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Italian meatball crumbles are made with ground meat, Romano cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and egg white. Rather than rolling this mixture into meatballs, I just crumble the mixture into a pan, cook and mix with tomato sauce.

The crumbles are tender, juicy and flavorful. They can be easily incorporated into other recipes. It is easy to make a small batch or scale up to a bigger batch to stash in the freezer for later use.

For special occasions or company, I take the time to go the traditional route and roll the meat mixture into meatballs.

Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.

Ingredient Round Up

  • Ground turkey or meat of your choice
  • Romano cheese
  • Homemade breadcrumbs
  • Garlic
  • Parsley
  • Black pepper
  • Egg white

Making the Meatball Crumbles

  • Place the ground meat into a mixing bowl. I used 93% lean ground turkey. Lean ground beef or ground chicken or turkey breast can also be used.
  • Add the breadcrumbs, Romano cheese, minced garlic, parsley, pepper and egg white to the bowl. I used a garlic press to mince the garlic.

  • Mix all the ingredients together with your hands. Pinch off a piece of the mixture about the size of a quarter. Flatten it out on a napkin and pop it in the microwave for 25 sec. Let it cool for a few minutes and taste it. Add more Romano or garlic at this point if you think it is needed. If you do add to the mixture, mix it in and retaste.

  • Crumble the meat mixture into a large skillet and add water to the pan. Cover and begin to cook on medium heat.

  • As the mixture begins to cook, using a meat chopping tool and start to break up the meat. Cover and continue to cook.

  • When the meat is completely cooked, pour it into a strainer to drain off the cooking liquid. Set the strainer with the meat in back in the skillet.

  • Pour water over the meat crumbles in the strainer to rinse off any fat. Pour the water that collects in the skillet out and then place the crumbles back into the skillet.

  • Add tomato sauce to the crumbles. I used no sugar added Prego. You can substitute in your favorite brand or homemade sauce if you have it.

  • Mix the sauce into the crumbles and reheat. Portion the mixture out into containers that can go into the freezer. For the two of us, I normally freeze 6.5 to 7 oz portions.

Serving Ideas

  • Meatball crumbles can be added to sauce and served over pasta.
  • These crumbles can be used to stuff mushrooms.
  • You can make Sloppy Giuseppes and serve them for lunch or dinner.

WW – 1 pt for 3.5 oz serving

Note: Pts updated 12/11/24 to reflect new zero foods.

Italian Meatball Crumbles

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Ingredient
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 7 servings
Calories: 134kcal

Equipment

  • garlic press
  • skillet
  • strainer

Ingredients  

  • 20 0z 93% lean ground turkey, I used Shady Brook Farms. You can substitute in chicken or turkey breast or 96% lean ground beef
  • ⅓ c homemade seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 7⅓ tbsp grated Romano cheese
  • 1 egg white; if you use a whole egg, you may need more breadcrumbs
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tbsp crushed dried parsley
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¾ c no sugar added Prego or sauce of your choice

Instructions

  • Place the ground turkey into a mixing bowl.
  • Add the breadcrumbs, the Romano cheese, egg white , crushed dried parsley and black pepper.
  • Finely mince the garlic or run it through a garlic press if you have one. Add the processed garlic to the mixing bowl.
  • Using your hands, mix the ground meat until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Pinch off a small amount of meat mixture about the size of a quarter. Place it on a napkin and microwave it on high for 25 sec or until it is cooked through. Let if briefly cool. Taste the meat and decide if it needs more garlic or salt.
  • Once you are satisfied with the flavor profile of the mixture, crumble the meat into a skillet. Add ½ c of water to the skillet, put a lid on the skillet and begin to cook on medium.
  • As the meat begins to cook, go in with a meat chopping tool or a wooden spoon and break the crumbles up as they begin to cook and stir them around. Put the lid back on and continue to cook. Continue this ritual until the meat crumbles are cooked through.
  • Over the sink, transfer the contents of the skillet into a strainer to get rid of the excess liquid. After the mixture has finished draining, set the strainer with the meat inside of the skillet. Take 2 c of cold water and pour it over the meat in the strainer to further remove any remaining fat that released while cooking.
  • Throw out the water in the skillet and return the meatball crumbles in the strainer to the skillet. Add the tomato sauce stir and well. Heat through
  • Let the meatball crumbles cool slightly. You can set some aside for immediate use if you choose and divide the rest into freezable portions. See note at bottom.

Notes

The total recipe produced 27½ oz of crumbles after cooking. I froze 3 containers of 7oz each and used 6½ oz for lunch.
I rounded up to 28 oz total when figuring out the nutrition values.

Nutrition

Serving: 3.5oz | Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.2g | Protein: 15.7g | Fat: 6.4g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Sodium: 203mg | Fiber: 2.3g
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