Turkey Feta Meatballs

These turkey feta meatballs are kid-friendly, quick and easy to make, and sneak in a serving of greens. If you’re like me and you value nutritional content but hate eating leafy greens raw, this is a great way to get in your greens! They’re also flexible – serve them in a bowl with brown rice as pictured, or halved on a sandwich, or packed in a lunch as a wrap. Stick a toothpick in them, throw them on a tray, and you have yourself an appetizer. Sub them in for a leaner, lower-cholesterol option for spaghetti and meatballs. Serve them with our vegan almond pesto and crackers for a healthy, filling snack. The options are endless!

To start, let’s discuss some FAQs about meatballs. And if you read to the end, we’ll discuss the 5 biggest mistakes home cooks make when making meatballs!

The age-old question: what to put in turkey meatballs?

The short answer – whatever you want! Meatballs are essentially tiny meatloaves, and the idea behind meatloaf is to use up remaining meat, vegetables, and anything else laying around in the fridge. Here, we have added ingredients for a different purpose – to increase micronutrient and fiber content. The USDA and HHS recommend 2 servings of leafy greens per day, and three of these turkey feta meatballs sneaks in one of those servings. Perfect for people who dislike raw leafy greens (me) or those who might have an aversion to certain foods – like kids! To round out the spinach flavor, we added feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs. If your goals are different, however, feel free to switch things up!

What is the secret ingredient to moist meatballs?

The answer to this question is tricker than just one “secret ingredient.” First, most meatball recipes include bread crumbs, but fail to moisten them. In our opinion, moistened bread crumbs are the perfect way to add moisture to your meatballs without making them fall apart.

Second, and this is particularly important for turkey meatballs, the fat content is too low. Low-fat meatballs don’t shrink or render oil when cooked, which is great! However, low-fat meatballs also tend to be dry when done. Our solution is to add some sun-dried tomatoes and a bit of the oil they are packed in. This adds a little moisture back to the final product!

What’s a good binder for turkey meatballs?

Egg is the classic binder for turkey meatballs. Not only does egg hold the meatballs together, it also adds protein and moisture to the finished product. Meatballs with egg tend to hold together well, and come out moist! But what if you don’t have any? Or have a sensitivity to eggs? Let’s discuss alternatives.

Because this recipe contains breadcrumbs, simply eliminating the egg is an option. Breadcrumbs can act as a binder on their own! Other options include applesauce, mashed root veggies, or powdered root starches. We have yet to try these options, but if you do, let us know how it turned out in the comments!

A popular substitution for egg is chia seed or flax seed puddings. When the seeds are allowed to sit in water, a gel forms that can be used as an egg substitute. This is a great option, as these seeds contain protein and fiber as well, but are low in cholesterol! In fact, swapping bread crumbs for seed puddings as well results in a great gluten-free option! Overall, they are a health win!

Can you freeze meatballs?

Absolutely! Turkey feta meatballs are a great make-ahead option for this very reason! To cook the meatballs later, simply follow the recipe through until you have a baking tray covered with formed meatballs. Simply pop that tray in the freezer and place them in a freezer-safe container when frozen!

If you would prefer pre-cooked meatballs, don’t panic! That is also an option. Follow the recipe all the way through to the end, and allow the meatballs to cool a bit. When the baking tray is safe to handle, place it in the freezer to freeze the meatballs all the way through. Then, like you would if the meatballs are uncooked, place the frozen meatballs in a freezer-safe container and store!

Either way, frozen meatballs are good in the freezer for up to 3 or 4 months, depending on your container. The route you choose all depends on if you want to cook the meatballs in one whole batch, or individually when servings are pulled from the freezer.

How do you tell when turkey meatballs are done?

Home cooks tend to struggle with cooking ground meats. Cooking them to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit is non-negotiable. Cooking them beyond that temperature, though, because it is so high, tends to produce a dry product. The trouble is that overcooking meatballs is very easy to do! To solve this problem, we use an in-oven digital thermometer that alerts when it reaches a pre-assigned temperature. This way, our meatballs come out of the oven at exactly the moment of doneness!

There is another problem related to overcooking, though. Many people prefer their meatballs to have a bit of a crunch on the exterior. How do you accomplish this without overcooking the meatballs? We have tried pre-frying them in a pan, broiling them, and using a kitchen torch to achieve that desired crisp. Pre-frying them in a pan, if not done correctly, can cause the meatballs to fall apart before they even enter the oven. Broiling them tends to produce a dry meatball if the broiling is not initiated just before the meatballs are fully cooked. In our opinion, using a kitchen torch provides the expected crispy exterior without drying the inside of the meatball.

Now, on to answer the question…

How to make turkey feta meatballs

Gather your ingredients

Not pictured are half of a diced yellow onion and a pound of ground turkey…because these ingredients are so pretty, I forgot to grab the rest!

