Spinach and Feta Turkey Meatballs

I haven’t made meatballs in ages.

My husband was surprised to find me in the kitchen cooking meatballs last weekend. It’s not my thing because I’m picky and not usually impressed with the final outcome. (Also, I hate mixing meat with my hands. Blech.) However, I love feta cheese and spinach so when I saw this meatball recipe I thought this might be a winner and I was right. I asked my husband if he liked them and he said “I could eat 12 of these right now.” Yup, these are a winner.

These meatballs have a lot of great flavor and they are so versatile. You can serve them Italian style with your favorite marinara and pasta, like I’m showing today. We also enjoyed the leftover meatballs with rice and a side of veggies. These meatballs also conveniently re-heat really well, so they make for a great make-ahead lunch.

I think that these little meatballs by themselves would make for a great appetizer. I can just picture the Greek theme platter now… these meatballs next to a bowl of hummus, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, crackers, raw veggies, and maybe even some spinach pie (spanakopita).

Spinach and Feta Turkey Meatballs Recipe

(Makes about 24 meatballs)

Ingredients:

4 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons oil, divided per the directions
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 pound ground turkey

Directions:

Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out the water. I placed the thawed spinach in a colander and used paper towels to press the water out. You don’t need to squeeze it like you are trying to get back at a mortal enemy. Just enough to remove some of the moisture so it doesn’t make the meatballs weird.
In a large skillet, on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil.
Add the spinach to the skillet and cook it for a few minutes, then move it to a bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and set it aside.
In a big bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.
Add in the whisked egg, crumbled feta cheese, ground turkey, and cooked spinach, and mix everything together well. The best way to mix it well is by using your hands. (Sorry.)
Shape the meat mixture into heaping tablespoon sized balls.
I used Oxo Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop to help consistently scoop out the same amount of meat per meatball. You will get about 24 small meatballs.
Use a paper towel to wipe down the cooled skillet that you used before and place it back on medium heat.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
Cook the meatballs for about 1 minute per side, for a total of 6 to 10 minutes of cooking time. Based on the size of your skillet, you’ll need to do this step in several batches. I used the 12 inch Cuisinart skillet and cooked the meatballs in 2 batches. (You may want to use a little extra oil if you do it in multiple batches.)
Remove the cooked meatballs and serve, store, or snack on.