Greek Turkey Meatballs with grated zucchini are delicious with tzatziki sauce (cucumber yogurt sauce) over rice, with chickpea salad, or as an appetizer. Great for meal prep too!
Greek Turkey Meatballs
We love Greek and Mediterranean food and make it every chance we get. I make them with ground turkey and lots of shredded zucchini, and they were so moist and flavorful! These Greek Turkey Meatballs, also known as keftedes, are traditionally made with lamb or beef. For more Greek-inspired recipes try Spiralized Greek Cucumber Salad, Naked Greek Turkey-Feta Burgers, and Chicken Kebab Salad, to name a few.
What are Greek turkey meatballs made of?
These healthy ground turkey meatballs are filled with popular Greek ingredients for maximum flavor.
- Ground Turkey: 93% lean ground turkey
- Vegetables: Grated zucchini, red onion
- Binders: Whole wheat bread, seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs, and egg help these meatballs stick together.
- Herbs, Seasonings, & Aromatics: Fresh oregano, parsley, and spearmint, salt, pepper, and garlic
How to Make Greek Turkey Meatballs
I pan fried these meatballs, but they are also terrific on the grill. The meatballs are a bit delicate because of the moisture that the zucchini adds. They don’t hold their round shape, so they will look more like mini patties (their shape also helps it cook in the center). Refrigerating the meat before cooking helps hold them together if you want to grill them.
How to Meal Prep and Freeze Meatballs
This Greek turkey meatball recipe is great for make-ahead meals. They will last in the fridge for up to four days, and you can add them to salads, sandwiches, or bowls throughout the weeks. These Greek Chicken Meal Prep Rice Bowls would be excellent with meatballs. You can also freeze cooked meatballs for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and microwave until warm.
What to Serve with Greek Turkey Meatballs
My favorite sauce for Greek turkey meatballs is healthy tzatziki, made with Greek yogurt. Here are some ideas for serving these meatballs and sauce.
- Greek Turkey Meatball Bowls: Serve over rice or orzo with cucumber, tomatoes, feta, and kalamata olives.
- Pita: Make a sandwich and add tomato and lettuce for a healthy gyro.
- As a Main: Some side dish ideas are roasted cauliflower, Greek Mac and Cheese, or Mediterranean Bean Salad
- As an Appetizer: Add a dollop of tzatziki to each meatball.
- Add to a Salad: Top any Greek salad with the meatballs.
Greek Turkey Meatball Variations:
- Meat: Swap turkey for ground chicken.
- Herbs: Swap any of the herbs with dill, basil, or marjoram.
- Spices: Add crushed red pepper to make them spicy.
- Vegetables: Sub grated zucchini for frozen chopped spinach, thawed with all the liquid squeezed out.
More Meatball Recipes You’ll Love:
- Chicken Romano Meatballs
- Swedish Meatballs
- Italian Beef and Spinach Meatballs
- Moroccan Meatballs
- Chicken Marsala Meatballs
Greek Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 cup grated zucchini, liquid squeezed out well
- 2 slices whole wheat bread, or gluten-free bread
- 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs, or gluten-free panko
- 1 large egg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 red onion, grated (I used my mini food processor)
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (less if using dry)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh spearmint, chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt and fresh black pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Wet bread with water, squeezing excess out. Tear into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
- Combine with turkey, egg, zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, mint, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Using a 1/4 cup measure, form each meatball 1/4 cup in size, slightly flattened into patties. For best results, refrigerate before cooking to help hold their shape.
- In a pan: spray olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan and cook over very low heat, until cooked through, turning halfway, about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. (or you can bake 350F 20-25 minutes).
- On the grill: clean grill well before cooking and spray grate with oil. Cook on low until cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side.
These are amazing and so simple!
We have this one on the regular rotation!! So simple and delicious! And makes great leftovers!!
I only had 1lb of meat (I used ground chicken since I’m not a fan of Turkey) so tossed in some feta (like kolokithokeftedes) and baked vs pan fried. They were so good! Juicy and flavorful!
Perfect meal prep lunch! This was so tasty, so easy to prep, and delicious with the Skinnytaste tzatziki.
