Spanakopita Turkey Meatballs

Square photo of spanakopita meatballs in a baking dish on parchment paper, with lemon halves, and a spoon lifting a meatball out.

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All the flavor you love about spanakopita in meatball form! Ground turkey is mixed with spinach, feta, dill, and drizzled with lemon butter. The butter keeps them super moist and flavorful as they bake in the oven.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: servings

Calories: 379kcal

Author: Elizabeth Lindemann

Ingredients

4 tablespoons salted butter melted, or olive oil
juice and zest of one lemon about 2 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon zest
2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach baby spinach or mature is fine
4 oz. feta cheese crumbled
¼ cup fresh dill roughly chopped
3 green onions thinly sliced, both green and white parts
2 eggs
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 lb. ground turkey or chicken

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper for easy clean-up (alternatively, you can use baking spray, more butter, or some olive oil to grease the pan). Set aside.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, add the 4 tablespoons salted butter and melt in the microwave. Stir in the juice and zest of one lemon into the melted butter.
In a large bowl, pour in half the lemon butter mixture (about 3 tablespoons). Add the 2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach, crumbled 4 oz. feta cheese, chopped ¼ cup fresh dill, thinly sliced 3 green onions, 2 eggs, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to mix together well - the spinach will wilt a bit as you do this.
Add the 1 lb. ground turkey to the bowl and mix gently together until everything is well incorporated. Using your hands is the best way to mix meatballs to prevent over-mixing.
Form the mixture into 12 large-ish meatballs. I like to use a large portion/ice cream scoop for this (see notes). Place in prepared baking dish. Spoon or brush the remaining melted butter and lemon mixture evenly on top of the meatballs.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatballs is 165 degrees F. (Try not to overcook them as turkey tends to dry out easily. Keep in mind if you made smaller sized meatballs, you will need to bake it for less time).
Serve - I recommend drizzling with the drippings from the bottom of the pan!

Notes

I use this large portion scoop to make larger sized meatballs. It helps get them in uniform size and it's easy to measure out the mixture without over-handling it. You can scoop directly into the prepared baking dish (this will result in one flatter side), or you can scoop it into your hands for a gently coaxing into a more proper round shape.
These meatballs aren't particularly browned on the outside, which is one of the reasons why this recipe is so easy and comes out so moist. If you want browning, feel free to pan fry these meatballs in oil or butter before putting into the baking dish, or broil toward the end of cooking so the top gets browned (just make sure to use a broiler safe dish and not use parchment paper). Keep in mind, turkey tends to overcook easily, and if you use one of these techniques to brown the meatballs they may come out a bit dryer.
To make these dairy free, swap out the feta cheese for a vegan substitute and use olive oil instead of butter.

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