Tangy, creamy, and lightened up just enough–Turkey Meatballs in Dijon gravy is the ultimate comfort food. Serve with egg noodles or mashed potatoes to soak up that heavenly sauce.
My husband loves meatballs. Whenever I ask if he has any requests for our weekly menu, he’ll either say meatballs or tacos. Every time.
That means I have to get creative. Even though I love traditional meatballs and my Chicken Parmesan version, I still need some variety.
This recipe is a perfect way to change up your spaghetti and meatballs night. The tangy, creamy sauce is just unique enough to add some zip to your weekly routine, but it’s definitely kid-friendly and easy enough to make often.
And the combos are limitless! Serve it with some Lightened-Up Mashed Potatoes. I also love it with Carb Nada Egg Fettuccine to keep the points lower (it’s 4 SmartPoints a serving). I buy the pasta on Amazon here. Whole wheat pasta also works great with this and will lower the points if you are on WW Purple.
These Turkey Meatballs in Dijon Gravy are kind of like a kicked-up version of Swedish meatballs but with more tang and complexity. The combination of dijon mustard, creamy sauce, and perfectly seasoned meatball is just heavenly!
You could even mix up the mustard types for different tastes and texture–whole grain, spicy, horseradish, etc. I’ve also added mushrooms to make it feel more like a stroganoff.
This is great with some steamed veggies on the side, but you could even add some chopped spinach to the sauce for some more greens.
I love these for meal prep, too. Make a double batch on the weekend and eat all week for a quick and healthy lunch. You’ll definitely look forward to your meals!
how to make flavorful turkey meatballs
f you’ve tried to make meatballs with 99% fat free ground turkey before and they came out too dry, definitely give this version a shot.
I’ve found that super finely chopped onion and garlic adds just the right amount of moisture, not to mention simmering in this decadent sauce.
You have to make sure that they are seasoned well, too. This blend works perfectly for a variety of meatballs. And it t doesn’t hurt to simmer them in a decadent sauce. This cream sauce is to die for!
If creamy sauces aren’t your thing, give my Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs a shot. Just as delicious but totally different flavor profile.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@litecravings) and use the hashtag #litecravingsrecipes. I sometimes miss a tag here or there, but I always check in on the hashtag. 🙂
Turkey Meatballs in Dijon Gravy
Ingredients
FOR THE MEATBALLS
- 1.25 lbs 99% fat free ground turkey
- 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 small onion chopped as finely as possible, preferably in a food processor
- 2 cloves garlic chopped as finely as possible, preferably in a food processor
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped (or 2 tsps dried)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground all spice
- 1 large egg
FOR THE DIJON GRAVY
- 2 Tbsp light butter (I use Land ‘O Lakes)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups fat free chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients until fully combined. I find the meatballs have the best texture if you use a handheld food chopper or food processor to mince the onion and garlic as finely as possible. You can knead the mixture with your hands until just combined, or mix it in a stand mixture with a paddle attachment.
- Form balls with the meat, one heaping tablespoon at a time. Drop them onto a cookie sheet as you form them. You should be able to make about 24 balls. If your meatballs seem too soft to keep their shape in a pan, place your cookie sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Heat nonstick spray in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides until they are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove meatballs from the saucepan and set aside. Make sure you save all of those delicious browned bits sticking to the bottom!
- Melt the butter in the skillet. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Pour in the broth, whisking constantly, until everything is incorporated. Simmer until thickened and glossy, about 10 minutes. Add in the milk, mustard, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thick and creamy, about another 5 minutes.
- Place the meatballs in the sauce and cook until they are heated through, just a few minutes. Serve over pasta or with mashed potatoes.
Do you think you could sub plain greek yogurt for the half and half in the sauce? I know when we make stroganoff sauce, we sub greek yogurt for the sour cream. Wonder if this would work similarly? I cannot wait to try 🙂 thanks for sharing.
I saw your comment in Instagram that this worked out! Yay! I originally thought it might make the save too thick, but I saw that you used a cornstarch slurry instead of the butter and flour. Mind sharing your measurements for other people who might want to try it that way? Thank you!