This recipe was super easy, and absolutely DELICIOUS. I paired it with rice and her homemade tzatziki!!!! I baked the meatballs- so yummy!!!!
So yummy used spinach instead of zucchini
I made these for meal prep lunches, outstanding! Definitely going on repeat.
This is one of my new favorites, and I’m not a big fan of ground turkey!
I really love this recipe the flavor is out of this world. So easy to put together and can freeze for future dinners. Most of the time I have the fresh herbs on hand but don’t have the red onion. I have Litehouse freeze dried herbs. Do you have a sense of how much dried red onion would be appropriate to substitute? I like the flavor over the dried herbs. Appreciate your guidance.
Pat
Sooooo delicious! Made with fresh herbs from my garden and served with homemade Tzatziki and a Greek salad
A keeper for sure!!
Easy and tasty! Cooked in the air fryer: Preheat 400 degrees and cook at 400 for 10 mins flipping halfway. I sprayed my basket before loading half the meatballs since my air fryer is older. Used the Burger Slider recipe (also delicious) as reference for cooking. Served with the Chopped Feta Salas- light and filling!
Has anyone tried these in the air fryer??
I made these tonight and accidentally left out the egg… and they held together and came out fine!
I made this recipe last night and loved it. I forgot to buy mint, but the meatballs still taste great. Served with brown rice, tomato, cucumber, Kalamata olives and green peas all topped with the tzatziki sauce. This is a light but satisfying meal. BTW, I only made 8 meatballs, and saved the rest of the meat mixture on the freezer for another time.
Didn’t come out good. I’m not sure why. This is the first Skinnytaste recipe I haven’t liked
I made these tonight and they came out so good. I made them per the recipe and baked them and they were perfect. Served them with a quinoa tabbouleh and topped with your tzatziki
These were great! My boyfriend loved them and asked me for the recipe. I made the tzatziki as well and served it over quinoa with a side of tomato and cucumber salad. So tasty and fresh!
I’m really thinking of making this, but I can’t find fresh spearmint – can I use fresh mint, and how much for this recipe?
This recipe is a favorite in our household. We often shape it as mini-burgers instead of meatballs and cook them on the grill if weather permits. We also sometimes increase the breadcrumbs a bit and leave out the bread. Delicious!
I’ve always liked everything you have a recipe for , but this one was a big no for me and my fam
I made these last night with a few changes. I only had lean ground chicken so I used that and because I like spices I also used 1/2 tsp oregano, dill, lemon pepper , marjoram and basil and left out the mint.
They were excellent. I did have have to cook them longer than suggested. Next time I will try baking them.
This was amazing. I made it into a bowl by adding 1/3 cup brown rice and roasted cauliflower, peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes. I added cucumbers, feta and homemade tzadeki. I really bulked it up with veggies so it was very filling. I took some of the leftovers and prepped lunch bowls using just 2 meatballs each. I loved this.
Great recipe! I used beef and omitted onion and spearmint because I didn’t have them. I also made the tzatziki recipe linked. Another skinny taste success!
Try ground chicken, I really prefer the flavor over Turkey
Awesome recipe, I added in some cayenne & crushed red pepper. I can’t wait to have lunch tomorrow!
This is so delicious! It’s become a staple in our home!
How many zucchini did you use to get 1 cup?
1
Am I the only one who had an issue with them falling apart? I made them as per the recipe, minus the mint. I refrigerated them over night then cooked them in a pan. Almost immediately I had turkey crumbles. I am so very disappointed because they taste amazing. What did I do wrong?? 😢
Did you forget the raw egg? That’s what holds it together.
Did you use both crumbs and bread?
I was worried about these because I made so many changes to accommodate what I had on hand, but these were truly so delish with your tzatziki and some chickpeas!
I used reduced fat feta instead of the breadcrumbs and basil and rosemary in place of the mint and parsley. Added a touch of garlic powder while they were cooking – YUM!
I am doing my meal prep for the week. Should I freeze them before or after I cook them. I am afraid they will get too soggy if I freeze first.
What did you find on this? I was reading comments to see if anyone had cooked and reheated or frozen.
I’ve frozen these after cooking — they freeze and reheat nicely!
