Healthy Greek Turkey Meatballs

1. If you plan on baking the meatballs, preheat the oven to 350°. 

MAKE THE PANADE:

1. In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs and milk, stir to combine and set aside.

SWEAT THE VEGETABLES AND BLOOM THE SPICES:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the olive oil and swirl it around the pan to coat.
2. Add the onion, zucchini and garlic and sweat them, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables soften up. Don’t let them brown, you just want them to get soft and slightly translucent.
3. Stir in the red pepper flakes, oregano, mint, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for one minute until the spices are fragrant and set aside to cool.

ASSEMBLE THE MEATBALL MIXTURE:

1. In a large bowl combine the turkey breast, breadcrumb mixture and egg. Use your clean hands to combine them very well, so that the breadcrumbs almost disappear and the egg is completely combined into the turkey mixture.
2. Transfer the cooled vegetables and feta cheese to the turkey mixture and stir well to combine. 
3. With slightly wet hands, form the scoops into balls and transfer to either the prepared baking sheet or the dish.

2 WAYS OF COOKING THE TURKEY MEATBALLS:

FOR BAKING MEATBALLS:

1. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable spray. 
2. Arrange the meatballs so they aren’t touching on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

TO PAN FRY THE MEATBALLS:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Work in batches and add the meatballs, browning them for 3-4 minutes on one side before rolling them over to the other to continue cooking. Cook the meatballs for about 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
2. Transfer the meatballs to a dish lined with paper towels to soak up any excess grease.
3. Serve meatballs on a platter with tzatziki sauce for dipping or on top of spaghetti or spaghetti squash, tucked into sandwiches or hoagies or any way you can think of.

TO FREEZE LEFTOVER MEATBALLS:

1. Place meatballs 1" apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer to a storage bag or container and freeze. This way you can pull out just what you need, when you need it.