Turkey Stuffing Meatballs With Cranberry Glaze (Sheet Pan)

Two cups of stuffing, a pound of ground turkey and a can of cranberry sauce. That is nearly the whole shopping list for these turkey stuffing meatballs with cranberry glaze, and it turns the flavors of a holiday dinner into something you can eat with a fork on a weeknight or with a toothpick at a party.

The stuffing does double duty here. It seasons the meatballs with herbs and onion, and its bread soaks up the turkey juices so the meatballs stay soft instead of dense. They bake on a sheet pan, so there is no frying in batches, and while they cook, a quick stovetop glaze of cranberry sauce, orange juice and a little maple syrup comes together in the same skillet you will toss them in.

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 1 lb (450 g) ground turkey, 93% lean – lean enough not to be greasy, with enough fat to stay juicy.
• 2 cups prepared stuffing, cooled and crumbled – leftover homemade stuffing or boxed mix both work (see the table below).
• 1 large egg – binds the meat and the bread together.
• 1/2 tsp dried sage and 1/2 tsp dried thyme – reinforce the herb flavor of the stuffing.
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper – use a little less salt if your stuffing is well seasoned.
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for the baking sheet and the tops.

For the cranberry glaze

• 1 can (14 oz / 397 g) whole berry cranberry sauce – leftover homemade cranberry sauce works too.
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice – loosens the sauce and adds brightness.
• 2 tbsp maple syrup – rounds out the tartness and helps the glaze shine.
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
• Chopped fresh parsley, for serving.

How to Make It

1. Heat the oven – 400°F (200°C)

Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it lightly with some of the oil.

2. Mix the meatballs – 5 minutes

In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, crumbled stuffing, egg, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands just until evenly combined. The mixture should hold together when squeezed; overmixing makes the meatballs tight and chewy.

3. Shape – 10 minutes

Scoop the mixture into 1 1/2-tablespoon portions and roll them into balls, about 1 1/4 inches across. Arrange them on the baking sheet with a little space between each one and brush the tops with the remaining oil. Damp hands keep the mixture from sticking to your palms.

4. Bake – 400°F (200°C), 18 to 22 minutes

Bake until the meatballs are lightly browned and cooked through. Ground turkey must reach 165°F (74°C) in the center; check two or three of the largest meatballs with a thermometer.

5. Make the glaze – medium heat, 5 minutes

While the meatballs bake, combine the cranberry sauce, orange juice, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir as the sauce melts and comes to a gentle simmer, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes. It is ready when it is smooth, glossy and loose enough to coat a spoon.

6. Toss and serve – 2 minutes

Add the baked meatballs to the skillet and turn them gently in the glaze until coated. Sprinkle with parsley and serve right away.

Which Stuffing Works Best

Almost any bread stuffing works, as long as it is moist, fully cooled and crumbled into small pieces. The main difference is how you prepare it.

Whichever you choose, cool the stuffing before mixing it with the raw turkey. Warm stuffing starts to cook the egg and the meat, and makes the mixture greasy and hard to shape. If you love the stuffing-and-poultry combination, our chicken and stuffing casserole builds a whole dish around it.

How to Serve Them

As a main course, serve the meatballs over mashed potatoes or rice, with a green vegetable or a cheesy green bean casserole on the side, so the glaze has somewhere to go. As an appetizer, keep them warm in a small slow cooker set to WARM after they are fully cooked, and set out toothpicks. They also make a good use of the holiday leftovers that tend to pile up at once: turkey stuffing in the meatballs and cranberry sauce in the glaze, with a pan of cranberry bliss bars for dessert.

Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing

You can shape the meatballs, cover them and refrigerate them on the baking sheet for up to 1 day before baking. Cooked meatballs keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days; store the glaze separately if you can, so the meatballs do not turn soft. Reheat them in the skillet with the glaze over medium-low heat until they reach 165°F (74°C) again, the temperature listed for leftovers on the FoodSafety.gov safe minimum temperature chart.

To freeze, let the baked meatballs cool without the glaze, freeze them in a single layer on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 350°F (175°C) oven until hot in the center, then toss them in a fresh batch of glaze. For other ways to cook with cranberries, try the slow cooker cranberry BBQ chicken, or browse more of our dinner recipes.

Turkey Stuffing Meatballs With Cranberry Glaze

Ground turkey and stuffing meatballs baked on a sheet pan, then tossed in a quick cranberry orange glaze. A weeknight dinner or holiday appetizer in about 45 minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Calories: 390

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the meatballs

• 1 lb ground turkey 450 g, 93% lean
• 2 cups prepared stuffing cooled and crumbled
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt less if the stuffing is well seasoned
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the cranberry glaze

• 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce 14 oz / 397 g
• 1/4 cup orange juice 60 ml
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• chopped fresh parsley for serving

Method

 

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it lightly with some of the oil.
2. Gently mix the ground turkey, crumbled stuffing, egg, sage, thyme, salt and pepper with your hands just until combined.
3. Scoop into 1 1/2-tablespoon portions, roll into balls about 1 1/4 inches across, arrange on the baking sheet and brush the tops with the remaining oil.
4. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until lightly browned and the centers reach 165°F (74°C).
5. Meanwhile, simmer the cranberry sauce, orange juice, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt in a large skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth and glossy.
6. Add the meatballs to the skillet, turn them gently in the glaze, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Notes

Storage: refrigerate cooked meatballs in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days, ideally with the glaze stored separately. Reheat in the glaze over medium-low heat to 165°F (74°C).

Make ahead: shape the meatballs, cover and refrigerate them on the baking sheet for up to 1 day before baking.

Freezing: freeze the baked, cooled meatballs without glaze in a single layer, then bag them for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F (175°C) until hot in the center and toss in fresh glaze.

Substitutions: use ground chicken instead of turkey; replace the maple syrup with honey or brown sugar; use jellied cranberry sauce for a smoother glaze.

Without an oven: brown the meatballs in a large skillet with 2 tbsp oil over medium heat, turning often, until they reach 165°F (74°C) in the center, then add the glaze ingredients to the pan.

Nutrition: calories are an estimate per serving (1/6 of the recipe, about 5 meatballs with glaze), calculated from standard ingredient values, not a laboratory analysis.