Mozzarella-Stuffed Pesto Turkey Meatballs

Awesome recipe! My entire family begs me to make this! I have found that wrapping the meat around the mozzarella ball is easier than stuffing it in though. Definitely a fantastic family favorite

These are really great, and they're even better the next day in a meatball sandwich! I axed the mozzarella in the middle (watching calories), and I don't keep pesto around, so I used olive oil and a bit more garlic. Next time I'll omit the salt; with the sodium in the marinara, I think that the addition of the salt in the recipe is unnecessary.

To cut back on calories, I used fresh basil from my garden, eggbeaters, and no olive oil. I cubed low fat string cheese instead of fresh mozz.

Absolutely delicious. I never commented on any recipes sofar because they are not usually all that special, or don't turn out too well, or don't taste as expected. But these meatballs were the best ever, and moist - due to the extra cheese on the inside. Easy to make, even though it takes a bit of time, but it's well worth it. I'll make them again exactly the way the recipe is written. Thankyou!

Came out good! It definitly saved dinner tonight. We have a freezer full of ground turkey and this is an awesome way to use it in a healthy way. Paired with some wheat pasta and homemade sauce it will be on the menu again at my house.

My husband and I loved these! I did make a couple changes since I didn't have all the ingredients. Instead of bread crumbs I used oats and didn't add the pesto but it was still quite tasty!

easy and delicious. my 7 yr old was very impressed with the cheese inside the meatball. "how did you do that Mom?!"

so very delicious! If you're watching calories, use fat free mozzerella and lean 99% fat free turkey.

Delicious! I love pesto and these meatballs were great! Definatley going to make these again!

This was an awsome recipe! I used cottage cheese mashed up since I didn't have any mozzerella, and still came out exellent!

These are great! I whisk all of the added ingredients together before I add it to the ground turkey - it helps distribute the seasonings evenly. Also, I used a non-stick pan and the meatballs were overdone and stuck on the bottom; when I used a regular cookie sheet/jelly roll pan they were perfect (spray with non-stick spray). The addition of the pesto makes these SO good!

Loved them!!!!! These were one of my favorite recipes I have tried from this website! I made bigger meatballs so I could fit them all on one baking tray, but they were delicious!

Really good. I made some with the mozzarella and some without and added just a little more pesto. Everyone loved them!

Good, but was not able to form into meatballs, had to make meatloaf instead.

Served with multi grain spaghetti, and it is a keeper

I made two batches of these: one with turkey and one with beef. Let me say WOW! The cheese is perfect inside this meatball and it is flavored so wonderfully. I did use store bought minced garlic to cut down on time and sprinkled a little garlic salt on top before putting in the oven. I also used less tomato sauce than in the recipe because my husband isn't a fan of lots of sauce but THEY WERE SOOOO GOOD. It made so many that we froze half so expect a lot of leftovers unless you are making for a large party.

Really enjoyed this as a meatball marinara sub.

Oh my these were a pleasant surprise! This recipe caught my eye because I'm looking for ways to use up my pesto, and I'm not gonna lie, I was also pretty excited about having an excuse to buy string cheese ;-) I only had 1lb of ground turkey so I used a little less than half of all the other ingredients. The oil from the pesto along with the milk and egg made for incredibly moist and flavorful meatballs. And really, the cheese in the middle is such a playful (and tasty) touch! I do believe this is my new favorite meatball recipe.

excellent taste and texture. the mozzarella was a very nice touch. I used prepared pesto, not homemade. We are a gluten-free family, so instead of bread crumbs, we used Edward & Sons instant mashed potatoes (equal substitution with the bread crumbs) and it added a luxurious garlic flavor to the meatballs.

This is an excellent recipe, very flavorful even without sauce. As other reviewers suggested, I used string cheese rather than the fresh mozzarella. This recipe made 42 meatballs (about 1 3/4 inches each) which will help you determine how many pieces to cut your cheese into. I used fresh mozz. when I made this dish a second time, the taste was not better and the fresh mozz. leaked out much worse than the string cheese.

This recipe is amazing!!!!!! Followed the recipe exactly except I had 3.75 lbs of turkey because they come in 1.25 lb packs at the store. I used mozzarella string cheese to stuff in the meatballs and just cut them in fourths. It was so delicous! I used them for meatball subs and my husband devoured them! He was so shocked when I told him it was turkey. Usually he won't touch ground turkey. I used the "Best Marinara Sauce Yet" recipe from here too instead of store bought stuff. So delicious! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe!

I happened to have pesto, mozzarella & ground turkey on hand. For crumbs, I just used crumbled up toast & added some oregano, rosemary, & basil to it. Out of eggs, so used mayo. Didn't have fresh parsley, so used dried. And it still turned out great! The mozzarella in the middle creates the magic. It's a fun way to use turkey!

