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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Could you add feta cheese? And shouldn’t there be an egg to hold it together?
Yes and yes!
What are Italian breadcrumbs?
It is a type of breadcrumb.
It’s breadcrumbs pre-mixed with Italian seasoning. You could probably do plain and add your own herb mix.
Hi! I was reading your nutrition label and it states there are 6 servings. Are the calories, etc. listed for the entire 6 servings, i.e. divide by 6 to get how much in 1 serving? These look so good but the cholesterol content scared me a bit. My family loves the Cheater Pho – awesome, I tried it with tofu and it was great!
The nutritional information is for each serving, not 6.
Yes but I am also wondering about how many meatballs in 1 serving? If the entire thing makes 18, that means 3 meatballs is one serving, which is over 200 calories? Seems a lot for a few oz of ground turkey. Thank you!
These meatballs look amazing!! I have never made anything with ground turkey before. Need to try this!
This looks fabulous! Thanks for sharing =)
I am extremely excited about these! I’ll try these this weekend and let you know how they turn out!
Omg that looks so yummy. Like the addition of cumin. That with the titziki is just awesome (:
Yummmmm – I’m all about mediterranean inspired dishes!
how would you serve this? what kind of side dish? maybe some fries or is it more like an appetizer? Thanks!
You can serve as an appetizer (perfect for Game Day!) or even as an after-school snack!
Could this be made ahead and re-heated for a potluck dinner?
Yes!
Perhaps a typo, should it be more mint than dill? The sauce tastes like a pickle
You finally posted. I cannot wait to try this recipe!!! Thanks!