I skipped the butter/flour, so first thing I added to the skillet was the 2 c. of chicken broth and let that heat up. Then in a bowl to the side, I combined 1/2 c. of greek yogurt with about 1/2 c. of the warm chicken broth (did this to try to avoid curdling from adding cold to hot). Then added that mix into the hot broth. Noticed it could use a little more thickening so I started with 1 TBSP of a cornstarch slurry, and ended up adding one more for a total of 2 TBSP of cornstarch/water mixture. It was really good–probably had a little more of a sour cream taste to it than the original recipe, but I thought the flavor went well with the dijon and it was super creamy! I calculated about 3 sp for 1/4 of the recipe (6 meatballs) I believe. Thanks again!
Thank you for sharing!
I was wondering if you know the calories for the meatballs and sauce per serving? Thank you.
I’m working on putting all nutritional info in each recipe and will continue to do so in the future. For now, you could upload this recipe to MyFitnessPal to figure it out!
I made this last night and man oh man! It hits that perfect savory note with all the flavors. It tastes like a total points splurge without actually being one. Cannot wait for leftovers today for lunch!
I feel the same way! I had to check the points like 5 times before I believed it. Lol. I’m delighted that you like the recipe, too!
My husband said “where the f did you get that recipe from, those are amazing”…..I used 2 lbs of ground turkey so I added a little more bread crumbs to the mixture and broth to the sauce. So surprised with how good these turned out. I served over mashed potatoes and it feels like a decadent meal. Thank you!
Hahaha your husband is awesome! Looooove eating these with mashed potatoes, too. The gravy!
I want to make this but can’t stand mustard of any kind. Is there a substitute you would recommend? Thanks!
Hmm, that’s tricky. The mustard is really the center of the sauce in this recipe. Maybe you could substitute with some white wine and reduce it a bit? That could create a similar tang to the sauce. Otherwise, you could make the meatballs and use the sauce from my Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Chicken. Hope that helps!
Have you frozen these meatballs before? I only prep for myself so I would just need a few nights of meatballs!
Yes! They work really well if you cook them first, then freeze. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat, or cook them frozen in the microwave for about a minute. So good!
thank you! cant wait to make them!
When you calculate the WW points, do you count the ground turkey at all or consider it a zero point food? The Jenny-O 99% fat free turkey says, ‘turkey breast’ and ‘rosemary’ as the only ingredients, so I’m guessing zero points?
Also, have you rolled these ahead of time and then stuck them in the fridge for the next day? I’m wondering if they’d still turn out if I prepped them the night before.
Thanks for all your recipes! Your tikka is our FAVORITE!
Hi. Janine! I use 99% FF turkey, which is 0 SP. The rosemary wouldn’t add any points. And I always make them ahead–so good!
So happy you love the Tikka Masala! My all-time fav!
I am excited to try this! I just plopped it in the recipe builder and got 2 points for 6 servings. It is on the menu for next week!
Hope you liked it!
Kids and husband approved! This is definitely going in the meal rotation! My 9 year old son took one bite and yelled out this is a 10! Thanks for an awesome recipe! 🙂
Hi Geri!
First of all, thank you for sharing these amazing recipes with the world. My entire meal prep this week was drawn from your recipes. Question – have you tried to make the dijon sauce with plain almond milk instead of half and half? Just curious!
Sorry for the late response, Julie. I’m so happy you are liking the recipes. I haven’t tried it with just almond milk. I bet it would be less creamy but still delicious. Let me know if you ended up trying it that way!
These were so decadently delicious! I served over rice to get every drop of the Dijon gravy. Keep your recipes coming!
I made this tonight, and it was a hit—it’ll be going into the rotation!
We’re trying your zero point BBQ sauce, pulled BBQ chicken, and easy slaw tomorrow!
I just made these tonight as a way to ease myself back into WW. I fed my mother and father in law as well who loved these tasty meatballs just as much as me. These are definitely going to be made a lot. I kept double checking points because it all seemed too good to be true. So delicious! Served over mashed Yukon gold potatoes made with skim milk and roasted Parmesan lemon broccoli. Geri, you are amazing!
Literally our family’s new favorite meal. This was beyond our expectations and will now be on regular rotation. Sooooo good!
These are so good and yummy over rice or mashed potatoes. Thank you for sharing your love of food and delicious recipes.