I'm about to make this for the third time. They freeze well and make a great meatball sub.

Made it for dinner tonight. My husband is a super picky eater and he actually thought it was really good. I really liked it alot my self. Probably make it for a big crowed the next time.

Tasty, loved the pesto in the meat mix. Texture was a good, soft type meatball. Minus a star because the balls became little volcanos of mozzarella. I baked them 30 minutes and they were done; more and there might not have been any cheese left inside. I made 44 large balls, and would limit the cheese cubes to 1/2" next time. The amount of pepper is okay, but very noticeable; my grandkids had mixed reaction to these. My husband & I liked them well enough.

Seriously the BEST turkey meatballs EVER. So flavorful. My husband normally grumbles when I substitute beef or pork with turkey but he devoured them. The only change I made was I used 1/2 the salt. A tbsp seemed like too much. Next time I'll omit the salt completely. DELICIOUS.

Absolutely love these meatballs. Followed the recipe, wouldn't change a thing, and will make these again and again!!!

I was out of ground turkey so I took the meat out of some spicey turkey sausage and went from there. I also cut up a few mozz cheese sticks to put in the middle and it worked out great! Served with a side fried okra :)

These meatballs are delicious!!! I had shredded mozzarella, which was slightly more difficult to stuff into the meatballs -- next time I will simply mix it in with everything else. I did omit the milk (for lack of it), but I didn't miss it. The other modification I made (for the sake of simplification) was to pour the marinara sauce directly in the dish I was baking in and turn the oven temp down to 200 for about 10-15 minutes while the pasta was cooking on the stove. It made for one less dish to clean after our delicious meal. I will definitely be making this again.

These are fantastic! My husband had no idea he was eating ground turkey. I use a bit less salt, panko bread crumbs, and cubed string cheese (instead of fresh mozzarella) Also, I make homemade marinara instead of using a jar.

This is a great recipe. I used 1/3 of the mix for meatballs and put a chunk of Kraft tomato basil string cheese in the center of each. The other 2/3 I mixed in shredded mozzarella and baked it as a turkey loaf. We had the loaf for dinner and I froze the meatballs (after eating one to try it out). I think I'll use the meatloaf mix the next time and try it as turkey burgers.

This was a very tasty version of a meatball, will be making again.

This is the first time I have ever reviewed a recipe and these meatballs deserve it! This recipe is absolutely amazing. I prepared it just as the recipe says, and my husband said this is the best meal I have ever made. Thank you so much! Definitely putting this one in the rotation.

Wow, I never thought turkey meatballs could be so flavorful! I just made these tonight and was very impressed. The mozzarella did not stay inside the meatballs, maybe because I didn't tighten the meat around the cheese enough. However, this was not a bad thing- the cheese melted and bubbled around the bottom of the meatballs, getting bubbly and crispy. Yum!!! I used 1/2 turkey and 1/2 turkey sausage, but didn't change anything else. I will definitely be making these again soon!

Very, very good. I'm on a gestational diabetic diet (30 weeks pregnant), and this recipe is one of the best: low carbs, high protein. I didn't stuff them with mozzarella (ran out of time), but they were delicious anyway. I plan to make a double batch next time. My family doesn't eat beef or pork, so I'm glad to have a reliable recipe using ground turkey. Thank you!

Made this for dinner last night without the mozzerella cheese filling in the middle. I stirred in a handful of fresh parmesean instead. It was great!! Everyone was impressed and ate their entire plate. I will make this again tons of times, I'm sure. Thank you! :)

This was very, very good. I slightly altered the recipe by adding more seasonings to the meat mixture (seasoned pepper, organic non-salt seasoning, italian seasoning, onion power, and garlic powder), which made the meat very flavorable (omitted the salt) and had to use grated mozzarella since I didn't have fresh, but it turned out great, and I will definitely be using this one again!

These meatballs are delicious!!! I only had 1lb. of turkey so I only made a third of the recipe. I fried them in olive oil, I like to simmer my meatballs in the sauce, So I put a jar of sauce over them and simmered for 20 minutes covered. Only changes was I added 1tsp garlic powder, and used dried parsley. and a tlbs of parmesan bread dip seasoning, and I used a whole egg. Thanks Foodie 77

My biggest complaint was that the cheese oozed out of a lot of the meatballs, and that even without olive oil I had quite a bit of oil/grease/fat at the bottom of my baking dish. I will definitely make these again, though, because the taste is phenomenal!

Excellent! Thank you

This recipe is amazing! Don't need to change a thing! Thanks for submitting

Wonderful recipe. I didn't have pesto so I left it out. I cut up string cheese because its what i had on hand. picky husband LOVED these.

