Greek Turkey Meatballs With Orzo Salad (Meal Prep Friendly)
Craving a fresh, flavorful and meal-prep friendly dish? These Greek turkey meatballs paired with orzo salad will be your new go-to for healthy, high protein, Mediterranean-inspired lunches!
This meal is bursting with flavor from the fresh tomato, crunchy onion, salty feta and bright lemon vinaigrette. It’s also quick and efficient – just whip up the orzo salad while the meatballs are baking and you’re all set! Here’s everything you’ll need and how to make it.
What You’ll Need
Equipment
Ingredients – Meatballs
- Lean ground turkey: I prefer 99/1 for the most protein, but this can be too dry for some. I’d recommend using 93/7 if you like a juicier meatball.
- Olive oil
- Egg
- Bread crumbs: Try to find plain dry bread crumbs.
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Dill
- Oregano
- Salt + pepper
Ingredients – Orzo Salad
- Orzo pasta
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Red onion
- Feta
- Lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Garlic powder
- Olive oil
- Salt + pepper
How To Make It
- Prep oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the meat mix: In a medium bowl, mix the turkey, olive oil, egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, dill, oregano, salt and pepper until just combined.
- Form & bake meatballs: Form 20 meatballs, ~1.5 tbsp each, and place on the lined baking sheet. To easily form equally-sized meatballs (and to keep my hands clean), I use a medium cookie scoop. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown and juices run clear.
- Cook the pasta: While meatballs are baking, boil orzo according to box instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Make the dressing: For the vinaigrette, mix lemon juice, dijon, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while constantly whisking to emulsify.
- Assemble: Mix together cooked orzo, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta and lemon vinaigrette. Build 4 bowls with 1/4 orzo salad and 5 meatballs each. Serve with fresh lemon juice and tzatziki!
Tips
- Meatballs: As mentioned above, I use this cookie scoop to easily form the meatballs. To get 20, fill the cookie scoop just barely less than full.
- Vinaigrette: I often use a food processor and add oil in the divot in the lid while blending to easily emulsify. A frother works great as well.
- To serve: I love a spoonful of tzatziki and squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
To Store
Store cooled Greek turkey meatballs and orzo salad in airtight containers in the fridge up to 4 days.
FAQs
- How do I reheat?: For best results, I’d recommend warming up the meatballs separately in the oven or microwave in a covered dish with a splash of water. If you prefer everything warm, you can warm it all up together, but avoid overheating to prevent the veggies from becoming mushy. You can also enjoy everything chilled! Up to you. ♡
- Can I freeze Greek turkey meatballs or orzo salad?: Greek meatballs freeze well in a freezer-safe bag or container up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, until heated through (or microwave in a covered dish with a splash of water). The orzo salad, unfortunately, does not freeze well due to the fresh veggies which can become watery when thawed.
- Can I make this recipe with a different meat?: Yes! You can easily swap ground turkey for ground chicken, beef or pork, adjusting cooking time to ensure an internal temp of 165F (or 160F for beef/pork).
- What size scoop should I use for the meatballs?: I use a medium cookie scoop (~1.5 tbsp) for uniformly sized meatballs that cook evenly in about 15 minutes at 400F.
- What containers do you use for storing?: I use these 22oz glass containers for meal prep.
You’ll Also Love
- Turkey meatballs with pineapple teriyaki sauce
- Instant pot cilantro lime chicken bowls
- Easy burrito bowls
Lastly, be sure to leave a rating and review down below if you make these Greek turkey meatballs with orzo salad! And don’t forget to tag me on all the socials – always love to hear from you guys and see what you’re cooking up. Enjoy. ♡
Greek Turkey Meatballs With Orzo Salad
These meatballs are bursting with Mediterranean flavors, paired with a fresh orzo salad featuring feta and vibrant veggies. Easy to prep, budget-friendly, and perfect for healthy lunches all week!
Equipment
- Cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
Greek turkey meatballs
- 1 lb lean ground turkey see notes
- 1 tbsp olive oil (15 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs (28 g)
- 1/4 cup red onion (40 g) finely minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp dill chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2-1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Orzo salad
- 3/4 cup orzo (140 g) dry
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes (111 g) quartered
- 3/4 cup cucumber (100 g) finely diced
- 1/4 cup red onion (40 g) finely diced
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta (28 g)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (30 g)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard (5 g)
- 1/2 tbsp honey (10 g)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil (30 g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F and line a half baking sheet with parchment.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together all turkey meatball ingredients and stir until just combined. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to form into 20 equal meatballs (~1.5 tbsp each). Bake 13-15 min, until golden brown and juices run clear (165F internal temp).
- Meanwhile, cook the orzo according to box instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- For the lemon vinaigrette, whisk together lemon juice, dijon, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while constantly whisking to emulsify.
- Mix cooked orzo, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta and lemon vinaigrette. For meal prep, separate orzo salad equally into 4 containers with 5 meatballs each. Enjoy with fresh lemon and tzatziki!
Notes
- Turkey: I prefer 99/1 for the most protein, but this can be too dry for some. I’d recommend using 93/7 if you like a juicier meatball.
- Meatballs: To easily form equally-sized meatballs (and to keep my hands clean), I use a medium cookie scoop.
- Vinaigrette: I often use a food processor and add oil in the divot in the lid while blending to easily emulsify. A frother works great as well.
