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Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs

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!

Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs in a bowl.

MEDITERRANEAN BAKED TURKEY MEATBALLS

We love meatballs in my house!

My kids go crazy for them and I like experimenting with new flavor combinations.

These Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs were a new combination that I made recently and a very easy recipe. 

Lean, ground turkey is mixed with the warm, rich spices of allspice, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, breadcrumbs and an egg and then baked to perfection.

The spice combination is typical in a lot of the Lebanese recipes that my family makes.

I love the warmth of the cinnamon paired with the allspice and cumin and that hint of kick from the cayenne pepper.

One of my favorite things about these meatballs is that they are a healthy option you can have on hand for the kids and even freeze some for later.

As you can see from the pictures, I like to create rice bowls with my Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs.

If you like meatballs you should try these beef meatballs, Baked Chicken Meatballs, Beef Kafta Meatballs, Greek Meatballs and these Slow Cooker Mediterranean Beef Meatballs.

Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs on a platter.

Rice bowls are easy to create and are a fun way to let your kids make their own choices when it comes to what they are eating.

I like to set a variety of toppings out and let them create their own bowl.

You might be familiar with this when it comes to things like burrito bowls, but I also love it when using Mediterranean ingredients.

This is how we grew up eating Lebanese food. We would have a layer of a grain, like brown rice, jasmine rice or bulgur wheat, followed by hummus, tabbouleh, yogurt, chickpeas, feta cheese and cucumbers.  

We were eating Mediterranean style rice bowls before they were a thing!

The options are endless when it comes to the ingredients in your bowl.  Sometimes instead of traditional tabbouleh I make this Kale Cucumber Tabbouleh or I replace regular chickpeas with Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas.

I find that in my house mixing things up and keeping meals new and exciting is half of the battle when it comes to getting my kids to try new things.

In my opinion these are the best baked turkey meatballs. These meatballs are a nice change, and a fun, delicious way to cook with ground turkey.

The turkey in these meatballs works as a blank canvas to showcase Mediterranean flavors perfectly.

Turkey is a healthy lean protein, flavorful and versatile for meals any time of day, year round making these healthy turkey meatballs. 

There are a variety of cuts available – discover turkey ground meat, turkey sausage, turkey tenderloin and turkey drumsticks.

 I don’t know about you but I am always looking for new ways to use turkey!

Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs are versatile. They make a nice dinner, lunch or an appetizer at a party.

Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs with a spoon.

WHAT INGREDIENTS  YOU NEED FOR THIS TURKEY MEATBALLS RECIPE

LEAN GROUND TURKEY

BREAD CRUMBS

EGG

GARLIC

SHALLOTS

FRESH PARSLEY

SPICES: CUMIN, ALLSPICE, CINNAMON AND CAYENNE RED PEPPER

OLIVE OIL

Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs with yogurt.

HOW TO MAKE JUICY TURKEY MEATBALLS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl mix the meat mixture together. Add the bread crumbs, egg, garlic, shallots, parsley, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, red pepper flakes {optional}, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl.

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 with your hands or a cookie scoop and put on the cookie sheet.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.

If you make a big batch you can freeze half for later in an airtight container for up to 3 months. 

Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs with logo.

OTHER GROUND TURKEY RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

TURKEY KOFTA KEBAB RECIPE

INSTANT POT TURKEY TACO PASTA

THAI TURKEY LETTUCE WRAPS

CROCK POT TURKEY MEATBALLS

INSTANT POT TURKEY CHILI 

SLOW COOKER TURKEY QUINOA CHILI 

TURKEY SLOPPY JOES 

Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs with a spoon.

Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs

Yield: About 30 turkey meatballs
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

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!

Ingredients

For the Turkey Meatballs:

  • 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

For the Bowls:

  • Brown Rice {or grain of your choice-bulgur wheat and quinoa also work great}
  • Tabbouleh
  • Diced cucumbers
  • Chickpeas
  • Feta Cheese
  • Hummus

Instructions

To prepare the turkey meatballs:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, shallots, parsley, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and olive oil.
  3. 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.
  4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the meatballs reach an interal temperature of 165ºF.

To put together the rice bowls:

  1. Place cooked brown rice {or grain of you choice} in a bowl. Top with diced cucumber, tabbouleh, hummus, feta cheese, chickpeas and the turkey meatballs.
 

Disclosure: I was asked to participate in the “#TurkeyLovers ” campaign as a member of the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network. I was compensated for my time. As always, opinions are 100% my own. 

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Donna

Tuesday 7th of March 2023

The meatballs were absolutely DELICIOUS!! The flavor profile was new to me in cooking (I was hesitant about the cinnamon, lol) but OH SO TASTY!! Thank you for graciously sharing. This will be become a regular.

Julia

Wednesday 8th of March 2023

Thank you! I am so glad you liked them. We use a lot of cinnamon in Lebanese cooking. I think people often aren't sure about it but I think they end up liking it in recipes once they try it!

Lindsay

Tuesday 9th of August 2022

This was excellent! Omitted the feta and drizzled dill sauce over the bowls. Big hit for the family - thanks!

Julia

Friday 12th of August 2022

So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.

Nicole Oliver

Thursday 5th of May 2022

Tried these today and added just about 2 tablespoons of chopped golden raisins after reading the other reviews. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. The meat balls turned out delicious!. I will be making them regularly. Thank you for sharing 💛

Julia

Friday 6th of May 2022

That's a great idea to add the raisins. I have to try that. So glad you liked them!

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