Great recipe. If you're on a low-carb diet, omit the spaghetti sauce & pasta and you're golden. I'd like to point out one thing, though--make sure you cube your cheese to an appropriate size (like maybe 3/4" on each side or even a bit larger). I made 1/2" cubes and ended up with 85 little meatballs about an inch in diameter. Still good, but a lot more work than needed.

I don't eat beef (much to my husband's dismay), so I'm always looking for good ground turkey/chicken and meat substitute recipes. I followed the recipe exactly, and my husband said they were the best meatballs I've ever made! I thought they were pretty darn good as well. I only made 1/3 the recipe, and it made enough for a meal + leftovers for 3 of us. I didn't use 1/3 egg, just threw a whole one in, and they turned out just fine.

These meatballs are delicious. They were tasty and soft and everyone loved them!

Cheese ran out Maybe need to make bigger meatballs. Would make again!

Big hit. So delicious!

When I made these, I did not change a thing. And they were perfect. Tender and juicy. While I was cooking spaghetti to go with, I couldn't stop eating them. However, it made entirely too much for just me and my boyfriend. I froze half and reheated them two weeks later and they were just as good. I made them a second time and added diced up pepperoni and it really complemented the mozzarella and basil.

Easy and delicious!! I will definitely be making these again!

OH MY HEAVEN!!!! These rascals are DELISH!!!!

This is the best meatball recipe ever! I didn't stuff with the mozzarella (didn't have any on hand), and they were delicious. I used a little more pesto and a little less bread crumbs than the recipe called for. Definitely a favorite!

Theses are soooo good! They are in my rotation now. I have to make extras for my adult kids and the grands because the like them, too.

To die for!!! We couldn't stop eating these! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

A new favorite in our house. I added a dash of paprika and used Pablo instead of Italian bread crumbs.

Delicious! Best tasting turkey meatballs with or without the mozzerella.

Added cut up mozzarella string cheese in middle of the meatballs! Yum!

These meatballs are amazing! As a granddaughter of an Italian restaurateur, I have to say that I this is my favorite recipe. Sorry grandma and mom. I never thought that turkey meatballs could have such wonderful flavor and texture. I recommend that you follow the recipe exactly.

This is the BEST turkey meatballs recipe I've ever had! I have tried other turkey recipes and they are always either too dry or lacking real flavor. Not the case with this recipe! The meatballs were very tender & juicy and packed with flavor, even without the cheese in the middle (husband &kids snacked on the cheese the day before). My husband kept saying "I can't believe these are turkey" as he ate a few before I even got them in the sauce. Thank you for the recipe, my search for the perfect meatball is finally over!!!

These meatballs are the best! Family and friends all love them. I make these meatballs at least once a month. I don't change a thing about the recipe. I bake them and then freeze them to reheat in marinara sauce. Works like a charm!

This was so good! I used beef instead of turkey and monterey jack instead of mozzarella because that's what we had and it came out deliciously moist and flavorful. It made enough for us to freeze half the batch and still have 3-4 meals' worth to put in the fridge.

I followed this recipe basically to a tee, except I revised a few things based on other reviewers, one cutting back the pepper to just 1 tsp., using non-stick cooking spray instead of extra virgin olive oil, and I cut the cooking time by 5-10 minutes so as not to overcook the meatballs. I prepared my meat mixture the night before for more flavor. I used fresh mozzarella and some did seep out, but not a lot. Mixture yielded 33 meatballs, not too small and not too big. My family and co-workers loved them. Best meatballs I've ever eaten.

My 3 pounds of turkey and 8 ozs of motzarella made 35 stuffed and 5 unstuffed meatballs. I made a little meat pancake and wrapped the meat around the cheese. I prepped and cooked them and froze them for later use. Handy, quick homemade meal.

Tasty and easy.. will make again... liked the fresh mozz but thinking of trying a pesto cheddar next time

I made these meatballs for dinner and loved them. They had a very smooth texture and a great flavor! I never liked to make meatballs before because of the time involved but I thought these were very easy to do. I used pieces of string cheese for the mozzarella. I did not drizzle olive oil over the meatballs before baking because I was afraid the oil would splatter in the oven. About 15 minutes into the baking time, I rolled the meatballs over so that they would brown a little more evenly. I baked them on foil-lined baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray and there was no mess to clean up!

Pretty good meatballs, but if you actually make the amount they specify it's a HUGE amount of meat! We put the chopped up string cheese in the middle and that worked out well.

Phenomenal!!! I will never make any other kind of meatball ever again!!

Very tasty! Followed the recipe exactly and they came out great. My 17 year old daughter who is somewhat picky loved them! This one is a keeper, thank you for a great meatball recipe with wonderful flavor! We froze the remaining meatballs and I'm looking forward to the next pasta dish with them. As other reviewers mentioned some of the mozzarella did bubble out during baking, which I was concerned about...but they still came out amazing.

These turned out awesome! Great flavor!

I used string cheese for the filling.

