Quick Look at Easy Greek Turkey Meatballs With Orzo
- Ready In: 50 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Protein: 37 grams per serving
- Main Ingredients: Ground turkey, fresh mint, orzo, mediterranean veggies, feta, and tzatziki sauce.
- Dietary Info: Gluten-Free and dairy-free options.
- Best For: Use up produce in this hearty orzo salad complete with cucumbers, olives, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Make the meatballs in advance for a quick weeknight meal!
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Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Ground Turkey: Swap with ground chicken to make our Greek chicken meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs: Make homemade breadcrumbs. Swap with almond flour to make this gluten-free.
- Orzo: Make a Greek couscous salad or a Greek quinoa salad instead.
- Greek Vinaigrette: Make homemade Greek vinaigrette for the best flavor or pick some up from the store.
- Tzatziki Sauce: Make our dairy-free tzatziki sauce or make our easy whipped feta if tzatziki isn’t your thing.
How To Make Greek Turkey Meatballs With Orzo
Step 1 – Combine meatball ingredients into a bowl and mix.
Step 2 – Form meat mixture into meatballs.
Pro Tip
For the most tender meatballs, don’t over mix the meat mixture. Gently combine all of the ingredients with a fork or your hands until everything has been evenly combined. When lean meats like turkey get over mixed, it makes the proteins tighten, causing for dense and dry meatballs.
Step 3 – Sear meatballs in a skillet.
Step 4 – Make Greek orzo salad.
Step 5 – Make tzatziki sauce for serving.
Step 6 – Assemble bowls and enjoy!
Best Ways To Serve Greek Turkey Meatballs
We love serving these easy Greek turkey meatballs with a flavorful Greek orzo pasta! On top of that we love adding some tzatziki sauce or whipped feta, extra crumbled feta cheese, and some fresh mint or parsley. You could also serve with a Greek Cucumber Salad if pasta isn’t your thing.
Make Ahead Instructions
These are great for meal prep. You can easily cook the turkey meatballs on the stovetop or in the oven and then either store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The orzo pasta can also be made ahead of time and stored for up to 3 days in the fridge. It might need an extra drizzle of olive oil or easy Greek vinaigrette when it is time to serve because the orzo pasta will soak some of it up.
Greek Turkey Meatballs Recipe FAQ & Tips
Form the meat mixture into meatballs and place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place the sheet in the freezer and once they are frozen you can move them to a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 3 months.
After the meatballs are fully cooked, place them on a baking sheet, put in the freezer until frozen through, and then transfer to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat when ready to eat.
Place meatballs on a baking sheet and let cook for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
We didn’t since we’re using fresh veggies in the Greek orzo salad. Check out out our chicken piccata meatballs recipe for a one-skillet meatball and orzo meal.
You can freeze the meatballs, but the orzo salad will become soggy if frozen and thawed due to the fresh veggies.
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Ingredients
Greek Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs, or almond flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried dill leaves
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, for cooking only, don’t mix into the meatballs
Greek Orzo:
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 4 cups water, or broth
- ¼ cup Greek vinaigrette
- 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
- 2-4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (use dairy-free or regular feta)
- 1 cup cucumber, sliced and quartered
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup red onions, diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, minced
Toppings:
- Tzatziki Sauce, homemade or store-bought
- Whipped Feta, you can use this instead of tzatziki, if you want
- fresh mint or fresh parsley, chopped
- extra feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Make Meatballs: Combine meatball ingredients (except for the oil) in a large bowl. (If you feel the mixture is super sticky, feel free to place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before scooping). Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop out approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons of meatball mixture, form a ball, and place on a large plate. Continue until all of the meatball mixture is used.
- Cook Meatballs: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and use a spatula to spread evenly to coat the pan. Add turkey meatballs and sear on all sides, about 3 minutes. Turn down heat to medium and cover the pan. Allow meatballs to cook about 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked (165℉ internal temperature – using a meat thermometer). If the hot pan gets dry, feel free to add a splash of water and then cover again. Remove meatballs from pan and serve.
- Make Greek Orzo: While the meatballs are cooking, add water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add orzo and let cook 8-12 minutes or until cooked al dente. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Place rinsed/drained orzo into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Taste and add additional vinaigrette, salt, lemon zest or other ingredients – as desired.
- Assemble Bowls + Serve: Divide Greek Orzo between bowls and add some Greek Turkey Meatballs. Top with Tzatziki Sauce or the Whipped Feta and sprinkle with fresh chopped mint or parsley, as well as some extra crumbled feta.
Notes
- Greek vinaigrette: you can use homemade Greek vinaigrette or store-bought – either will work! Feel free to add more or less, as desired. If you make this ahead of time or the salad sits out for a bit, just note that the you may need to add more, as the orzo soaks up the liquid! You can also drizzle a bit of olive oil in there too, if it starts to get a bit dry.
- Making Orzo Ahead: you can make the Greek Orzo ahead of time, but as noted above, you may need to add quite a bit more vinaigrette as the orzo will soak up the liquid as it sits.
- To Bake Meatballs: line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place an oven-safe cooling rack on top – spray the rack with olive oil. Place meatballs on top of the rack and place in the oven, middle rack, at 400 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes or until they are fully cooked (165 degree F. internal temp).
- Freeze Meatballs: place uncooked meatballs on a cookie sheet, ensuring they are not touching. Place in the freezer for approx. 1 hour or until meatballs are frozen. Then place in a labeled, freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Storage: Store leftover meatballs and orzo in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Dairy-Free: use a dairy-free feta and a dairy-free tzatziki sauce.
Liz says
Made this on Monday and enjoyed it for lunches throughout the week. Thanks!
Brittany says
These were SO good. I used ground chicken instead for personal preference but my gosh we loved this meal. Definitely adding it to the weekly rotation.
Erin says
So glad to hear that, Brittany! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review – I appreciate it!