High-Protein Turkey and Feta Meatballs with Spinach from the Air Fryer - photo 1
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High-Protein Turkey and Feta Meatballs with Spinach from the Air Fryer

Pikantne Main Dishes Lunches Takeaway Dishes 45 min Easy 12 wyświetleń ~33.75 PLN - (0)
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Description

Here’s a recipe that will revolutionize your approach to healthy cooking! These high-protein turkey meatballs, with the addition of salty feta and fresh spinach, are the perfect dish for active individuals who care about their figure and appreciate flavor. Prepared in an air fryer, they become wonderfully crispy on the outside while maintaining incredible juiciness on the inside. This dish, inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, combines simplicity of preparation with richness of flavor and nutritional value. Served with a refreshing homemade tzatziki sauce made from thick Greek yogurt, they create a complete, balanced meal. They are perfect as a post-workout lunch, a light dinner, or a component of a work lunchbox. Visually, they look appetizing – golden meatballs with green accents of spinach, served against a backdrop of white herb sauce.

Ingredients (17)

Servings:
2
  • Ground turkey breast 500 g
  • Feta cheese 150 g
  • Fresh spinach 100 g
  • Onion 1 szt.
  • Garlic 2 ząbki
  • Egg 1 szt.
  • Mountain oats 50 g
  • Extra virgin olive oil 0.1 łyżek
  • Greek yogurt 200 g
  • Field cucumber 150 g
  • Fresh dill 0.8 pęczek
  • Lemon juice 15 ml
  • Dried oregano 2 g
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Salt 0.1 szczypt
  • Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony 2 szczypty
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Chili flakes 1 szczypta
  • Nasiona sezamu 0.2 łyżek
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~33.75 PLN (16.88 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Preparation of the mixture for meatballs

1

Start by preparing the vegetables. Peel the onion and chop it into very small cubes (about 3-4 mm). Peel the garlic and either press it through a garlic press or grate it on the finest grater. In a small pan, heat half a tablespoon of olive oil and add the chopped onion. Sauté over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes translucent and soft. At the end, add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds, until the aroma is released. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Ingredients: Onion, Garlic, Extra virgin olive oil
Use a small non-stick frying pan. Sautéing the onion before adding it to the meat is key – raw onion in meatballs can be tough and have too sharp a taste. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it will become bitter!
2

Now, take care of the spinach. In the same pan where you sautéed the onion, add the washed and dried spinach. Heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the leaves 'wilt' and significantly reduce in volume. Transfer the spinach to a cutting board, and when it cools slightly, squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Then chop it very finely. The finer you chop it, the easier it will be to form the patties.

Ingredients: Fresh spinach
The step of squeezing out the water from the spinach is VERY IMPORTANT. If you skip it, the mixture for the meatballs will be too runny and they may fall apart during baking. You can use a strainer to press the spinach with a spoon and get rid of the liquid.
3

Grind the oats into flour. Pour them into a high-powered blender or coffee grinder. Blend on high speed for about 30-40 seconds until you achieve a fine flour consistency. Remove the feta cheese from the brine, dry it with a paper towel, and crumble it into small pieces with your fingers.

Ingredients: Mountain oats, Feta cheese
If you don't have a blender, you can use instant oats, which are finer and don't require grinding, although the result will be slightly different. Grinding the oats ensures a smoother texture for the meatballs.
4

In a large bowl, place the ground turkey. Add the cooled onion with garlic, squeezed and chopped spinach, crumbled feta, ground oats, and crack in one egg. Season everything with salt, freshly ground pepper, and dried oregano. If you like, you can now add optional chili flakes for a bit of spiciness.

Ingredients: Ground turkey breast, Egg, Dried oregano, Salt, Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony, Chili flakes
Make sure that the onion and spinach are not hot so that the egg does not set. It's best to use a large bowl for mixing the ingredients to have freedom of movement.
5

Now the most important step – kneading the mixture. Wash your hands thoroughly and start gently mixing all the ingredients, trying to combine them evenly. Do not knead the mixture for too long or too intensely, like bread dough. One minute is enough, until the ingredients form a cohesive whole. Kneading for too long will make the meatballs tough and dense after baking.