Delicious! Although a smidge time consuming stuffing each meatball (it made 56 for me), it was well worth it. These are wonderful. I used panko instead of seasoned breadcrumbs, but I followed everything else per the recipe. Word of caution, smaller pieces of cheese are best as it tends to ooze out of the meatball in the oven, but when they taste this good, it really doesn't matter how they look! This will definitely go in dinner rotation at my house.

These were excellent! My Italian husband, whose grandmother's meatballs I hear about every time I even mention meatballs, couldn't get enough of them! I forgot the salt (I do that all the time), and based on the results, I probably will just leave it out in the future, too. Oh yes, I WILL be making these again!

This was my first recipe from AR.com. They were delicious!! They took some time to make, but the recipe made enough that I could freeze half of the meatballs to use at another time.

It was delicious....

Simply fantastic. We didn't change a thing.

These meatballs are so good! They have great flavor and the kids love the fact that there is cheese INSIDE!! I always add more pesto and more parm than the recipe calls for. Comes out great.

This recipe turned out pretty good, the first time around.

My husband calls these "little balls of joy." I concur. I've done them with both ground turkey and ground beef (when I was out of turkey) and both came out delicious. Only changes I made was to use homemade sauce and I cubed the cheese and then form the meatballs around it. Seemed much easier that way. A little labor intensive, but oh so worth it for the "joy."

Made exactly as written and they were AMAZING!! I made them for a Superbowl party and everyone RAVED about them, all you heard was "MMMM"'s all around . Absolutely killer. Saved to favorites and will make again and again!!

Great Recipe!!!

Have made many times- a favorite.

This is an awesome recipe just the way it is. AWESOME! The meatballs are so flavorful and delicious! I didn't change a thing. Just follow the instructions and measure everything out the way it is listed you will not be disappointed!

I have made these meatballs 2x and they are wonderfully delicious!

BEST meatball recipe I have tried, and I've tried many! I think the pesto gives the meatballs a great punch of flavor. And when has cheese-stuffed anything ever been a bad idea? :) I cheat a little bit: I use mozzarella string cheese because it's so easy to chop & stuff, and dried parsley because I always have it on hand. I use ground beef instead of ground turkey, also. We eat these on meatball subs (using a loaf of Pepperidge Farm cheese garlic bread, slices of Provolone cheese, and marinara) and with spaghetti, of course. You MUST try these meatballs! They will not disappoint.

These were delicious!

Everyone in my family loves these!

Followed the recipe exactly although I only had 1 lb of ground turkey. I decided to do 1/2 of all the other ingredients rather than 1/3. Came out great! My husband said, "these are amazing. Imagine if we got these at a restaurant". Now that's a good meatball.

These are awesome. My family even loved them and they only eat beef. I would suggest trying them with a different sauce because the red sauce drowned out a bit of their flavor. But this recipe is definitely a keeper, in fact I'm making them again tonight!

easy to make and delicious!!!! kids had it over noodles, we had them over zoodles yummy!!!!

These have been a hit both times I've made them. I've found it easiest to stuff the cheese cube into the meatballs and fold/form the meat around them.

We loved these meatballs! I would have never thought to put pesto in meatballs, but, they gave them amazing flavor! I had issues with the mozzarella melting out of some of the meatballs, but, I don't know that I even missed it because we thought the meatballs were that good. My husband even told me that he would have never guessed it was ground turkey. That is high praise from my beef loving husband!

These were good. The problem was that many melted out all over the pan, luckily I had covered the pan with tin foil. Next time I will error toward fully encapsulating the cheese with a hefty layer of meat, instead of measuring out the meat to cover the cheese. I will definitely make again.

It was very good, I served with Oreo..

This was amazing!! Can't even tell it is turkey. It was very moist and flavorful. We loved it!

I added an extra egg. Made homemade Italian breadcrumbs. Otherwise kept the recipe the same. Delicious and very tender.

Made these last night to win over my ground beef addicted hubby. I didn't have fresh parsley so I used dried and no pesto so I just mixed the dried parsley with olive oil instead. These were amazing! I served them with marinara and cheese tortellini with crusty bread! Thanks for sharing!

Delicious! You can eat them without bread, theyre that good!

I’m eating this right now! It’s wonderful. This was my first time trying it. I read quite a few of the reviews and saw that people liked it even without the extra mozzarella in the middle, so I left that out. I only had a pound of ground turkey, so, using suggestions from other reviewers, I used the entire egg, but halved all of the other ingredients (except I didn’t use olive oil at the end), and cooked for the recommended time. I am completely enjoying it!!!

Great recipe! We really enjoyed these meatballs. I took another reviewers advice and used the mozzarella pearls and it worked out terrific. I also didn't have any parsley, so I used fresh basil. I used regular sauce from a jar and will absolutely be making these again.

Easy to make, very good