These turkey meatballs with roasted red pepper sauce are packed with garlic and spinach, balanced perfectly by the creamy, savory red pepper sauce. The sauce comes together in your blender while the meatballs bake, making this an easy weeknight dinner.
Serve these over zucchini noodles, pasta, or rice depending on what you’re in the mood for. The roasted red pepper sauce is also excellent on grilled chicken, salmon, or in grain bowls.
The meatballs are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, made with just turkey, spinach, coconut flour, and spices. No eggs or breadcrumbs needed.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Red bell peppers: Roasting brings out their natural sweetness and creates a rich, complex sauce. You need 2 large peppers.
- Fresh spinach: Chopped and mixed into the meatball mixture. Keeps the meatballs moist and adds color.
- Coconut flour: Acts as a binder for the meatballs without eggs or breadcrumbs. Use exactly 2 tablespoons for the right texture.
- Unsweetened almond milk: Creates the creamy texture in the sauce. Make sure it’s unsweetened and unflavored. Vanilla almond milk will ruin the sauce.
TIP
Roast the bell peppers until they have char marks. The charred bits add depth to the sauce. Don’t skip this step or the sauce will taste flat.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use jarred roasted red peppers to save time. You’ll need about 1 cup of drained jarred peppers. The sauce won’t have quite the same depth as fresh roasted peppers, but it’s a good shortcut for busy nights.
Almond flour or gluten-free breadcrumbs work but you’ll need more (about 1/4 cup) since it doesn’t absorb as much moisture. The texture will be slightly different but still good.
Yes, ground chicken works well. The cooking time stays the same.
Storage instructions
Store the meatballs and sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep them separate so the meatballs don’t get soggy. The sauce will thicken as it sits. Add a splash of almond milk when reheating to thin it back out.
For longer storage, freeze the meatballs and sauce in separate containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Reheat the meatballs in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes and warm the sauce on the stovetop.
Serving suggestions
Serve these turkey meatballs and sauce over:
- Zucchini noodles (spiralized with a vegetable spiralizer)
- Regular gluten-free pasta
- Rice or quinoa
The sauce is also excellent on grilled salmon or roasted chicken thighs.
More gluten-free meals to try
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know! Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also share your pictures and tag @adashofmegnut on Instagram.
Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
For the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
- 2 red bell peppers - cut into 4 pieces (seeds removed)
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil - divided
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion - about 1/2 medium onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk - or regular whole milk
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/2 cup packed fresh spinach - chopped
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
For the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- On a baking sheet, toss 2 red bell peppers and 1 tablespoon of 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil together and lay in a single layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the bell peppers are tender and there are some black char marks.
- In a small skillet, combine 1/4 cup diced yellow onion and 1 clove garlic in 1 tablespoon 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil. Sauté for 5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add to a food processor with the bell pepper when it's ready.
- Then also add 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the remaining 2 tablespoons 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil. Process until combined and smooth. Set aside.
For the Turkey Meatballs:
- I usually start making the turkey meatballs while the peppers are roasting. In a large bowl, combine 1 lb ground turkey, 1/2 cup packed fresh spinach, 2 tablespoons coconut flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix until combined well.
- Roll into small meatballs – you'll get about 15 out of a batch. Line a baking sheet with foil and place meatballs on the sheet.
- Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes, until baked through and the internal temperature of 165°F.
To Serve:
- Serve with zucchini noodles, gluten-free pasta, or rice. Top with roasted red pepper sauce and 3-4 meatballs per serving.
This sounds yummy I totally need to give Zoodles a try!
Yum! I need to buy a spiralizer, that’s it!
This looks delicious! And I love that little gif at the end!
xo
http://alliesfashionalley.com
Omg this was AMAZING!!! The sauce alone is incredible.
Thanks so much Amanda!!
Delicious dinner! I could eat this sauce like soup! (and might actually do that :))
This meal was awesome! I’m having a hard time getting my husband to do Whole 30 with me, but this was a hit. I did add an egg to the meatballs (simply to use it up) and I stick blended the roasted red pepper sauce, because digging my food processor out of my cabinet is a pain. 🙂
I’ve made this a handful of times and it gets better and better! I add a few extra spices I love and it always comes out amazing. I mix it all together with the sauce with a side salad and a piece of garlic toast, voila! Wish I had the nutrition info 🙁
Love that you add more spices to make it your own Samantha! I don’t put the nutritional info on any of my recipes.. but you can use a site like My Fitness Pal and add the link to this recipe on the site and it will give you all the nutritional info! Hope this helps!
How can I make the sauce a tad sweeter? Tastes a little bland to me.
Hi Katie, I find that the garlic and spices in the recipe should add enough flavor, as does roasting the peppers. I would first try adding more garlic if you would like even more flavor in the sauce. However, if you would like to make a sweeter sauce, you can always add sugar, honey or brown sugar to the recipe. Hope this helps!
Is the packed spinach the defrosted frozen kind? Or is it fresh chopped? Also, are the spices fresh or dried? Thanks!!
Hi Kristina! Thanks for asking – the spinach is fresh chopped and the spices are dried. I’ve updated the recipe to clarify 🙂
Will the meatballs hold up if made in advance the day before the were cooked/ate? I would like to be able to prep them the night before, after the kids are in bed.
Thanks!
Tara
Hi Tara! Yes! You can definitely prep them the night before and just keep them covered in the refrigerator. We also tend to cook a bunch on Sundays and eat them throughout the week for lunch and dinner – so that’s another option Enjoy!
Awesome! Thanks Megan! 🙂
Do you happen to know about how many calories/nutritional info for one serving?
Thanks!
Hi Robin! I just updated the recipe to include nutritional information. It may vary a little depending on the brands of products you use. Hope this helps!
Hi – would it be OK to use almond flour instead of coconut? Would the amount of oil need to be adjusted? Thanks!
Hi Ashleigh! Almond flour will work just fine. You shouldn’t need to adjust the amount of oil in the meatball but if for some reason it isn’t moist enough, just add about 1/2 tbsp. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for the fast reply! I read online that coconut flour absorbs more moisture, so almond flour requires less – but that was specifically for baked goods, so I had a feeling it wouldn’t apply here 🙂 I can’t wait to make this. Thanks again!
wow!!! this turned out amazing!!! definitely adding it to my list! i added a jalepeno as well with the peppers and added some hot paprika so it got a bit spicier!
LOVE IT!
YESSS! I absolutely LOVE your additions to make it spicier! I’m admittedly a huge spice wimp 🙂
Can you use frozen zoddles?
Hi Pat, Yes you can use frozen zoodles. You may want to cook them a little longer to make sure all the water gets cooked out since they’re frozen. But otherwise, just proceed with the recipe as written.