Why so much grain? 2 slices of bread and 1/4 c of breadcrumbs
I wonder if it was supposed to read bread or bread crumbs? It does seem like a lot.
I make these weekly. Great for breakfast too!
Or you can use 1/2 cup crumbs…
I made these for dinner tonight, and they’ll be in our recipe rotation as a result! They’re delicious–the zucchini makes them moist and tender, while the garlic, oregano, mint, and parsley add a lovely flavor to this meatballs. I baked them and served them with roasted garlic riced cauliflower and a salad. A truly satisfying scrumptious dinner. With a few exceptions, I turn to Skinnytaste and my sister’s (Camilla Saulsbury) blog and cookbooks for weekly recipes. Thank you for another fantastic meal!
Love! Made these as part of the meal plan and had with a pita, hummus, tomato, red onion and lettuce for lunch. So perfect to make ahead and have for an easy lunch with great flavor.
Do you think its possible to sub in rice vs. the bread?
That should be fine
This recipe was so easy and flavorful . I wish I could share my picture! I didn’t have fresh oregano or parsley so I substituted dried but I did have fresh mint and it smells amazing !
Greek Turkey Meatballs + Tzatziki + a whole wheat pita = a healthy alternative to a gyro! It is time consuming, though, so make sure you read the recipe carefully before attempting to make it!
can these be frozen once cooked?
Making this week! Can I make them on the George Foreman?
You would have to flatten them so they cook through for sure, more like a burger.
I used ground bison instead of Turkey. Just as lean and not factory-farmed. Baked in oven. DELICIOUS!! My husband is super impressed too!!.
These were awesome!! I never would have tried these if it weren’t for your weekly meal plans! I’m not a big poultry or greek food person but when I started following your meal plans I said I’d stick to the menu to try new things! So glad that I did because they were delicious.
Absolutely fantastic!!! Baked them with a layer of chicken broth underneath and they turned out so moist and delicious.
Do you happen to have a Paleo version?
Love love love this recipe!! I’ve baked it a few times, how do you think it would be in the air fryer??
I haven’t tried it yet, let me know if you do!
Made them tonight with ground chicken and GF free breadcrumbs and sourdough bread (low FODMAP). I baked them. They turned out absolutely delicious!
Gina, Love Greek food! What a great recipe. Wasn’t sure on the spearmint though. Couldn’t find it so I substituted regular mint. On WW so always looking for new recipes that are satisfying. This one is a home run!
Thanks Frosty!!
Hi Gina,
I am on Keto – what can I use in place of the bread? I was thinking maybe some Cheese?
Let me know if you have any input.
Thanks!
sure you can try!
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Any way to make these gluten free?
I haven’t tried, but maybe use GF bread and GF breadcrumbs? Let me know if you try it!
Trying tonight!
hi, can I use spinach as opposed to zucchini?
We make our own tofu (a very simple process). We wind up with lots of okara (the ground up soybeans left from the first straining of soy milk). Okara is almost all protein, has no gluten, and is just 20 carbs for a whole cup. It has practically no taste at all. We use okara whenever a recipe calls for breadcrumbs because its texture is so similar to moistened breadcrumbs! It absorbs the flavor of the spices or meats used with it. We’ve used it for meatballs, meatloaf, turkey meatballs, Scotch eggs, and even bread pudding!
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Made this tonight , I liked it but I think I would cut down on the amount of mint and Oregano ,The kids thought it was too strong
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I am dying to try these but zucchini actually makes me want to die (I get serious stomach pain from it). I am going to stay to make these with spinach in place of the zucchini. ????
Gina — You are the best!!! Is this recipe updated for freestyle?!
Yes.
Gina, do you mean 1/4 CUP of red onion or 1/4 OF A red onion. I imagine they’re probably about the same thing, but just wanted to ask.
Also, have you ever tried adding cheese to the center to make them cheeseburger bites? Any recommendation on which type of cheese you’d put in them? Probably feta, right?! To keep it Greek?
Couldn’t I just flatten them more and use as burgers topped with the tzatziki sauce? I love all your recipes and the ease of printing and step by step photos. I think your site is the best cooking site out there! Also the fact that you take the time to
answer comments and questions. Thank you.