- Meal prep: I use these 22oz glass containers to store.
Nutrition
Serving: 1container | Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.7g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 15.6g | Fiber: 4g
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Yummy
Hi Brittany,
Thanks for making this one! Glad you enjoyed. ♡
Hi!
My family loved this recipe. But I’m a little confused on how to portion it out for the macros listed at the bottom of the recipe
Hi Manuella,
Glad your family enjoyed!! This recipe makes 4 servings, so the nutrition listed is for 1/4 of the orzo salad and 1/4 of the meatballs (makes 20 total meatballs, so each serving gets 5).
I didn’t make the meatballs yet because I had some in my freezer I needed to use up, but I did make the orzo salad to go with them and oh my LANTA. This salad is absolutely incredible. This will become a staple in my lunch rotation, wow. Thank you for these recipes, they’re so great!
Hi Savannah,
So glad you enjoyed!! The orzo salad is my favorite. ♡
Wow! This was a flavor bomb — every component was just delicious. I’ll be making this often.
Hi Meg,
Thrilled this one is a new staple. ♡ Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely delish!! My teenager menchildren loved. I tripled the meatball recipe to ensure all three had enough.
Hi Jill,
Love to hear this!! Definitely a keeper if the teens approved 🙌🏼
Is this best served warm or cold?
Hi Karlie,
I warm up the meatballs separately and leave the orzo salad cold.
Wouldn’t change a thing to this recipe! I’m always trying new foods to meal prep for work. This is one that even my husband enjoyed and already asked me to make them again and it’s only been a week.
Hi Jennifer,
Thrilled to hear this! ♡ Thanks so much for sharing – hope it becomes a staple for you guys!
Hi Jaycee so happy I came across your recipes as I’m trying to up my daily protein intake.
Unfortunately I have gastritis so can’t take onions, garlic, citrus, chilli, etc and a lot of your recipes include most of the above, dressings etc. Would you have some alternative recipes that would suit unfortunates like me who are limited with the foods they can take?
I’d really appreciate a few tips as you can imagine it’s difficult to get flavour without the above. 🤗
Hi Marian,
So glad you found my recipes! I get how tricky it can be with gastritis. You can still add lots of flavor with fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill, chives), ginger, roasted red peppers, etc. Many of my recipes are flexible, so you can leave out the onion/garlic/citrus and sub in herbs or mild veggies. ♡ You might like my herby green goddess chicken salad – it uses lots of fresh herbs for flavor (just skip the green onion, lemon juice and mustard).
Oh my goodness I made this tonight and it is delicious, I’m so excited for lunch tomorrow!
Made a few changes based on what I had in the fridge: I did 50/50 pork/beef for the meatballs as I didn’t have turkey. Shallot instead of red onion. Added in some sundried tomatoes that needed to be used up.
I also fried up the remainder of my breadcrumbs (about to expire) with garlic, parsley, chilli flakes and lemon zest to make a panagratto to sprinkle on top!
Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Carly,
Sounds so delicious! Glad you were able to customize this recipe as needed. Thanks for sharing! ♡
Delicious! I made a couple tweaks to the original recipe: added a little lemon zest (probably 1/2 to 1 tsp) to the vinaigrette and subbed chèvre for the feta. I kept everything else the same and it was really yummy! I definitely recommend the lemon zest if you like extra lemon flavor, and the chèvre added a nice creaminess. Will definitely keep this recipe as a meal prep staple.
Hi Molly,
Sounds delish! Love the extra lemon boost – thanks for sharing! ♡
I loved this recipe so much – it was so quick and easy, and heated up so well at work for me :)
I am soooo happy I came across your page, cooking just became a hobby for me recently and your recipes will definitely be my go to inspo <3
Hi Bridget,
So glad you’ve been enjoying this recipe and my page! Love to hear it. ♡
Made it for my meal prep this week – absolutely delicious!
Hi Meredith,
This one’s a meal prep staple for us! Thrilled you enjoyed. ♡
Very good! Made it tonight and was very impressed! It’s flavorful, filling but also light and refreshing. I shredded zucchini in my meatballs and left out onion because I knew my picky eaters wouldn’t be able to deal 😅
Hi Sierra,
Oh good! Glad they still turned out with a few swaps! ♡
This recipe is on a regular rotation for lunches. We love it best cold. It’s so easy to make and taste great.
Hi Jennifer,
We love this one cold too! Thrilled you enjoyed. ♡
We have made this recipe countless times and it never misses! Thank you! We have also used dried parsley and dill and comes out great too
Love to hear this!! Thanks for sharing. ♡
Sooo good and surprisingly easy!
Hi Hope,
Love to hear it! Thanks for sharing. ♡
This is INSANELY good!! It is definitely going into the rotation. Thank you!
YAY so glad to hear it! ♡
This was fantastic and is being added to “the rotation”
Hey Katie,
Excited it’ll be a staple! ♡
Just made this! Absolutely delicious – so fresh and light!
So awesome to hear it! ♡
I have made this recipe twice and I love it so much but I did have a question!! the second time I made it when I took the meatballs out. It looked like they were runny/ maybe like there’s fat in there or something that’s runny… is this because I use the 93/ 7 instead?
Hi Kari,
Yes, 93/7 turkey will have more fat cook off and makes juicier meatballs. When in doubt, I always use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temp reaches 165F.