Description
Greek Turkey Meatballs – a delicious greek turkey meatball recipe served with greek orzo and some tzatziki sauce (or choose whipped feta)!
Ingredients
Scale
Greek Turkey Meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs or almond flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried dill leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Greek Orzo:
- 1 cups uncooked orzo
- 4 cups water or broth
- 1/4 cup Greek vinaigrette*
- 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
- 2–4oz feta cheese, crumbled (use dairy-free or regular feta)
- 1 cups cucumber, sliced and quartered
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup red onions, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/8 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 parsley, chopped
- extra crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
Greek Turkey Meatballs:
- Combine: Combine ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. (If you feel the mixture is super sticky, feel free to place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before scooping).
- Scoop: Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop out approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons of meatball mixture, forming a ball, and place on a large plate. Continue until all of the meatball mixture is used.
- Sear: Take large cast iron skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and use a spatula to spread evenly to coat the pan. Add turkey meatballs and sear on all sides, about 3 minutes.
- Cover: Turn down heat to medium and cover the pan.
- Cook: Allow meatballs to cook about 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked (165 degree F. internal temperature – I recommend using a meat thermometer). If you feel the pan is too dry feel free to add a splash of water and then cover again.
- Remove meatballs from pan and serve
Greek Orzo:
- Add water to a small/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.
Build Your Bowl:
- Divide Greek Orzo between bowls and add some Greek Turkey Meatballs. Top with some Tzatziki Sauce or 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 definitely 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: to make this dairy-free use a dairy-free feta and a dairy-free tzatziki sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 487
- Sugar: 3.4 g
- Sodium: 939.6 mg
- Fat: 26.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.9 g
- Protein: 31.2 g
- Cholesterol: 137.4 mg