The dough is ready when you can easily shape it into a ball that doesn't fall apart. If the dough seems too sticky, dampen your hands with a little cold water – this will make shaping easier.

Shaping and baking

6

Wet your hands with cold water. Take portions of the mixture (about one heaping tablespoon) and roll them in your hands, forming neat balls the size of a golf ball. From the given amount of ingredients, you should get about 10-12 meatballs. Place them on a cutting board or plate.

Try to make all the meatballs similar in size. This way, they will bake evenly at the same time. Regularly wetting your hands will prevent the meat from sticking.
7

Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. This usually takes about 3-5 minutes. Once the device is ready, line the basket with parchment paper (optional, makes cleaning easier) and arrange the meatballs in a single layer. Leave small gaps between them so that hot air can circulate freely. Brush the top of each meatball with a little olive oil using a kitchen brush or spray with cooking oil.

Ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil
Do not overcrowd the fryer basket! If the meatballs are too close to each other, instead of baking, they will start to steam and won't be crispy. It's better to bake them in two batches if necessary.
8

Remove the basket from the fryer and bake the meatballs for 15-18 minutes at 180°C. Halfway through the cooking time (after about 8 minutes), pull out the basket and gently shake it to turn the meatballs for even browning on all sides. The meatballs are ready when their surface is appetizingly golden-brown, and when cut open, the meat is fully cooked and not pink inside.

Baking time may vary slightly depending on the model of the air fryer and the size of the meatballs. To be 100% sure, you can use a kitchen thermometer – the internal temperature of the thickest meatball should be at least 74°C.

Yogurt sauce (Tzatziki)

9

While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. Wash the cucumber, dry it, and grate it on a coarse grater. Transfer the grated cucumber to a sieve, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and set aside for 5 minutes. The salt will help draw out excess water. After this time, very thoroughly squeeze out the water from the cucumber by pressing it with a spoon against the sieve or squeezing it in your hands.

Ingredients: Field cucumber, Salt
This is a key step to achieving a thick, creamy sauce. If you don't squeeze the cucumber, the sauce will be watery. Don't skip this step!
10

In a small bowl, place thick Greek yogurt. Add the drained cucumber, a clove of garlic pressed through a garlic press (or two if you like a stronger flavor), and finely chopped fresh dill. Pour in freshly squeezed lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything thoroughly with a spoon until the ingredients are combined.

Ingredients: Greek yogurt, Garlic, Fresh dill, Lemon juice, Salt, Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony
For the sauce, use a separate clove of garlic, not the one from the meat mixture. You can adjust the amount of garlic and lemon juice to your own taste. Taste the sauce and add more spices if needed.
11

Place the prepared sauce in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld, making the sauce even more aromatic and refreshing. Serve chilled as a dip for hot meatballs.

Tzatziki sauce tastes best when well chilled. You can prepare it even a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator in a closed container.

Fun Fact

💡

Meatballs, known in various forms around the world (from Swedish köttbullar to Italian polpette), have their roots in ancient Persia, where 'koftas' – spicy balls of minced meat – were prepared. This recipe spread through trade and conquests, and each culture adapted it to its own tastes.

Best for

Posiłek po treningu Zdrowy obiad Lunch do pracy (meal prep) Lekka kolacja

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the meatballs hot, immediately after removing them from the fryer, with a generous portion of chilled tzatziki sauce. Optionally, sprinkle them with sesame seeds for extra crunch. They pair perfectly with a light Greek salad, roasted sweet potatoes, or a serving of quinoa. You can also skewer them on skewers, creating an appealing snack.

🥡 Storage

Baked meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the tzatziki sauce separately, also in the refrigerator. To reheat the meatballs and restore their crispiness, place them in an air fryer for 3-4 minutes at 180°C. Reheating in the microwave will make them soft.

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