Greek Turkey Meatballs
Everyone’s favorite meatballs made healthier! So moist, so tender and so easy to make, drizzled with Greek yogurt tzatziki sauce!
These meatballs are an absolute favorite of mine.
They can be so much fun to make with the kids or the perfect snack to whip up for Game Day. And no one would guess that these are so good for you because they taste amazing!
Now turkey can be a great substitute to beef in many recipes such as burgers, spaghetti, meatloaf, tacos, and of course, meatballs.
Here’s why:
- Turkey is high in protein, B vitamins, niacin and selenium
- Protein is needed for you tissues, organs, cells and specific fluids like hormones
- B Vitamins are needed for healthy blood circulation, to help maintain cholesterol levels and for energy production
- Turkey is a good source of iron, zinc, potassium and phosphorus
- Turkey has reduced saturated fat and cholesterol
Oregano is an amazing herb that can help boost your immune system and serve as an anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antibacterial agent. It has also been thought to have cancer fighting effects.
Cumin in cooking used to be added to meals to aid digestion but it can also treat respiratory disorders, the common cold, help asthma and aid some skin conditions.
And finally, my favorite part of this recipe is the tzatziki sauce. The sauce base is yoghurt, packed full of probiotics which help keep your immune system strong and aid digestion.
So really, this recipe is a WIN WIN for EVERYONE.
Greek Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ⅓ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the tzatziki sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 English cucumber, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- To make the tzatziki sauce, combine Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon juice, lemon zest and mint in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, onion, egg yolks, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 18-20 meatballs.
- Place meatballs onto the prepared baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until all sides are browned and meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve immediately with tzatziki sauce, garnished with dill and lemon zest, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Love this recipe. I made it exactly as written and served over cous cous with zucchini and sprinkled feta on top. I’ll definitely make this again!
Wow! I made these because I needed to use up 1lb of leftover ground turkey. So glad I did! They are amazing and will be making these for our next game night. Thanks for such delicious recipes!
I would like to try this as an appetizer. Double the amount of meatballs. How long do you think I should cook them? Thanks!
Supreme! My super picky kud loved them
So tasty and moist! I made the meatballs as written and cooked for the full 20 minutes in a well heated oven. I served them over Moroccan couscous with chopped chard, sauteed asparagus and diced tomatoes with tatziki (slightly different recipe). Definitely making this again.
Haven’t made these yet but wondering how you think this meatball recipe would work as a filling for stuffed cabbage rolls? With the tzatziki on top of course, and no tomato sauce?
Made these tonight +the tzatziki sauce and jasmine rice, English cucumber slices and mini naan on the side. So easy and excellent! Definitely a new family favorite for us in this house! Thank you so so much!
These meatballs where amazing. I really don’t care for turkey meat but my son really wanted to have ground turkey meatballs.
I was shocked at how good they tasted. I will be making this again for sure. We added a little white wine as they where cooking.
And we cheated with the Tzatziki we had purchased some from Aldi and since we already had we used it.
Oh my gosh these are delicious! I just whipped up a triple batch for a cocktail party we’re having tomorrow and I had to try one because they smelled amazing. So good! I love the addition of lemon zest.
Thanks, Erica!
Oh my goodness. This has an amazing Greek taste! The meatballs are delicious! It’s now a part of my meal prep recipe book! Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome!
I have never left a review for anything I have ever made, but I was a tad bit disappointed with this recipe and felt I needed to leave a comment. The meatballs were extremely dry and the flavor of cumin just didn’t belong. I do not even know what to do with the leftovers because they are so dry…even with Tzatziki sauce. They may end up in the trash unless someone can give me an idea on how to reheat them without more dryness.
Hi Charlene! I’m so sorry to hear about the meatballs. Eggs and binders like breadcrumbs help keep meatballs tender and moist – did you omit these ingredients at all? Overcooking is another common cause of dry meatballs.
Made these meatballs for dinner tonight and they were so delicious. I used gluten free breadcrumbs and added feta and fresh parsley. The lemon zest is essential. I cheated and used premade Costco Tzakiki. Thanks for the recipe!
Smoked paprika added- lots of it. These are my favorite meal.
We had these for dinner last night, along with the tzatziki sauce. They came out fantastic! And the tzatziki sauce was perfection!
Easy to make, healthy and flavorful. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s a winner!
Yummmmm – I’m all about mediterranean inspired dishes!
These were so good!!! My picky eater daughter loved them as well which is saying a lot! I made them with roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potato and it was a delicious meal. I will be making it again. Thanks!
thanks for sharing this! I love these flavors and tzatziki seems like a nice new way to add some additional moisture to the turkey meatballs
These would would be yummy wrapped in a pita like a gyro!
Making these tonight! Planning on making these into a meatball/spring mix wrap, using whole wheat tortillas! Thanks for sharing!
Is it ok if I sub ground chicken?
Yes, absolutely.
What about ground beef?
Yes!