I’ve recently been converted to meatballs.  They’re not something I had growing up, but since making meatballs myself (here, here and here), and then going to an awesome Meatball Shop in NYC, I’ve come to appreciate the tasty versatility of meatballs.  These are fantastic on their own, but go perfectly with the dipping sauce too.  They’d be great on salads, subs, as appetizers, or finger foods.  I think they’d also be good with a pesto sauce.  I really liked that these included lentils which add fiber and extra protein so you don’t end up needing as much meat.  Then by baking them you can do a whole bunch all at once, they’re much better for you than the fried varieties, and you can get your dishes cleaned and make the sauce while they’re in the oven!  It’s a win-win-win.

When making something like meatballs, I’m inclined to make extra.  If you’re going through the work of making something, it’s nice to have extra to freeze and save for later.  With a bit of extra work now, there’s big (tasty!) payoff later.  So I tripled the original recipe, which will give you plenty of meatballs to serve to a crowd, or enough to freeze and have on a busy day later on.  If you plan on freezing some, just line a baking sheet with parchment paper and form the meatballs, placing them pretty close together, then just freeze them raw and transfer the frozen meatballs to a ziploc bag.  Make sure you label the container and go ahead and write the cooking instructions so you don’t have to look them up later.  Then when you’re ready to make them later on, you can just put them on a pan and bake them without even defrosting them.  Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Mediterranean Turkey Meatballs

Makes about 70 meatballs

Adapted from The Kitchn

• 3 cups cooked lentils
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat ricotta
• 3/4 cup feta, crumbled
• 1 small red onion, minced
• 1 pkg ground turkey, about 1 1/2 lbs
• 1/4 cup capers (liquid drained off)
• 6 Tbsp parsley, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups breadcrumbs

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Allow the mixture to sit for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or grease well with cooking spray.

Using a 2oz cookie scoop, scoop the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets about 1″ apart.  Bake for 23-28 minutes or until cooked through and beginning to brown.

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 lemon, zested
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, whisk all ingredients together.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.