I don’t see why not! Let me know if you try it!
I want to make these to serve at a party later this week. Do you think if I made them and froze them that I could bake them the day off? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
I haven’t tried, sorry! Let me know if you tried.
Made these with my first zucchini from my garden this year! Absolutely delicious! My entire family, including my three year old and 10 month old, devoured these. My husband couldn’t get enough. I love the Wegmans brand tzatziki sauce, which is pretty low in calories, so used that instead of making my own. Another keeper!
Awesome!Love fresh zucchini from the garden!
This was a YES for us! All three boys really liked it. My addition: I started by simply browning the meatballs in a skillet, using kitchen tongs to move the meatballs around and to help them maintain their round shape. THEN I baked for 20 minutes at 400.. It worked really well…
This tasted even better than I expected (and I was expecting them to be pretty good). I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of stovetop cooking. I baked them in the oven instead. We have a new puppy so cooking them in the oven meant I was free to play in the yard with my dogs.
The flavours blended so well and the pop of mint was pleasant to the palate. I have some leftovers I am freezing as I suspect they will be a great last minute meal option. I added them to a bed of salad greens with some feta and olives and a drizzle of tzatziki. I am feeling the need for a greek night dinner party now.
Awesome!
Help!! In the recipe I’m looking at on line while tzatziki is described as a cucumber yogurt sauce neither cucumber nor yogurt are listed as ingredients.
I linked to my Tzatziki recipe above, the ingredients are:
8 oz fat-free Greek yogurt (I used Fage)
1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded (1 cup grated and drained)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
kosher salt and fresh pepper
Whenever my mom and I make meatballs we cook them in the oven. If I were to do the same with these what would you recommend for cooking temperature and time.
Roughly how long should you cook these on both sides in the frying pan? I feel like they are taking forever to cook.
How many WW points would these be?
I made these with lamb for a brunch I was hosting at my apartment, and they were gone in seconds! Perfect for small kitchen entertaining.
Just made these tonight 🙂 I didnt have zucs so I used a cucumber and I was out of mint so I used a drop of spearmint extract. They came perfect! Paired with some greek yogurt mixed with lemon juice and garlic. Delish! We had it over couscous. My 7 month old was diving for the bowl
Just came across these while looking for recipes with zoodles! I bet these would be delicious with the spiralized greek salad you made this week!
So i had to come back and leave a comment on how amazing these meatballs are! I have been making them since they first came out on the website and they are always so amazing. My husband and I eat them so many different ways as well, which is another reason why i love them. We love them over a sald, in a pita or just plain! I usually make these the night before and cook them in the morning and they turn out great. I make them GF by omitting the bread (trying to use less carbs) and using a GF breadcrumb and they turn out great. Everytime I eat them, people comment on how wonderful looking and smelling they are. Your really missing out if you haven't tried these!
Okay, if ANYONE could mess this up, I can!!! and I did!!! BUT it was still SO yummy!!!
The breadcrumb were 6 inches from the mixing bowl! How could I forget to put them in??? I did not go back to the computer to check the ingredients list, and did not include the last 7 ingredients as well! DOH!!!! I added about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of grated assiago cheese as I had that in the fridge, and made them into very moist slider patties. Carefully transferred the patties to a metal rack over a pan to catch the drippings. Baked for about 20-30 minutes, turned the patties over, then baked for a while longer. Time unknown. They developed a golden colour, and when topped with a dollop of tzaziki sauce on the slider burger bun, ended up tasting fantastic. I think it was the assiago cheese that made the difference as they had a different taste than my usual turkey burgers.
So I screwed the recipe up but STILL ended up with great burgers!!! YAY ME!!!
These are sooo delicious — they've become a family favorite. I typically will freeze half the meatballs for a future meal. Once defrosted and warmed up in a frying pan with some cooking spray, they might actually be even tastier! Love eating them with the Oikos Cucumber Dill Greek Yogurt dip.
Do you think I could sub carrots for the zucchini? I am trying to use up some ground turkey tonight!
