Need a healthy meal prep recipe? Make bowls out of turkey meatballs with veggies, all cooked on a sheet pan for easy clean-up! With Greek-inspired ingredients like parsley, oregano, feta, peppers, eggplant, summer squash, brown rice, and tzatziki, these Mediterranean meatball bowls are bursting with flavor.
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About a year ago, I saw a funny comment on Twitter that said that the way dishwashers are set up isn’t ideal for millennials. The reasoning was that my generation loves making things into bowl meals. So, the average dishwasher that has more racks for plates and not enough for bowls isn’t great for our cooking preferences!
This is a millennial stereotype that I definitely fit. I love making bowl meals, whether it’s a burrito or fajita bowl, spring roll in a bowl, or my latest obsession — fish taco bowls (topped with my mango salsa)! Apparently, I’m not the only one.
Bowl meals have a lot of characteristics that make them a good option for busy people. They can be served for dinner or lunch and usually store and reheat well. Different components can be prepared at different times if you’re not able to make everything at once.
This recipe for turkey meatballs with veggies has all of those features. The main components can all be cooked at the same time on a single sheet pan, and you can prep the other fix-ins while they cook or at a different time. The bowls taste delicious warm or cold, too. Feel free to add whatever toppings you see fit, but I highly recommend tzatziki, chopped tomatoes, pita triangles, and feta cheese.
How to Make Turkey Meatballs with Veggies
For the full recipe card with the ingredients list and instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the post. Here’s an overview of the steps for this recipe, followed by my expert tips!
- Prepare the meatballs. Combine the ground turkey with the seasonings, breadcrumbs, and beaten egg in a large bowl. Form about 12 meatballs with your hands and place them on the center of a large baking sheet lined with foil or parchment.
- Prepare the vegetables. Cut up some bell peppers, red onion, eggplant, and summer squash. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper or use Greek seasoning. Spread them out surrounding the meatballs on the baking sheet.
- Roast the meatballs and vegetables.
- Prepare the other bowl components. Whip up the tzatziki and rice or couscous. Gather the feta cheese, slice pita into triangles, and chop up some tomatoes and/or lettuce.
- Serve the turkey meatballs with veggies with the grain you prepared and toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Time-saving tips: You can make any and all of the components in advance if desired. Using microwaveable packets of brown rice (or grain of choice) and/or store-bought tzatziki will also save you time.
- Equipment: Use a large sheet pan, like my favorite Nordic Ware half sheet, for this recipe so that you can spread the vegetables out in a single layer. If they overlap, they may get soggy in the oven.
- Substitutions: If you want to use different vegetables, try to use soft ones that don’t take a long time to cook so that they will be ready in the same amount of time that it takes the meatballs to cook. You could try green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, or tomatoes if you don’t like the ones that I used. Ground chicken can be used in place of turkey. Ground beef would also work, but the flavors would be different.
- Make gluten-free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs or gluten-free ground oats in place of the regular breadcrumbs in the meatballs, serve with a gluten-free grain, and skip the pita.
- Seasonings: I used the Trader Joe’s Za’atar seasoning (note: Za’atar is not from Greece but I like the flavors) to season my veggies and they turned out really delicious! You can also use a Greek seasoning blend, lemon pepper, or just a mix of dried basil, dill, rosemary, and garlic powder. Feel free to experiment.
- Storage: Turkey meatballs with veggies, as well as the toppings and fix-ins, will keep for about five days in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Store the components in separate containers. Assemble the bowls when you want to eat.
More Meal Prep Bowls
Love my Mediterranean turkey meatballs with veggies? You may also enjoy the Healthy Chicken Fajita Bowls, Cauliflower al Pastor Bowls, Deconstructed Spring Roll in a Bowl, Salmon Teriyaki Bowl, and Spicy Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl.
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
Greek Turkey Meatballs with Veggies
Ingredients
Greek turkey meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs - can sub regular or seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg - beaten
Roasted vegetables
- 1 bell pepper - cut into 2-inch squares
- 1 red onion - cut into 2-inch squares
- 1 eggplant - cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 summer squash - cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning - can sub lemon pepper or just salt and pepper to taste
Tzatziki
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup grated cucumber
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- Salt - to taste
Other bowl ingredients
- 1.5 cups cooked brown rice - can sub couscous or other grain of choice
- 1 cup chopped lettuce
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 pita bread - sliced into triangles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the meatballs: ground turkey, breadcrumbs, red onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, feta cheese, salt, and beaten egg. Mix well. Form 12 meatballs from the batter with your hands. Place them in the center of the large baking sheet.
- Prepare the vegetables. Toss them in olive oil and Greek seasoning (or seasoning of choice, you can also just use salt and pepper). Spread the veggies out in a single layer surrounding the meatballs on the baking sheet.
- Roast the meatballs and vegetables for 18 to 23 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and a meat thermometer inserted in the middle of one reads 165°F.
- While they are roasting, prepare the other ingredients. Prepare the brown rice or grain of choice according to package directions. I highly recommend making the grain in advance or using microwaveable packets of brown rice or another grain to save time. Gather the other toppings.
- Make the tzatzki by stirring together the Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and salt to taste.
- Serve the meatballs and veggies with the rice, tzatziki, chopped tomatoes and lettuce, pita triangles, and feta cheese. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- The recipes makes about 12 meatballs (about 3 per bowl).
- You can prep any and all of the components in advance and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat the bowls. Keep them in separate containers. They will last for about five days. Enjoy the bowls cold, or reheat the veggies and meatballs in the microwave for a minute or two before adding toppings.
Nutrition
Have a great meal! – Lizzie
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