Regardless, start by gathering ingredients! You’ll need ground turkey, half a yellow onion, spinach (or your preferred greens), parsley, feta, Za’atar, dried mint, 2 cloves of garlic (or half of a clove of elephant garlic, as in the picture), salt, pepper, 6 sun dried tomatoes with a bit of their oil, and a slice of bread. I had some whole grain buns leftover to use, so that’s what I’m using!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the bread

Start by toasting the bread in your air fryer on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. You want it to be really toasty! Then, soak the slice of toast in water for 10 minutes while you’re preparing the veggies.

Place the slice of soaked bread in a piece of cheesecloth to strain out the excess water. Give it a good squeeze and…

You have a really unappetizing lump of mushy bread! And that’s just what you need!

Prepare the vegetables

Chop a whole 6 ounce bag of spinach and half a bunch of parsley. I’ve made this recipe without chopping the spinach, and the results are less pleasant. It produces large lumps of spinach in the meatballs instead of little bits spread throughout. However, if you’re in a pinch, you can skip this step!

Wilt the greens in a pan to release their flavor, and to make sure they don’t shrink in the meatballs, causing them to fall apart! Place the greens and nothing else into a pan over medium heat. This step doesn’t take long – maybe 3 minutes total frying time.

Combine the ingredients

At a Dish to Share, we recommend mixing all of the ingredients except the turkey together first. This allows the flavorful ingredients to be evenly dispersed throughout the meatballs without overmixing the meat.

Add in the turkey and mix until just combined. The easiest way we’ve found to this is by hand, with gloves. If you have a better method, let us know in the comments!

Bake the meatballs

We prefer larger turkey feta meatballs, so we divide the mixture into 15 meatballs that are slightly larger than a golf ball. About the size of a plum. If you prefer differently-sized meatballs, that’s perfectly fine! Make them as large or small as you like! Just be sure to adjust cooking time and temp to account for the changes!

Toast the meatballs at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. As mentioned above, our team uses an in-oven thermometer to ensure the meatballs reach the ideal 165 degrees Fahrenheit and no higher to prevent overcooking.

Crisp the tops of your turkey feta meatballs. If, like in the picture, you are baking meatballs directly on a baking tray, you should not need to worry about the bottoms of the meatballs. They’ll be crispy. However, if you’ve used a silicone baking mat (which we also enjoy using!), make sure to flip the meatballs over and crisp the bottom!

To crisp the meatballs, you have a few options. You can broil them in the oven. However, we feel that broiling produces a drier meatball. You can air fry them, but we feel that causes the same issue. You can crisp them in a pan if you would like, but you risk overcooking your meatballs! We prefer to crisp the top of the meatballs with a kitchen butane torch to prevent overcooking the insides and drying the meat. If you have success with a different method, drop it in the comments! We can all learn as a community!

Regardless of how you chose to crisp your meatballs, let them rest for 5 minutes or so while you put the final touches on the meal. This helps the meatballs maintain their shape when added to sauces or other mixtures!

Looking for serving inspo? Try these meatballs with pasta and our vegan almond pesto! Or add them to our pumpkin gnocchi soup, Moroccan lentil soup, or South African butternut squash soup to up the protein content! And don’t forget a drizzle of good quality olive oil. If you need help choosing a bottle, see our olive oil guide.

Looking for a bready side? Serve these with our Brown Butter Sage Focaccia, Roti with Toasted Coconut Ghee, or Turkish Flatbreads!

Now, as promised:

Top 5 mistakes home cooks make when making meatballs

1. Overmixing: Mixing the meat for too long produces a tough finished product. That’s why we recommend mixing all of the other ingredients first, then adding the meat! That way, your meatballs are evenly mixed, and come out of the oven juicy!
2. Overcooking: Factor in all of the cooking your meatballs will go through. If you’re going to cook them in a sauce after baking, factor that in! If you’re going to bake them into a meatball sub, factor that in! Also, if the meatballs will be cooked, then frozen, be sure to cook the meatballs in a way that allows them to retain moisture. That could look like microwaving, steaming, cooking in a sauce, or throwing them in a slow cooker with some liquid.
3. Adding too much egg: It’s tempting to see a meatball that you’re cooking fall apart and think – if egg is the binder, and the meatball isn’t binding well, add more egg! NO. In our testing, we found that this recipe holds together really well! However, if you’re having trouble getting your meatballs to stay together, chill them after shaping! This helps them stay together better without taking away moisture by adding more egg.
4. Skipping the soaking of the breadcrumbs: This is a huge mistake! The breadcrumbs want to soak up moisture. If you don’t give it to them, they’ll take it from the meat, and you’ll be left with dry meatballs! If you would like, you can soak the bread in milk instead of water, producing what is called a Panade!
5. Diving in as soon as they’re out of the oven: Trust us, it is tempting to eat these beauties immediately out of the oven. However, if you need meatballs that hold their shape, allow them to rest for a few minutes after taking them out of the oven. This gives the juices time to redistribute evenly, which will help your meatballs stay together.

Did we miss any other big meatball mistakes? Share your knowledge with the rest of our commnity in the comments!

A Dish to Share helps curious home cooks feel proud of what they made, excited about what’s next, and increasingly knowledgeable about food and culture, one global recipe at a time.