I made these before & they were fantastic! But now I need to make them gluten free (no bread or bread crumbs). My roommate uses almond meal in his meatballs, but they tasted so dried out I almost choked! (I don't think he knows what's he is doing.
i havent made these but , i am Greek , i live in Greece and i have never NEVER NEVER saw keftedes made by either turkey or lamb or beef
they are made with pork + shreaded potatoes.
aristos
try em, u may like.
I have made these and they are a huge hit in our house…would it work to bake these?
I just made these for dinner and they were fantastic! I ended up having to use dried oregano and parsley- definitely use less of those if you are not using fresh herbs. They were still delicious! I served them with tzatziki and a greek salad and basmati rice. We are having them for dinner again tomorrow 🙂 Thank you for the fantastic recipes!
I'm going to make this as a meatloaf tonight 🙂
I'm dying to try this but can't find spearmint… I'm sure I can make them without it but would rather try this recipe as described and then adjust it if I have to. Any idea where I can find spearmint? My "chain" supermarkets don't seem to carry spearmint. Any suggestions where I could find it? I live on Long Island NY… thanks!
Made these tonight along with the skinny tzatziki (aka ziki). Very good stuff.
I am gluten free so will sub the breadcrumbs for GF breadcrumbs… but what about the bread? Can they be made without bread? GF bread has a very different taste and consistency than real bread.
I would add a few more crumbs
I made these for dinner with the skinny tzatziki, and they were delicious!! I always love your recipes, and have been using your recipes a few times a week! I didn't have all the fresh herbs, so I used the chives and dill from the tzatziki in place of the oregano, parsley, and mint. Any advice for having fresh herbs on hand? Do you grow the herbs in your home or do you always buy them for your recipes?
These were great, I'm going o use the zucchini idea in all my burgers! The skinny tzaziki was good too, but even better the following day. I didn't have time to strain the yogurt, but since it was Greek, it was still super thick. These were a hit!
So excited to make these!!! I plan on using GF rolled oats instead of the breadcrumbs for a gluten free version 🙂
i've made these before, and they are SO good! (I omitted the onion; i hate onions) however, i'd like to know what the sugar content is before i make them for my diabetic bf.
thanks!
The second time I used this recipe, instead of making meatballs I left out the binders and made "greek tacos" using pita pockets. Everyone loved it, even the kids!
If you were going tofreeze them would you cook them first or just shape them and freeze them raw? Lol is this a silly question?
I found this recipe (with the Tzatziki sauce) time consuming, but worth it. Delicious and when put in a pita tasted just like a Gyro. The effort is worth the taste, especially since the Tzatziki is free points.
I made these tonight and they were delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Manya
Another delicious recipe! Made these as an appetizer for Super Bowl along with your Tzatziki. Very good. Leftovers were served in a wheat pita with lettuce and tomato! Double whammy! Thank you!
~Amy 🙂
Hi, Gina.
I just found your blog last week, and I am scooping up recipes as quickly as I can!!!
I made these turkey meatballs and Tzatziki last night. My husband and I didn't really know how to grate things (the large grater like cheese, microplane, etc.), so we had quite a learning curve. They were a bunch more work than I thought but they were very satisfying. I couldn't even eat the full 4-meatball portion (and that NEVER happens)!
We served them with roasted spaghetti squash, although I think next time we'll try them in a pita.
Thanks for your great recipes!
Annaleah
These were delicious!!! I actually omitted the bread, breadcrumbs and egg and they were still really good and had less points, so I stuffed them into a pita with the tzatziki and some tomato wedges, and a salad on the side… great weeknight meal!!!!
I made these into Gyros with your skinny tzaski sauce. AWESOME! And filling, I wasn't hungry for hours after. My DH was skeptical at first ( I made the meatballs with ground chicken since it was on sale) but he said it was one of the best things I have ever made.
I made these tonight and my daughter and I both "ooohed" and "ahhhed" in between bites!!! Thanks for the great recipe, Gina!!
These were fantastic. Hubby even mentioned them again this morning. Of course he ate two portions! I stole the remaining portion for my lunch and can't wait to have them again.
Made these tonight. Hub gave it his highest award which is "don't lose this recipe." Yummy, yummy!
These were delicious! My husband and I really enjoyed the flavor in these meatballs. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
I'm so glad you liked them!
