Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs are turkey meatballs mixed with the warm, rich spices of cumin, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne pepper. These meatballs are lean and baked to create a healthy meal option. Pair these with fresh Mediterranean ingredients to create a rice bowl for dinner!
1. Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ¼ cup dried bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup minced shallots
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne red pepper {optional}
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, shallots, parsley, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and olive oil.
Add the ground turkey and use your hands to gently mix everything together. Don’t over-mix the turkey mixture. Form the turkey mixture into 1-inch turkey meatballs and put on the cookie sheet.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the meatballs reach an interal temperature of 165ºF.
Serve these meatballs in a rice bowl with brown rice, chickpeas, Lebanese salad and hummus.
You can freeze these meatballs for later. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Some Tips For You
PROTEIN: This recipe works great with ground lamb, ground beef, ground pork or ground chicken. You might find that the ground chicken is a more wet consistency and you may need to add more breadcrumbs to bind the meatballs together.
SAUCE: You can serve these meatballs as an appetizer. If you are serving a crowd try making smaller sized meatballs and putting them on a toothpick to serve. You can serve them with your favorite sauce like a tzatziki sauce. Tahini Sauce or this Creamy Dill Sauce.
SPICES: You can add other spices to these turkey meatballs. Some I like are italian seasoning, paprika, chili powder, crushed red pepper, za’atar or sumac.
HERBS: You could add other finely chopped fresh herbs. Some good ones are chives, fresh basil, fresh mint or oregano.
OTHER WAYS TO COOK THEM: You also could cook these turkey meatballs in a frying pan over medium-heat or in an air fryer.
