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These baked breakfast meatballs are a savory-meets-sweet fall breakfast: ground turkey mixed with grated apple, potato, sharp white cheddar, sage, and a little maple syrup tying it all together. Oats help hold everything together, and the whole batch bakes hands-off on one sheet pan. Think of them as a breakfast sausage and apple-cheddar mash-up in meatball form!
As a nutritionist, I’m always looking for breakfasts that don’t leave you hungry an hour later, and a make-ahead savory option is high on that list. Turkey, egg, and cheddar bring the protein, and the oats with apple add a little fiber. Make a batch on the weekend and you’ve got a grab-and-go breakfast for busy mornings!
I tested a few times first, and the texture turned out great, tender on the inside with lightly browned edges. The flavor is really fun: sage and apple with cheddar and a hint of maple is exactly the kind of combination that tastes like fall!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Savory breakfast with fall flavor — apple, sage, cheddar, and maple in one bite
- Sheet pan, hands-off baking — no standing over a skillet flipping sausage patties
- Make-ahead friendly — bake a batch and reheat for quick mornings
- Nutritious — the convenient protein in here, with some added hints of fiber make these such a fun breakfast that is also kid friendly.
How to Make These Meatballs
- Gather up your easy ingredients and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prep the apple and potato first. This is an important step! Peel and finely grate both, then wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and twist until nothing more drips out. Both release a lot of water, and if you skip the squeeze, the mixture turns too wet to hold a ball shape. After squeezing, aim for about ½ cup of each, packed. A medium apple and a medium potato should get you there, or 2 small apples and potatoes.
- Let the oats soak in the egg. Whisk the egg, stir in the quick oats (or old-fashioned oats pulsed briefly), and let them sit for 5 minutes. This helps the oats soften and bind instead of staying as dry flecks.
- Mix gently. Add the ground turkey, squeezed apple and potato, sharp white cheddar (or orange cheddar), maple syrup, dried sage and fennel, and seasonings. Stir just until combined, because overmixing makes turkey meatballs dense.
- Shape and bake. Roll into about 18 to 20 meatballs (roughly 1½ inches), place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the centers reach 165°F. Use a thermometer rather than relying on color or time, since ovens vary.
- Glaze (optional). If you want extra maple on top, brush it on during the last 3 to 5 minutes and watch the pan closely. Maple syrup goes from caramelized to burnt fast at 400°F.
Tips, Serving, and Storing
- For the best results, make sure you squeeze the moisture out of the potato and the apple! I can’t stress this enough. Otherwise the mixture will feel too wet to shape into meatballs
- A little maple glaze on top, along with sea salt, adds a nice touch to the top of these meatballs.
- Serve alongside scrambled eggs, or even with my baked blueberry or pumpkin breakfast bowls.
- Store in the fridge for freezer! They will last about 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or air-fryer.
Baked Turkey Apple Cheddar Breakfast Meatballs
Baked Turkey Breakfast Meatballs with grated apple, potato, sharp white cheddar, sage, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Oats help bind the mixture and add fiber. This make-ahead breakfast bakes hands-off on a sheet pan!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds ground turkey
- 1 medium apple, peeled and grated, squeezed dry
- 1 medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and grated, squeezed dry
- 1 large egg
- 0.5 cups old rolled fashioned oats, or quick oats
- 0.5 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for optional glaze
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon dried fennel
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 0.3 teaspoons black pepper
- 0.3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 0.1 teaspoons ground cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Grate and squeeze the potato and apple. Working in batches, wrap in a kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze over the sink until no more liquid comes out. You should have around 1/2 cup of shredded potato, and 1/2 cup of shredded apple.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and add the oats. Let sit for a few minutes to hydrate.
- In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, potato, apple, grated cheddar, maple syrup, sage, fennel, salt, garlic powder, cinnamon, and black pepper. Mix gently until it's well combined. Now fold in the oat/egg mixture.
- Form the mixture into 1.5 – 2 inch meatballs (about 20 total) and arrange on the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until lightly golden. If using an extra maple glaze, add the glaze the final 3 – 5 minutes of baking.
- Remove from oven and rest. Let sit for 3- 5 minutes before serving. These do well stored in the fridge and re-heated for meal prep.
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