Turkey Meatball Garlic Bread Bake (Printable Version)
Hearty casserole featuring tender turkey meatballs in tomato sauce with cheesy garlic bread crumb topping
# What You Need:
→ Turkey Meatballs
01 - 1 ½ lbs ground turkey
02 - ½ cup breadcrumbs
03 - 1 large egg
04 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
07 - 1 tsp dried oregano
08 - 1 tsp salt
09 - ½ tsp black pepper
→ Sauce
10 - 3 cups marinara sauce
11 - 1 tsp dried basil
12 - ½ tsp red pepper flakes
→ Garlic Bread Topping
13 - 1 large French baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
14 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
15 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
16 - 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
17 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
18 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
# How-To:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray or butter.
02 - Combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix gently until just combined. Form mixture into 1 ½-inch meatballs, approximately 18-20 total, and arrange in the prepared baking dish.
03 - Pour marinara sauce evenly over the meatballs. Sprinkle with dried basil and red pepper flakes if desired. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
04 - While meatballs bake, toss bread cubes with melted butter, minced garlic, and parsley in a large bowl until evenly coated.
05 - Remove baking dish from oven. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheese evenly over meatballs and sauce. Arrange garlic bread cubes in a single layer on top.
06 - Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes until bread cubes are golden brown and cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
07 - Let casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow flavors to settle and make serving easier.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- Its basically two comfort foods colliding in one pan with minimal hands-on time
- The bread underneath soaks up all that tomato flavor while getting golden on top
02 -
- Overmixing the meatball mixture makes them dense, so mix until ingredients just hold together
- The bread on top will get soft where it touches the sauce and stay crispy on exposed bits
03 -
- Use wet hands when forming meatballs to keep the mixture from sticking
- Pop the baking dish under the broiler for 2 minutes at the end for extra crispy bread