Need an easy weeknight dinner? This is one of those: gouda turkey meatballs! Oven-baked meatballs are one of my favorite ways to use up items in my fridge, especially like odds and ends of cheese wedges, herbs and spices. Plus, it’s quick!
Make the turkey meatballs
This recipe will work with either ground chicken or turkey. I like both in this case, but the chicken was out of stock for me at the store. All you have to do is throw in all the ingredients, mush it up, and then shape them into balls with your hands.
The gouda is a great ingredient here because it’s moist but holds its structure. It melds the meatballs together in the oven and creates a salty bite.
I do not use breadcrumbs in this recipe. So that makes them gluten free, in case anyone was interested to know ;). I just don’t think they are needed here! The paprika and parsley add a lot of flavor to this and with the onion and cheese, you can’t fit much else between the turkey!
Throw everything on the sheet
This is a true sheet pan meal. Once your meat is combined, get some olive oil on your hands and make the balls! This will only take about 5-10 minutes, and you can space them about 1 inch apart. Depending on your sheet pan size, you should have some room leftover to pile on some veggies.
Throw the zucchini and pepper right on there! I ended up using a small sheet pan to roast the broccoli, but if you have a large sheet, it may fit. Feel free to cook the broccoli directly under this first tray in the oven, it will still work out fine.
Greek yogurt sauce
The sauce is really easy. Plain Greek yogurt is THE best substitute for sour cream, so I use this pretty frequently when I want Mediterranean. Just add some chopped dill, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil and salt. All done!
And that’s it! I made rice to accompany this dish, but feel free to make quinoa or forego it all together. I have a rice cooker, but if you want to make it on the stovetop, I provided some directions below if you haven’t made rice before.
And that’s it! Healthy, low stress and done in about 30 minutes. If you’re looking for more quick dinners, try my Honey Glazed Chicken and Farro Bowls or my Chicken and Orzo Stuffed Peppers.
Looking for a whole week of low calorie meals on a budget? I just wrote up Five Healthy Dinner Recipes (With Grocery List) for $100. Like it says, I take you step by step on how to make five quick meals that will provide leftovers or feed a family of four.
Gouda Turkey Balls with Greek Yogurt Sauce
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- large bowl
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ⅓ cup gouda cheese shredded
- ¼ cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
For the yogurt sauce
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ lemon juiced
- 4 tbsp dill chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
For serving
- 1 zucchini sliced long ways
- 1 red bell pepper cored and sliced into thin strips
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets
- 2-3 cups rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Add the turkey, shredded cheese, onion, garlic, paprika, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix everything together with a big spoon or your hands.
- On a greased baking sheet, prepare the meatballs. Add some olive oil to your hands and roll the meat into 14-16 meatballs, about a tablespoon in size or slightly bigger. Space each meatball an inch or two apart from one another, and then add just a small drizzle of olive oil on the top of each ball.
- If space permits, add the roasted zucchini, red pepper, and broccoli to the sheet pan and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if you desire. If there isn't enough room, add the veggies to a separate baking sheet and roast them underneath the meatballs.
- Place the pan(s) in the oven and bake for 16-17 minutes, until the meatballs are golden brown and appear cooked through when sliced in half.
- In the meantime, make the yogurt sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, dill, olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt until well combined.
- Prep the rice however you'd like. If you are using the stovetop, be sure to use about two cups of water for every 1 cup of rice you make. Add the water and rice to a large pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Then bring the rice down to a simmer and be sure to keep it covered for 10 or so minutes. Let the rice rest (still covered) with the heat off and then fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
- Assemble your bowl with rice, vegetables and meatballs. Drizzle the greek yogurt sauce on top. Enjoy!
