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Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce

Easy authentic grilled Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce. A healthy and flavorful appetizer that will wow your guests this summer. Paired with homemade tzatziki.

Within this recipe post you’ll make healthy Greek turkey meatballs that could easily pass for authentic gyro meat. Plus you’ll learn why you add eggs to the meatballs, surprisingly it’s not to moisten them.

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce recipe - www.platingpixels.com

When you think of grilling I’m sure certain meats come to mind. One that may or may not be on the top of that list is turkey. With this Grilled Greek Turkey Meatballs recipe that’s about to change.

It’s not only the standard ingredient in Fall and holiday recipes, it’s wonderful year round. Ground turkey lends itself to meatballs and has a unique flavor ideal for a Greek themed dished. You might even fool your guest into thinking these were authentic gyro meatballs.

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce recipe - www.platingpixels.com

Ingredients in Greek meatballs 

  • Distinct flavors like cumin, cucumber, mint and lemon gives it a fresh flavor, and keeps them healthy with natural ingredients 
  • Egg and a bit of bread crumbs holds them together and adds moistness.
  • To make threm even more authentic serve with the cucumber tzatziki sauce in this recipe

Pro tip: Cooking meatballs on the grill creates crisp, charred edges paired with a juicy, tender center.

Grilled Greek turkey meatballs are a perfect appetizer and party food.

Use a food processor to easily blend together ingredients for the cucumber mint sauce.

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce recipe - www.platingpixels.comWhy do you add eggs and breadcrumbs to meatballs?

Eggs are commonly mixed into ground turkey (or other meats) to make meatballs or meatloaf, but why? A common misconception is it adds moisture. Eggs make them slightly more dense, as eggs are a protein that hardens as it cooks. Therefore they act as a binder to hold the ingredients together.

What softens and moistens meatballs is breadcrumbs, which create spaces and soft spots between the meat that soak up liquids and allows them to fluff up as it cooks.

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce recipe - www.platingpixels.com
Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce

Greek Turkey Meatballs recipe at-a-glance:

Difficulty: Medium
Flavor profiles: Meaty and savory paired with minty sauce.
Texture: Chewy, tender and moist.
Dietary options/substitutions: For gluten-free use GF bread crumbs

Leave a comment below and star rating if you made this recipe or want to share your thoughts.

 

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Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce recipe - www.platingpixels.com
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5 from 1 vote

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce

Juicy grilled Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce are healthy appetizer.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword easy greek turkey meatballs, greek turkey meatballs, turkey meatballs with sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Calories 173kcal
Servings 12
Author: Matt Ivan
Did you know? Servings and ingredient amounts can be adjusted on all my recipes. Click the green number above to change.

Ingredients

Greek Turkey Meatballs

  • 1.25 pounds ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs, or sub gluten-free
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 green onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Cucumber Mint Sauce

  • ½ cup shredded cucumber
  • 3 cups fresh mint leaves
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 green onions
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Greek Turkey Meatballs

  • Preheat grill to medium heat. In a large bowl combine all meatball ingredients; it’s easiest to mix together by hand. Roll mixture into 12-15 roughly 1.5 inch balls.
  • Lightly grease grill and place meatballs in center about 1 inch apart. Cook 10-15 minutes, rotating as needed. Meatballs should reach an internal temperature of at least 165° F and have browned grill marks on outside. Remove from grill and serve with both sauces.

Cucumber Mint Sauce

  • Place shredded cucumber in a strainer and press down firmly to remove liquid. Pulse cucumber and remaining ingredients in a food processor until well blended, scraping sides as necessary.
Nutrition Facts
Greek Turkey Meatballs with Cucumber Mint Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 173 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 46mg15%
Sodium 305mg13%
Potassium 93mg3%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 0g0%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 530IU11%
Vitamin C 6.5mg8%
Calcium 37mg4%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Homemade Tzatziki Dipping Sauce
 
Prep time:
Serves: 1.5 cups
Ingredients
  • ½ cup shredded cucumber
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Place shredded cucumber in a strainer and press down firmly to remove liquid.
  2. Stir together cucumber and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
 

Appetizer Recipes | Gas Grilled Recipes | Recipes | Turkey

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29 Comments

    1. Hi Kim. You could prep the meatballs a day or two early then cook, or they would be fine a few days once cooked. I’m not sure on the sauce, but there’s a good amount of lemon so the acid should prevent it from browning.

  1. We love making a variety of flavors of meatballs, but that cucumber mint sauce looks too good to pass! Wonder what else I could add it to…???

  2. This sound absolutely delicious! Our family is turkey and chicken eaters so this is right up our alley! I love the hear that this product is antibiotic free and is raising the birds responsibly because that is a huge factor for me. Thanks for sharing

  3. What delicious-looking meatballs! My husband and I entertain a lot, and I’m always looking for new recipes to wow our guests. Your recipes are always beautiful, flavorful and unique, and you make them easy for your readers to reproduce. I absolutely LOVE that about your blog. I’ve just pinned the top image to a group recipe board to share the love! And as I go shopping for ingredients I will be searching out the Honeysuckle White turkey brand that you’ve recommended. 🙂

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