Baked Turkey Meatballs Mediterranean Style

Baked turkey meatballs with a Mediterranean twist! Serve these juicy meatballs with rice or pita, veggies and tzatziki for a delicious meal. 

There are many ways to make meatballs and we have some tasty ones here for you. If you're looking for a weeknight dinner, try our Italian beef meatballs with some pasta or bread. Classic Greek meatballs (keftedes) are perfect with some pita and our cheese stuffed eggplant meatballs are a good vegetarian alternative. These Mediterranean baked turkey meatballs are a new favorite and I can’t wait to share the recipe with you. Read through for tips and step-by-step directions for making the best oven baked turkey meatballs! 

Table Of Contents:

• Why this recipe works
• The ingredients
• Instructions
• Serving suggestions
• Can I make these ahead of time?
• Notes and tips
• More Mediterranean recipes
• Step-by-Step Recipe

Why this recipe works

These Mediterranean style meatballs are perfect for a weeknight dinner because:

• Easy to make: Seriously, all you need to do is mix the ingredients, scoop out the meatballs and bake! 
• Full of flavor: These baked meatballs are bursting with flavors of the Mediterranean such as oregano and dill. 
• Freezer-friendly: This recipe is perfect for freezing. You can shape the meatballs, freeze them and bake them when you’re ready to eat. 

The ingredients

Ground turkey - Ground turkey is lean and has very little fat. It absorbs flavor very well and goes so well with our Mediterranean spices. For this recipe (which yields about 24 meatballs), one pound of ground turkey would be enough. 

Onion and garlic - For more flavor, I add grated onion and minced garlic to the meatball mixture. You don’t need to discard the onion juice since the meatballs are going to be baked. 

Egg - To bind all the ingredients together, use one large egg. It's possible to use egg substitutes such as flax egg for this recipe.

Spices - To give these meatballs the flavor they deserve, use a combination of Mediterranean spices: oregano, Aleppo pepper, cumin, dried dill and salt. Add the zest of one lemon for some brightness. 

Instructions

Make the meatball mixture

Mix the ground turkey with the onion and garlic. Then add the lemon zest, egg, spices and all purpose flour. Mix until all is well combined.

Bake turkey meatballs in the oven

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and scoop out the meatball mixture onto the baking sheet using a spoon or a scoop. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until fully cooked. 

Serving suggestions

To serve these baked turkey meatballs as a sandwich, wrap them in a pita with some sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and top with homemade tzatziki sauce. 

If you’d like to serve these as meatball bowls, serve them with Lebanese vermicelli rice, brown rice, Lebanese spicy potatoes or Greek roasted potatoes alongside some Mediterranean salad, green bean salad or classic Greek salad. 

Can I make these ahead of time?

You can make the meatball mixture and refrigerate it for up to two days. 

It’s also possible to freeze uncooked turkey meatballs. Scoop out the meatballs and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for one hour until they’re firm and then store them in a sealed freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, thaw the meatballs in the fridge and bake as instructed. 

Notes and tips

• To make sure all the meatballs are the same size, use an ice cream or cookie scoop to portion the meatballs.
• Want to make it spicy? Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the meatball mixture.
• To store leftovers, place the meatballs in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• If the meatball mixture is hard to scoop out and shape, cover it and refrigerate for one hour.

More Mediterranean recipes

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Step-by-Step Recipe