Skip to main content

Spanakopita Meatballs and Homemade Tzatziki Recipe

Sometimes when you combine favorite things, it just works. I give you the wonderful combination of Spanakopita and Meatballs! These were a fan favorite last night, great for making ahead, and freeze well.



Meatballs
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic (or two cloves, minced)
1 lb. ground turkey (you can also use ground chicken or beef, if you prefer)
3 eggs
1 lb. frozen spinach, all water pressed out
1 c crumbled feta
1 tsp. Montreal or steak seasoning
2 T olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Saute onion for 3-4 minutes in 1 tsp. olive oil, remove from heat, and place in mixing bowl. Add garlic and toss together.

Squeeze all of the water out of the spinach. Add to onion mixture and separate the spinach as you mix. Add in raw ground turkey, steak seasoning, olive oil, eggs, salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients well with a wooden spoon, breaking up the meat or spinach as needed, and well-incorporating the eggs.

Spray two cookie sheets with non-stick spray. Roll meatballs into 1 1/2" balls and place on cookie sheets. Yields about 36 meatballs. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until meat is cooked through (juices will run clear). Freeze cooled meatballs for future re-heating (quick meals/snacks!)


Tzatziki Sauce
1 individual size (1 c) plain Greek yogurt
1 T dried dill
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated
1/2 tsp. cumin

After you peel, seed, and grate the cucumber, press out the extra liquid. The combine the cucumber pulp with all other ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.


I served the meatballs over buttered noodles and topped with a generous dollop of the tzatziki sauce. You can also use the sauce to dip the meatballs as an appetizer or snack.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce 

Raise your hand if you LOVE washing dishes? Yes? Then this recipe isn't for you. Because dinner is done in one pot. Set it and forget it while you change into something more comfortable after a long day. Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 onion, diced 2 c broth or water 3 c (24 ounces) pasta sauce (marinara or tomato sauce recommended) 1 lb. any pasta (I used whole wheat high protein spaghetti) 2 T Italian Seasoning 1 t Onion Powder 1 t Garlic Powder 1/2 t salt 1/4 t black pepper Instructions: Set your pot to "Saute" and cook the ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the onion to the ground beef and they will cook together. Once it is cooked through (about 4-5 min), do not drain out the fat. **If you prefer to use frozen meatballs, skip the above steps, start with the meatballs in the bottom of your pot, then go from here:  Mix in all seasoning (Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper) Layer in ...

Creamy Tomato Sauce

This is my best low point tomato sauce concoction yet! Let's get to it: Ingredients: 2 cans diced tomatoes (do not drain) 4 t EVOO 1/4 c fat free sour cream 2 T Italian Seasoning 2 t garlic salt 1 t dill 1 t thyme Combine all ingredients except the corn starch. Bring to a boil and simmer on med-low for 15-20 minutes to begin the thickening process. Transfer about 1/4 c of the liquid from the tomatoes to a small bowl and mix well with corn starch to create a roux. Once free of lumps, add the roux to the tomatoes and stir well. Continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes on low until ready to serve. Stir periodically to ensure the sauce doesn't get too thick or begin to dry (add a little water of this occurs). PP+ 2 for 1/4 of the tomato mixture Serve over pasta (I served it over beef ravioli). Enjoy!

#firstdayoffall

We have had an awesome time this weekend with our great friends Kira and and Nat this weekend, who are visiting from the D.C. area.  While the boys started football round 1 (Redskins game), Kira and I headed west to Malta, Illinois to the Jonamac Orchard for apple picking. Talk about a great First Day of Fall activity. Chicago lent us a gorgeous 67 degree fall day. Ripe for the pocking were Early Fuji, Gala, Thompson, and apples. Based on their sweetness and our desire to bake pies this afternoon, we stuck to Early Fujis for baking, and some delicious Thompson apples for snacking at home. We though a peck of apples would do it for our dining purposes. We totally overestimated this. A peck got us 57 smallish apples. After making 3 deep pies, we still have 31 apples left over.  It was our first visit to Jonamac Prchard and it was pretty fabulous for a family day. In addition to a great store with gifts, jarred goodies, and kettle corn, there was a line 50 deep for their donuts. ...