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This turkey meatballs recipe features sourdough starter or discard and tastes like a full Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner in a single bite.
One of the things I love doing every year for Thanksgiving is coming up with a new take on turkey dinner. I have an air fryer turkey recipe, a maple glazed turkey, a full turkey dinner with all the traditional fixings made in just 30 minutes(!), and my personal favorite, a scaled-down complete turkey dinner made on a sheet pan. This year I’m simplifying even more with sourdough turkey meatballs that taste like Thanksgiving dinner.
With a base of savory onion and garlic cooked in butter, a variety of fresh aromatic herbs, parmesan cheese for umami richness, and sourdough discard or starter for tangy flavor, these turkey meatballs are truly something special.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy compared to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. These meatballs are done in 40 minutes from start-to-finish.
- They taste like a combination of two major components of Thanksgiving dinner: the savory turkey and the herby stuffing. Serve them with sourdough pan gravy, and you won’t be missing out on anything!
- An economical holiday meal option. Ground turkey is a lot more affordable than a whole turkey or even smaller cuts, like a breast roast or legs.
Why Sourdough Works Exceptionally Well For Thanksgiving Meatballs
Sourdough is the magic ingredient here. Of course it lends tangy flavor for depth and balance, but it does so much more than that. Sourdough not only helps these turkey meatballs taste like stuffing, but it also lends a slightly “bready” texture to really enhance the experience!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Butter – We sauté the vegetables in butter to create rich base flavor and help keep the meatballs moist.
- Onion, celery, and garlic – These savory aromatics are classic ingredients in stuffing, and so they pair really well with turkey in meatballs that are meant to simulate Thanksgiving dinner.
- Ground turkey – If you don’t have ground turkey, ground chicken is a good substitute here.
- Egg – Egg acts as a binder to help these meatballs stick together.
- Parmesan cheese – Use freshly-grated parmesan for the best flavor.
- Unseasoned breadcrumbs – Seasoned breadcrumbs will also work; however, if your breadcrumbs contain salt, cut back on the added salt.
- Sourdough (active starter or discard) – Sourdough acts as a binder here, and also contributes tangy flavor for balance.
- Rosemary, thyme, and sage – These earthy, woody, and bright herbs pair beautifully with the flavor of turkey and also help create a “stuffing” flavor profile.
- Salt and black pepper – So the meatballs aren’t bland.
- Poultry seasoning – Poultry seasoning (which usually contains the following: sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg) is a classic pairing with turkey.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – Oil prevent the meatballs from sticking, adds a little richness, and helps with browning.
How to Make Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs With Sourdough Starter or Discard
- Sauté the aromatics. Add the butter to a small-medium skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion and celery, and sauté until softened and just starting to slightly brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, add the garlic, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm, about 10 minutes.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F. Get out a large baking tray and optionally line it with foil for easy cleanup. Brush the oil evenly on the tray or on the foil.
- Make the meatballs. Add the cooled onion mixture, turkey, egg, cheese, breadcrumbs, discard, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to a large bowl. Use your hands to combine. Divide the meat mixture into 20 portions, roll each into a ball, and arrange them on the prepared tray (TIP: the mixture will be sticky; you can dampen your hands with water or oil them to help prevent it from sticking). Roll the meatballs around to coat them lightly with the oil on the tray.
- Bake. Bake until the meatballs are light golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through to brown both sides. (TIP: When they’re done they should register an internal temperature between 160 to 165F on an instant-read thermometer.)
Storage
Cool to room temperature, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Tips For the Best Thanksgiving Meatballs
- After sautéing the onion and garlic, when you add the mixture to the turkey, be sure to scrape up all the butter from the skillet. Turkey can be lean and we need the butter to help with rich flavor and moist, juicy texture.
- Make sure you don’t over-cook these meatballs. Turkey can dry out quickly! When they’re done, they’ll be beautifully golden with no pink inside. If you’re checking them with an instant-read thermometer, they should register an internal temperature of 160 to 165F.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thanksgiving meatballs are made with a base of ground turkey and are meant to taste like a full Thanksgiving dinner in a single bite. They seamlessly blend savory turkey, herby stuffing, and rich gravy (if you make pan gravy to serve with them).
There are a couple easy ways to ensure moist meatballs every time.
The first way is to add onion sautéed in butter. The butter adds richness, and the onion releases more moisture into the meatballs as they cook.
And another foolproof option is to add what’s known as a “panade”, which is a paste made of milk and bread. Here we use sourdough starter or discard instead of a classic parade to help keep these meatballs moist.
That is entirely up to you. Either pan-frying or baking meatballs works really well.
I prefer baking these meatballs for a few reasons: 1) there’s less cleanup (pan-frying can splatter oil, and the skillet needs scrubbing), 2) baking is a lot more hands-off, 3) you don’t have to worry about cooking them in batches because they’ll all fit on a single baking sheet, and 4) you can use much less oil.
What to Serve With Turkey Meatballs For Thanksgiving
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes – Rich, creamy, buttery and made in an electric pressure cooker so you free up the oven and stovetop.
- Simple steamed green beans or for something a little more interesting, go for Polish Green Beans With a Buttery Breadcrumb Topping. And if you want something more traditional that’s still quick and easy, try Air Fryer Green Bean Casserole (Made Without Canned Mushroom Soup).
- Spiced Cranberry Sauce or Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish – Some kind of sweet/tart cranberry side dish adds beautiful ruby-red color to the meal and a pop of contrasting flavor.
- 15-Minute Sourdough Pan Gravy – This savory, complex gravy elevates humble meatballs into a meal worthy of Thanksgiving dinner.
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Sourdough Discard Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 ounce freshly-grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter or discard (1/2 cup is about 128 grams)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Sourdough pan gravy (optional; for serving)
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Add the butter to a small-medium skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion and celery, and sauté until softened and just starting to slightly brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, add the garlic, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm, about 10 minutes.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F. Get out a large baking tray and optionally line it with foil for easy cleanup. Brush the oil evenly on the tray or on the foil.
- Make the meatballs. Add the cooled onion mixture, turkey, egg, cheese, breadcrumbs, discard, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to a large bowl. Use your hands to combine. Divide the meat mixture into 20 portions, roll each into a ball, and arrange them on the prepared tray (TIP: the mixture will be sticky; you can dampen your hands with water or oil them to help prevent it from sticking). Roll the meatballs around to coat them lightly with the oil on the tray.
- Bake. Bake until the meatballs are light golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through to brown both sides. (TIP: When they're done they should register an internal temperature between 160 to 165F on an instant-read thermometer.)
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 20 meatballs for a total of 5 servings. Each serving is 4 meatballs.
- Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the optional sourdough pan gravy for serving.
- Storage: Cool to room temperature, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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