilary Meyer. Look for premade tzatziki near the specialty cheeses and dips at your grocery store or make your own.
By Carolyn A Hodges, RD

Easy Chicken Meatballs

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These meatballs are flavor-packed--thanks to a little sausage added to the ground chicken mix--and all-purpose: serve them with spaghetti for a healthy dinner, on a toothpick with dipping sauce as an easy appetizer or stir them into a soup to make it more satisfying.
By Adam Hickman

Italian-Style Beef & Pork Meatballs

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This foolproof meatball recipe makes enough to stash away for another day. They're great to have on hand for easy dinners (see 3 ways to use them, below), but also make good impromptu appetizers.
By Hilary Meyer

Meatball & Creamed Spinach Skillet

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Spaghetti and meatballs is a no-brainer, but pairing meatballs with a pile of creamed spinach topped with marinara and cheese is a flavorful twist. Pick your favorite frozen meatballs--beef, chicken or veggie--for this healthy dinner recipe.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Nonna's Spaghetti & Meatballs

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The meatballs and sauce are cooked in the slow cooker for this traditional Italian spaghetti and meatballs recipe. You could also serve the meatballs over creamy polenta or on a sandwich with melted provolone.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

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With this spaghetti squash and meatballs recipe, cooking the squash first in the microwave and then in a skillet to cook off the extra moisture, gives the squash a more spaghetti-like texture.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Italian Turkey Meatballs

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In this healthy turkey meatball recipe, a base of sautéed mushrooms, celery and garlic adds flavor and helps keep calories in check and portions hearty. Serve these meatballs with marinara as an appetizer, on top of spaghetti or on a roll for a healthy meatball sub.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mediterranean Meatballs

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Save on meal prep time by making a double batch of these delicious meatballs. Freeze them to have on hand for lunches and dinners.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Meatballs with Roasted Green Beans & Potatoes

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Meatballs, green beans and potatoes happily coexist while roasting together on a large sheet pan. Seasoned with fresh rosemary and Italian seasoning and served with pasta sauce and Parmesan, this one-dish meal is one you'll want to make again and again.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Meatballs with Lemon-Garlic Orzo

Here, a little of the lemon-garlic vinaigrette used to season the orzo also gets stirred into yogurt for a flavorful and creamy topping.
By Adam Dolge
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Inspiration and Ideas

Gondi (Iranian Jewish Chicken Meatball Soup)
Gondi, an Iranian Jewish chicken meatball soup, is made with nutrient-rich chickpea flour for a tender and satisfying meatball.
Neapolitan Meatballs
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A touch of cinnamon distinguishes these delicious tomato-sauced meatballs. Adding whole-grain bulgur allows you to use less meat, resulting in meatballs with less than half the total fat and saturated fat of the original. Plus a vibrant-tasting combination of fresh and canned tomatoes in the sauce helps reduce the sodium by two-thirds. Serve with pasta, polenta or even on a whole-grain roll with a bit of melted part-skim mozzarella for a meatball sub.
Air-Fryer Meatballs
Easy Turkey Meatballs

These easy turkey meatballs can be enjoyed warm or cold, making them perfect for make-ahead lunches. Pack them along with a dipping sauce, slice them up for a sandwich filling or crumble them up as a topper for salad or tacos.

All Healthy Meatball Recipes

Easy Baked Meatballs

These easy baked meatballs cook quickly in the oven thanks to their small size, yet remain moist and tender. Jazzing up a can of reduced-sodium marinara with shallots and fresh herbs helps keep sodium in check while adding flavor to this family-friendly dish.
By Amanda Stanfield

Turkey Meatball & Feta Lunchbox

This easy lunchbox lunch is inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean, including feta, hummus and cucumber. Turkey meatballs are dipped in a homemade creamy yogurt-dill sauce, but ranch dressing would also work well in its place.
By Hilary Meyer

Meatball Banh Mi

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This banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) is filled with a zingy slaw and chicken-and-pork meatballs spiked with fresh herbs. Look for chile-garlic sauce and fish sauce near other Asian ingredients in most supermarkets.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Saucy Vegetarian Meatballs

Cauliflower, mushrooms, bulgur and seasonings combine to form the base of this healthy vegetarian meatball recipe. A quick homemade tomato-basil sauce replaces the traditional marinara to save sodium. Serve over whole-wheat spaghetti with a green salad.
By Carolyn Casner

Lamb Meatballs with Feta & Mushrooms

Sautéed mushrooms, celery and garlic add flavor and help keep calories in check and portions hearty in this easy lamb meatball recipe. We like to serve these meatballs with warm pita, cucumbers, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce or hummus.

Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

These juicy mozzarella-stuffed meatballs are filled with ooey-gooey melted cheese. The simple spice mix combines with fresh herbs to flavor them nicely. These crowd-pleasing meatballs are perfect for potlucks or family gatherings.
By Amanda Stanfield

Creole Turkey Meatballs

For a diabetic main dish that's hearty and full of flavor, combine ground turkey breast, fat-free milk, and oats to make delicious, healthy meatballs.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Spanish-Inspired Slow-Cooker Meatballs

You may want to serve these slightly smoky, fragrant, briny little meatballs over pasta or polenta. The sauce, which has depth from red wine, is low in sodium because of its no-salt-added tomato base, and the meatballs are lighter than the usual suspects due to the addition of shredded zucchini and chopped Spanish olives. Do drizzle on some best-quality olive oil and a sprinkle of shredded manchego cheese.
By Carolyn Casner

Chipotle Meatball Torta with Roasted Veggies

Enjoy homemade meatballs for multiple dinners with this big-batch recipe.
By Hilary Meyer

Meatballs in Spiced Tomato Sauce

Frozen meatballs save time and energy in this tasty weeknight main, while ground cumin and cinnamon amp up the flavor of canned tomato soup to create a fragrant sauce.
By Pooja Makhijani
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