Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs (2024)

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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

We love meatballs in my house!

The whole family will 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 this turkey meatball recipe is that they are a healthy option for meal prep that you can have on hand for the kids. Make a double batch and freeze some for later.

As you can see from the pictures, I like to create rice bowls with my easy baked turkey meatballs.

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

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 withCrunchy 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.

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

These simple turkey meatballs are versatile and make a nice dinner, lunch or an appetizer at a party.

TURKEY MEATBALL INGREDIENTS

LEAN GROUND TURKEY

BREAD CRUMBS

EGG

GARLIC

SHALLOTS

FRESH HERBS: FRESH PARSLEY

SPICES: CUMIN, ALLSPICE, CINNAMON AND CAYENNE RED PEPPER

OLIVE OIL

HOW TO MAKE JUICY TURKEY MEATBALLS

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

CREATE THE MEAT MIXTURE: In a large mixing bowl 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.

FORM THE MEATBALLS: Add the ground turkey and use your hands to gently mix everything together. Don’t over-mix the meatball mixture.

Form the turkey mixture into 1-inch turkey meatballs with your hands ora cookie scoop and put on the sheet pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

BAKE MEATBALLS: Bake the ground turkey meatballs in the oven for 20 minutes, until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165ºF. Don’t overcook as you want tender meatballs not dried out.

If you make a big batch you can freeze them and store the frozen meatballs in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

WAYS TO MODIFY THESE TURKEY MEATBALLS:

PROTEIN: This recipe works great with ground lamb, ground beef, ground pork or ground chicken. You might find that the ground chicken is a more wet consistency and you may need to add more breadcrumbs to bind the meatballs together.

SAUCE: You can serve these meatballs as an appetizer. If you are serving a crowd try making smaller sized meatballs and putting them on a toothpick to serve. You can serve them with your favorite sauce like a tzatziki sauce. Tahini Sauce or this Creamy Dill Sauce.

SPICES: You can add other spices to these turkey meatballs. Some I like are italian seasoning, paprika, chili powder, crushed red pepper, za’atar or sumac.

HERBS: You could add other finely chopped fresh herbs. Some good ones are chives, fresh basil, fresh mint or oregano.

OTHER WAYS TO COOK THEM: You also could cook these in a frying pan over medium-heat or in an air fryer.

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

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

• 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

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.

Notes

Serve these meatballs in a rice bowl with brown rice, chickpeas, Lebanese salad and hummus.

You can freeze these meatballs for later. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months.

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.