Thanks to a secret ingredient, these baked turkey meatballs are unbelievably juicy and sturdy. You’ll also enjoy the robust Mediterranean flavors derived from feta, fresh herbs, and a tiny bit of spinach.
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Ingredients – what you’ll need to make ground turkey meatballs
This easy turkey meatballs recipe with spinach requires a few simple ingredients. Here is what you’ll need:
- One slice of crust-free whole wheat bread—do not omit it! As previously mentioned, soaking this bread in water is the key to perfectly moist, juicy meatballs. Just replace whole wheat bread with your preferred gluten-free bread to make it gluten-free.
- To cook the spinach, use about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. I cooked with our Hojiblanca Spanish extra virgin olive oil, which has a nice fruity, slightly spicy, and slightly bitter finish.
- Two cups of baby spinach are needed; it will wilt quickly. If you have picky eaters at home, adding a vegetable like spinach, which has a flavor that is easily hidden, is a great way to sneak extra nutrients into your meals!
- One pound of ground turkey can be substituted, if preferred, with an equivalent amount of ground chicken. Or you can use both ground turkey and ground chicken. (Use half a pound of each. ).
- Grate the yellow onion to make it easier to mix into the meatball mixture.
- Three minced garlic cloves were used to give the meatballs a hint of garlic flavor without being overpowering.
- Feta cheese: For this recipe, use blocks of feta in the brine and crumble it yourself for maximum flavor and moisture. Because pre-crumbled feta is dry, it won’t combine well with the other ingredients for the meatballs.
- One beaten egg: Eggs serve as a binder in meatballs, keeping them from crumbling.
- Chopped fresh parsley gives the meatballs a peppery, slightly earthy flavor.
- Dried crushed mint: One tablespoon of dried mint gives a bright, fresh flavor to this recipe.
- Lemon zest (optional) for garnish
The secret to juicy meatballs that don’t fall apart
Two major and related questions seem to come up a lot when it comes to lean turkey meatballs: how can they be made juicier, and why do they crumble so easily?
My trick for the juiciest baked turkey meatballs is to add a simple slice of toasted bread to the meatball mixture after soaking it in water and shaking it dry!
The soggy bread acts as a binder and helps add moisture to the meat mixture. The bread (or binder), when combined with an egg and a small amount of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, will help keep the baked turkey meatballs from drying out and becoming tough.
Spinach and Feta Turkey Meatballs
Can you eat feta Turkey meatballs with spinach?
The spinach and feta turkey meatballs are adapted from Turkey Burgers with Spinach, Feta & Tzatziki by Hilary Meyer. Look for premade tzatziki near the specialty cheeses and dips at your grocery store or make your own. Squeeze excess moisture from spinach.
How do you cook ground turkey & spinach together?
In a medium sized skillet, add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted and bright green. Set aside to cool. While spinach is cooling, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, feta, egg, dill, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
How do you make Turkey meatballs in a muffin tin?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Mix together turkey, drained spinach, feta cheese, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Roll into 24 meatballs and place in the prepared muffin tin.
How do you cook a turkey burger with spinach?
Squeeze excess moisture from spinach. Combine the spinach with turkey, feta, garlic powder, oregano, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl; mix well. Form the mixture into 12 meatballs. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray.