Apple Cheddar Turkey Meatballs

Apple Cheddar Turkey Meatballs are a sweet and savory twist on traditional meatballs, combining lean ground turkey with crisp, grated apple and sharp cheddar cheese. These flavorful meatballs are perfect for fall-inspired meals or any time you want a comforting dish with a unique flavor profile. The natural sweetness of the apple pairs beautifully with the rich cheddar, while the turkey provides a lean and protein-packed base. 

To me these meatballs seem like a very classic combination of ingredients. It also seems like a recipe that pops up in the fall given it’s the perfect apple season. The shredded green apple adds a nice crunchy tangy texture to the meatball and who doesn’t love a cheese filled meatball. The sharpness of the cheddar really goes well with the mild flavor of the turkey and can stand up against the tang of the apple.

Shredding the apples is a really easy way to incorporate apples into the meat. I have other recipes where I have diced apples into tiny little cubes. It definitely gives the meatball a different texture than shredding the apples but it’s definitely more time consuming. It helps make this an easy recipe that you can throw together for a weeknight dinner. These meatballs are great as quick appetizer that you can serve with a tangy honey mustard sauce, over coleslaw that has a creamy apple cider vinegar dressing, or on toothpicks drizzled with apple butter for a sweet savory bite.

Mixing up all of the ingredients that you need for this recipe happens pretty quickly – stuffing the meatballs take a little bit of time but the nice thing with this recipe is that you are using cubed cheddar cheese. It’s so much easier to stuff meatballs with the harder cheeses – as opposed to the softer cheeses like blue cheese or gorgonzola. They’re a one-bowl recipe, minimizing cleanup while delivering maximum flavor. Plus, they bake in the oven, which means less hands-on cooking time and perfectly even results every time.

I buy the block cheddar cheese to stuff these meatballs with. If you’d prefer you can always buy cheddar cheese that’s already been cut into cubes. If you’re short on time this would help get these meatballs rolled out and stuffed quickly. The only thing is if you buy pre-cubed cheddar you don’t have as much control on the size of the cubes. Depending on the size of the cheese cubes you may end up with fewer meatballs than this recipe makes or potentially more meatballs. Just something to keep in mind if you buy cubed cheddar cheese.

I also top these meatballs with shredded cheese before I put them in the over. One thing that I love about pizza is that it’s cheesy and you get the awesome flavor of baked cheese in spots as you’re eating a slice. By stuffing the meatballs with cheese and then topping them with some extra cheese you get the best of both worlds. I think simmering them in the Pizza Sauce or just topping your slide with sauce finishes these meatballs off perfectly.

Apple Cheddar Turkey Meatballs are not only delicious but also healthy and kid-friendly. The lean turkey and added apple bring a boost of nutrition, while the cheese ensures they’re satisfying and full of flavor. 

If you are watching your carbs and you decide to use the almond flour instead of breadcrumbs you could always top each one of the meatballs with a little sauce and eat them with a nice side salad. If you have a favorite low carb bread substitute you can make either meatball slides or subs out of that as well.

More Recipes By Category