These tender turkey meatballs are so juicy and delicious with Mediterranean flavours. Enjoy them with a creamy cottage cheese dill dip garnished with fresh herbs. A perfect appetizer or light lunch.
These healthy turkey meatballs with sun-dried tomatoes adds a fresh and delicious Mediterranean spin to a standard meatball. Turkey has a slight gamey yet mild flavour when compared to it’s counterparts but the real difference here is, it is a lean cut of poultry and a healthy option. This allows a huge window of opportunity to add ingredients to apt up the flavours.
In this recipe, the flavours that stand out are the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil and parmesan cheese. I have served these meatballs with a Homemade Marinara Sauce but in this recipe, the creamy cottage cheese takes these meatballs in a different direction. Creating fabulous dish to serve as a light lunch or appetizer.
INGREDIENTS
- Turkey: my choose is hormone/antibiotic free ground turkey
- Onion and garlic: are both pungent with lots of flavour
- Egg: will bind the meat
- Bread crumbs: will help to bind as well
- Sun-dried tomatoes: with each bite, they add lots of flavour, and moisture; don’t forget to add a little of oil into the mix
- Oregano and Basil: they are so delicious together and both will compliment these meatballs
- Parmesan cheese: add this cheese for additional flavour and as a garnish
- Seasonings: salt and pepper
- Cottage cheese: either 2 or 4% fat
- Yogurt: 2% Greek yogurt
- Garnishing: fresh dill and parsley, scallions, feta
HOW TO MAKE THESE DELICIOUS MEATBALLS
Combining ingredients: Mix all the ingredients in one large bowl, and try not to overmix or overwork the meat to avoid tough meatballs. Prepare the meatballs ahead time to get better flavours. Hint: add a couple tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. This will add more flavour and moisture to the meatballs.
Baking the turkey balls: Lay foil on a baking sheet, and add some oil to the pan to avoid the meatballs from sticking and at the same time, it gives it some crispiness to the meatballs. Bake for 20-25 minutes and rotate the meatballs halfway through.
The meatballs should be crispy on the outside and a juicy and tender inside. The sun-dried tomatoes and preserved oil adds a ton of flavour to these meatballs.
STORAGE
Cooked meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. The cooked meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up 3 months in a ziplock freezer bag. They are so handy to put out during a busy week night dinner and add to a pasta dish. Pre-made meatballs without cooking them can be stored in the freezer the same way for 2 months. Important to thaw them in the refrigerator and cook them thoroughly, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit
Keeping it simple, the cottage cheese dill dip is a perfect condiment as an appetizer. Dress up the dish with a fresh salad and there you have it a simple, delicious light lunch!
Serve it up as meal...enjoy these tasty turkey meatballs with spaghetti in a Homemade Marinara Sauce, and garnished with parsley. Soooo delicious!!
WAYS TO ENJOY THESE DELICIOUS TURKEY MEATBALLS
Appetizers: as seen in this recipe with creamy cottage cheese; or with chunks of cheese, cherry tomatoes, and some veggies.
Pasta dish: they would compliment most pasta dishes with a cream sauce or tomato sauce
Meatball Sliders or Sub: add to your favourite ciabatta bun and top it with a tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs
Meatball stew: by adding the meatballs to a vegetable stew with a broth or sauce
Meatball casserole: add these to a casserole with cheese and pasta
Pizza: why not apt up your pizza with meatballs, and sprinkled with mozzarella
Stir-fry: add them to a stir-fry and rice
Turkey Meatballs with Cottage Cheese Dill Dip
Equipment
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey (I did ½ lean white and ½ lean dark meat)
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (plus 3 tbsp for garnishing)
- 3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (plus 2 tbsp of the oil)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (to coat baking sheet)
Cottage Cheese Dip:
- 1½ cups 2-4% cottage cheese, slightly whipped
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 tbsp freshly chopped dill
Garnishes:
- fresh dill, parsley, scallions,
- feta
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, add and combine ground turkey, onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes oil, parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper, until it’s thoroughly mixed. Avoid over mixing.
- Shape the turkey meat balls into one inch size balls, and lay foil on a baking sheet, and brush with oil to avoid the meatballs from sticking and at the same time, this will give the meatballs some crispiness. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink in the center. The outer surface on the meat balls should be a little crispy.
- While the meatballs are cooking, mix together in a bowl the cottage cheese, yogurt and dill. Set aside when ready to serve.
- While the turkey meatballs are still hot, spread the cottage cheese on a plate, add the warm meatballs, the cheese will melt slightly. Garnish with scallions, more dill, parsley, ground pepper and feta cheese. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve with a simple salad. Enjoy as an appetizer or light meal.
