Turkey veggie meatballs for baby-led weaning is a great way to add vegetables to your baby’s diet. You can make it without eggs by using an egg substitute listed below in the recipe note section.

This recipe can also be made with any vegetables of your choice. You can also use canned, fresh, or frozen vegetables as well.

Don’t have turkey? No problem!

You can make the same recipe with ground beef or ground chicken. It will taste just as delicious.

turkey veggie meatballs, baby, toddlers, baby-led weaning, BLW

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Why I Love Turkey Veggie Meatballs For Baby & Toddlers

I created this recipe during the Thanksgiving season to allow my baby to eat turkey with the whole family.

My youngest was just starting BLW at the time so I wasn’t comfortable giving him a turkey drumstick just yet.

So I decided to make some turkey meatballs with ground turkey instead. To make it less dry, I added vegetables to give it some moisture.

My favorite part about this recipe is that you can make it with any vegetable you want.

So it’s a great way to use up leftover vegetables before they spoil.

You should also try – Easy Turkey Veggie Nuggets For Baby & Toddlers + No Egg Option

Important Recipe Notes on BLW Turkey Veggie Meatballs

You can make it without eggs

The good news about this turkey meatball recipe is that you can make it without eggs by using an egg substitute.

I know that a lot of babies have sensitivities or an egg allergy so I made sure to include an alternative for those that need it.

Egg Substitute For Turkey Veggie Meatballs

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons of water (Make sure you whisk them together until they are gelatinous and creamy in texture)
1 Tablespoon chia seed (ground is better) + 3 Tablespoons of water (stir and let it rest for 5-10 min until gelatinous. Use immediately)
1 tablespoon agar + 1 tablespoon water (mix and use immediately)

You can use frozen, fresh, or canned veggies

If you don’t have fresh vegetables in your fridge, don’t worry.

I have used canned and frozen veggies for these meatballs before and they work just fine.

If you’re using frozen vegetables, I suggest you thaw them out first and drain the excess liquid before pureeing them in the blender. This will prevent your meatballs from being too mushy and wet.

If using canned vegetables, also make sure you drain the vegetables thoroughly before blending them to avoid adding excess liquid to the meatballs.

Type of ground turkey to use

If you use ground turkey to make these meatballs recipe, then I recommend you buy the one that is 85% lean, and 15% fat.

Ground turkey with less fat content will be very crumbly and dry when you try to mold them into a ball. It’s the fat that keeps them juicy on the inside.

Use Panko breadcrumbs

I recommend using panko breadcrumbs because they’re seasoned. This will give the meatballs more flavor.

Jump to Recipe

Ingredients For BLW Turkey Veggie Meatballs

Carrots – carrots help add a sweet flavor to the meatballs, which appeals to younger children.

Spinach – I used spinach to give the meatballs some color. It is optional.

Sweet peas – I used sweet peas to add some sweet flavor to the meatballs. You can use whatever veggies you prefer.

seasoning – I added some Italian seasoning and dried parsley flakes to the recipe to season the meatballs. You can use any seasoning you prefer.

Breadcrumbs – breadcrumbs help the meatballs bind with the rest of the ingredients. I prefer to use panko breadcrumbs for more flavor but you can use any type you want.

Ground turkey – try to get ground turkey with some fat in it. I used one that was 85% lean meat and 15% fat. The fat helps to keep the meatballs moist.

Egg – eggs help the breadcrumbs and turkey meat bind together better. If you choose not to use egg, please see the egg substitute in the notes section above.

Cooking Directions For Turkey Baby-led Weaning Meatballs

Set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the carrots in a bowl with enough water to cover half its surface. Heat in the microwave to cook for 3 minutes.
Place carrots and peas in a blender and blend until smooth
Add the spinach, carrots, and peas mixture into a bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs, seasoning, and eggs into the same bowl. Mix with a fork to combine.
Mash the mixture together with your fist to fully combine them all. Everything should be stuck together when you’re done.
Add 2 tsp of oil to a baking tray. Heat the baking tray for 5 minutes in the oven.
While the tray is heating up, roll some of the meatball mixture into balls with the palm of your hands.
Place meatballs on the hot baking tray and bake for 10 -15 minutes. Flip them over and bake the reverse side for an additional 5 -10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Blend the vegetables into a paste

Combine the ingredients in a bowl

Add the spices and breadcrumbs

Mix and mold into a ball. Bake and enjoy!