I just want to say THANKS for all the fresh, creative recipes!! Able to eat well, stay satififed…and on track with my points! Made these for dinner yesterday. Loved the addition of mint! Four meatballs is a nice serving! Served them on a whole wheat pita with diced tomato, red onion, cucumber and of course, your amazing skinny tzatziki sauce. Clever way to sneak a veggie in on my husband, too!
Oh my gosh Gina. I made these weeks ago, froze them, and completely forgot about them.
The other day I was cooking up some pasta when I realized I had these gems sitting in my freezer!
After pulling them out and heating them up I swear they were mouth watering-boyfriend drooling-better than orgasm- unbelievably delicious. I am making them again tomorrow.
I didn't squeeze the juice out of the zucchini when I made these tonight (because I mistakenly skipped the step, not because I know what I'm doing) and they came out super delicious and moist. Going to keep skipping that step in the future! 🙂
I tried these tonight..combined this recipe with the Asian turkey meatball recipe by adding panko instead of bread and a little soy sauce and sesame oil. It is A-MAZ-ING! LOVE it!
We tried this recipe tonight along with the Skinny Tzatziki, and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!! Thank you!!!
These were really good and I do plan on making them again!
I made these tonight. They were really good. It is just my husband and myself, so I have alot of leftover. Did not cook all of it. Going to make the rest tomorrow in my own spaghetti sauce!
I just made these for lunch and they were so yummy! The only thing I did different was I left out the spearmint just because I didn't have any. I baked them in the oven and served them with the skinny cucumber ranch dressing in whole wheat pitas with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. Oh my heavenly goodness!
Thanks for all these wonderful recipes. So far I haven't made anything my family didn't like. 🙂
I made these last night and my husband and I both raved about them! He grilled them and they turned out fantastic! I served them with a greek salad and the Tzatzki. Next time I am going to make a bigger batch and freeze for more meals. Thanks for the recipe!
It was great I really liked them. I substituted some frozen spinach instead of zucchini, put them in mini hamburger pitas, taziki, and had a side of snow peas.
YUM! I made these up last night and cooked them off this afternoon for lunch. I had 1/2 serving (crumbled them up a little) on 2 deli flats w/ feta, tomato, red onion & skinny tzatziki * all for only 6 pts. Sooo good. Totally tastes like a gyro. You could even flatten these out into gyro meat size pieces to lay out on pita. I didn't have spearmint but who cares when it tastes this great. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
BTW – this is the 3rd recipe of yours that I have done in 3 days. Tonight hubby and I are trying the Chicken Francese. Can't wait & will review it tomorrow.
I made this last night. I didn't have any spearmint, but they still came out great. Thanks for all the great recipes!:)
~Sum_Thyme~
Sure, maybe cook them half way then finish in the oven at 350°.
Gina – want serve these as a app at a cocktail party. For purposes of kitchen time/entertaining, could I start these in a frying pan before the party to get the outsides nice and then finish them in the oven? And if so, what temp/time would you start with? Thanks!
Great idea Tracy! Great appetizer recipe when they are small!
These were delicious! I made them 1/8 of a cup so they would cook faster because they just smelled so good especially with the tzatziki!
Thanks Jane! I often have to convert grams to oz so I know what you mean!
I made these the other night and even my vegie hating 6 year old loved them, I also hid a grated carrot in them! I love your website and you'll be pleased to know that I have passed it onto so many other Aussies and we all LOVE it!!! I'm getting really good at converting oz to grams!
Thanks Jane
I found that extra lean ground beef has very similar nutritional information to lean turkey so it may be worth just sticking with beef. I may try it
@Sarah- They need to cook on very low heat to cook through, which is why I made them a little flat. Baking would probably work great!
I haven't tried freezing them but I think they will!
I like to cook ahead, do you think these would freeze well? I would be great to be able to make it once and eat it Tv dinner style, lol!
*sigh* Didn't have luck with these. They smelled so good, but didn't cook very well. I think I had the pan too hot. The outsides had pretty much burned and the middles were still slightly pink. I think next time I will bake them like the asian meatballs. Oh well. I'll try them again later.
I can't weight to try these.
You should be able to find zucchini all year. If not, yellow squash would work.
