Spanakopita Meatballs
Ingredients
1/2, White Onion, finely chopped
6-8, Mushrooms, finely chopped *(I used baby bellas)
3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
S&P
1/2 lb., fresh Spinach, chopped
3/4 Cup, Feta Cheese, crumbled
1 lb., Ground Turkey
1 Egg
2+ Teaspoons, Fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon, Dill (prefer fresh but can use dry)
Olive Oil, to drizzle on meat
about 10 small Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in 1/2
1/4 Purple Onion, thinly sliced
8 (2 per serving), Whole Wheat Pita bread
4-6 Tablespoon or more, Tzatziki Sauce
Instructions
making Spanakopita meatballs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On the stove, over medium-high heat, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of butter, the white onions and mushroom and saute for about 8 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Then add the garlic and spinach to the pan and S&P and cook until spinach is wilted. Set aside to cool.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add turkey, egg, parsley and dill and gently mix. Add the onion/mushroom mixture, a drizzle of olive oil (about 1 teaspoon) and mix until nicely combined but don’t over work the meat. Form into meatballs, place on baking sheet. Drizzle the meatballs with a little more olive oil (optional).
Bake meatballs in oven for approx 13-15 minutes or just until nice and browned and juices run clear. Remove from oven.
Serve in whole wheat pita bread and top with tomato slices, purple onion and drizzle with some homemade Tzatziki sauce and garnish with fresh parsley.
Mangia! Enjoy!
Tips
Spanakopita meatballs over Orzo pasta noodles
You can also use ground Chicken in this recipe in place of the Turkey. Both are great options for these meatballs.
You can top your meatballs with anything you like; you could add some Baba Ganoush to the bread before placing the meatballs or add some diced or sliced cucumbers.
My kids liked their Spanakopita Meatballs served over some Orzo pasta noodles that I flavored with garlic and fresh parsley and threw in some small chunks of mozzarella cheese (that got nice and melted while the noodles were still hot). They loved it!
Check out my recipe for homemade Tzatziki: Homemade Tzatziki Sauce