Recipe Variations For Turkey Baby Meatballs

Chicken veggie meatballs for baby

This recipe works with ground chicken as well. You can add veggies to the mixture or cook it as is.

Turkey Sweet Potato Meatballs for baby

If you don’t want to add other vegetables to the meatballs, you can use sweet potato.

Blend some cooked sweet potatoes into the raw turkey mixture and combine.

Proceed with the rest of the cooking directions as provided.

Ground beef veggie meatballs for baby

Ground beef can also be used in place of turkey or chicken.

Ground beef meatballs can be hard for babies to eat so you must combine them with some vegetables to soften them up.

Turkey veggie patties for baby

Turkey patties are one of my favorite variations of this recipe.

Instead of shaping it into meatballs, you mold them into patties and bake them.

You can serve patties on burger buns cut into chunks for your baby.

What To Serve With Turkey Veggie Meatballs For Babies & Toddlers

Serve with rice

Meatballs go very well with any kind of rice. You can make Jasmine rice, white rice, or brown rice to go with it.

For added nutrients, cook mixed vegetables and rice to serve with it.

Serve with tomato sauce and pasta

What better way to eat turkey veggie meatballs than with pasta and tomato sauce?

It’s the most traditional way to serve this dish.

The tomato sauce will soak into the meatballs to give it more flavor.

You should also try – Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce For Baby (Great Grandma’s Recipe)

Serve on its own

You can eat these meatballs on their own without any side dish.

When I do this, I like to drizzle some sauce on top to make it more tasty.

My favorite drizzling sauce is Kewpie Sesame Sauce. They are creamy and delicious without overshadowing the taste of the meatballs.

We use sesame sauce as a replacement for ketchup in my home.

How To Cut Turkey Veggies Meatballs In Baby-led Weaning

6-9 Months old

For babies between 6-9 months old, you can either break up the meatballs or allow them to eat it whole.

If serving it to babies whole, make sure you make the meatballs very large so that they can’t eat the whole thing at once.

They’ll be forced to take bites and chew before swallowing. That’s why It’s also important to make babies soft meatballs so they can easily chew them.

9-12 months old

Babies 9-12 months can either eat meatballs cut into bite-sized pieces or broken up into pieces. You can start teaching your baby to use a fork by offering them a preloaded fork.

12- 24 months and older

12- 24 months old toddlers can eat meatballs cut into small pieces. You can also serve it whole and allow them to pick it up and take bites.

Meatballs For Baby Storage Tips

Can I refrigerate turkey veggie meatballs for a baby?

You can refrigerate turkey veggie meatballs for a baby for up to 1 week. Any longer than that and the meatballs won’t be fresh anymore.

Can I freeze turkey veggie meatballs for baby-led weaning?

You can freeze baby-led weaning turkey veggie meatballs for as long as you need.

Freezing is my preferred storage method because the meatballs will last a very long time when frozen.

I’ve once frozen meatballs for 4 months in the freezer and it was still good when I cooked it in tomato sauce (I don’t recommend you store them that long though).

Reheating BLW Turkey Veggie Meatballs

In the oven

You can reheat frozen or cold meatballs in the oven. To do so, set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the meatballs in a baking tray and heat for 15-20 minutes or until the center is hot.

In the microwave

To reheat meatballs in the microwave, cut them in half to allow them to heat up evenly. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for 2-3 minutes or until they are hot.

Tips for Picky Eaters

Don’t pressure

Give your baby or toddler a chance to say no. It’s okay if they don’t like what we serve them. Keep trying.

It takes at least 30 exposures for a baby to begin liking a food, so don’t give up.

Make it into a game

Sometimes I create games around the food I serve to get my kids interested in eating.

A game we’ve played in the past is called “Here comes the airplane… open the garage”. This encourages them to open their mouth as I bring the food in like an airplane.

Sometimes my kids will try new foods this way.

Easy Turkey Veggie Meatballs For Baby & Toddlers + No Egg Option

Recipe by AghoghoCourse: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time