I made this tonight and it was soooo good! I just found this blog and this is the first recipe I've made. I'll be making more for sure! One question though. Is there something you can substitute for the zuccini in the wintertime. I would love to make this all year round.
@Victoria, yes, make them like little sliders so they cook through.
@mg- Glad they were moist with the 99% lean turkey! Good to know for the next time! I guess I'm lucky to have 4C Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs in my supermarket. You could always make your own!
I'm so happy you all enjoyed them! I love hearing the different ways you all ate them!
Made these tonight. I left out the mint and used Italian seasoning instead. They took longer to cook than I thought so next time I will make them flatter (maybe like slider thickness and these would make great sliders, too). I have enough leftovers for a pita sandwich tomorrow with roasted garlic hummus and bell pepper. YUM!
These were awesome! Made these tonight with the sauce. I will definitely make these again!
Made these last night on the grill with your macaroni salad and tzatziki to rave reviews!!!! Super tasty, they stayed so moist even on the grill. Your recipes are a staple in my home, I make at least 2 a week 🙂
I made these today and they turned out great. I actually used the 99% FF turkey because I bought it by mistake. I was worried it would be too dry, but with the zucchini and the onion it stayed moist, and even healthier. The Tzatziki sauce is just brings it to another level! I went to 2 stores and couldn't find the whole wheat bread crumbs though. Do you have any suggestions on where to buy these? Already looking for what I'm going to try next weekend!
Made these last night and served them on whole wheat pita bread with reduced fat feta like a gyro. Really good!
I liked them a lot, but had flatten them a bit to cook, more like mini-sliders than meatballs, otherwise I couldn't get the middle to cook well throughout. If I try them again, I thought maybe baking them first would make it easier to cook entirely.
I made this the other night and ate them atop a big Greek salad! Super yummy! I am going to try baking them next time. 15-20 minutes at 350 should do the trick!
Gina – these were delicious and I topped with the tzatzki sauce! My husband loved them so much and didn't realize they were made with turkey and zucchini. Definitely a repeat – thanks again!
That's great Sarah! Hows the food in Singapore? Im jealous!
Wow, Gina! Once again I couldn't find ground turkey in Singapore, so was forced to use ground chicken. These are still so amazing! And that tzaziki! What a hit! I'm eating these for lunch while I type 🙂
wwfoodie- I haven't tried baking them with this heat we are having but I'm sure it would work.
I too love meatballs and thought this would make a great addition to my Asian and Italian Meatballs. For those of you who tried them and commented, glad you enjoyed them!
@marla- thanks for the stumble!!!
This recipe is great. Love these lightened up meatballs and tzatiki sauce. Your photos make me want to dive right in just like your 8 month old. Gonna stumble now.
Made these last night, they were great and the sauce was perfect. Hubby and I gobbled them up and didn't feel guilty!! Thank you for the great recipes! ~LeslieMichele
Oh I love it! Meatballs, anyday… and this looks better than I have ever seen.
Oh yum!
-Kausambi@Coloredgrains
Love this dish. I'll be making this one soon!
This is definitely a much cooler version of the classic ones made with beef mince! Definitely picnic food on the beach for tomorrow! Out of curiosity please do me a favour and estimate points if we use lean beef mince, cause finding turkey mince in Greece, on a Sat Afternoon, in August is nearly next to impossible!
I fixed these for guests tonight and they raved about how delicious they are. And the Tzatsiki . . . . amazing!!
We're having the Asian Turkey meatballs tonight, I can't wait to try these, they (and the sauce) sound delish! Thanks for the great recipes! 😀
these look DELICIOUS! I cannot wait to try this recipe.
Love the idea of adding zucchini to the meatballs…brilliant! I can't wait to try them on the grill. I wonder if you could bake them?
Definitely on the list for next week's meal planning! Thanks Gina 🙂
These look so healthy and delicious! I love the tzatziki on top!
these look so fantastic…especially with that sauce!!!!!!!
These look amazing! I can't wait to try them! Thank you 🙂
I love making turkey meatballs, these look like so much fun and definitely a perfect match for the Tzatziki!
These sound so light and tasty… thanks for sharing this recipe!!
These look so good Gina! Perfect summer food!