I find that my kids eat pretty much anything in meatball form. Whether they’re made of ground turkey, beef, pork or chicken, and whatever the seasonings, as long as it it is rolled up into a little ball, they seem to eat it. Italian, chinese, japanese, American…..we have done them all! Since I love Greek food, I thought that I would experiment and make some meditteranean meatballs. These versatile meatballs can be made with ground turkey or lamb. The are perfectly seasoned with all those scrumptious warm mediterranean flavors and topped with a cool tzatziki yogurt sauce. They can be served for dinner with couscous or quinoa tabouli or for lunch wrapped in warm pita. Enjoy!
Mediterranean Meatballs with Tzatziki
Author: Liza Cannata
Serves: 18-20 meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lamb or turkey
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup bread crumbs
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon za'atar (middle eastern spice blend)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- Tzatziki (yogurt sauce)
- 1 small english cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated with a box grater
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl.
- Add breadcrumbs, parsley, ricotta, garlic, onion, spices, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Add meat and stir to combine (I like to use my hands).
- With damp hands or a cookie scoop, roll meat mixture into 1½ inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until no longer pink in the center and outside is browned.
- Meanwhile, mix all the tzatziki ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Serve meatballs on a plate with a dollop with tzatziki on top.
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