Mediterranean Meatball and Orzo Bowls

Jazz up moist homemade meatballs, seasoned with lemon and fresh dill, with store-bought tzatziki sauce, fresh vegetables, and orzo and you’ve got a home-run one-bowl dinner. Even better: We tell you how to customize the bowls for picky and more adventurous eaters. The recipe is a Yummly original created by Ashley Strickland Freeman.

Author: OnlineCook

Meal Type: Peanuts Free

Cuisine: Greek

Difficulty: EASY

Prep. Time:

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 1,089 kcal per serving

Ingredients

1 lb - ground turkey thigh
½ cup - panko breadcrumbs
1 - egg
3 cloves - garlic
1 tsp - lemon zest
1 tbsp - chopped fresh dill
1 tsp - dried oregano
½ tsp - ground cumin
¼ tsp - salt
¼ tsp - black pepper
2 tablespoons - extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces - orzo pasta
1 tbsp - extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp - lemon juice
2 tablespoons - fresh dill
1 pt - grape tomatoes
1 - English cucumber
1 ½ cups - pitted kalamata olives
1 - red onion
12 ounces - tzatziki sauce

Instructions

Make the meatballs: In a medium bowl, gently stir together the ground turkey, panko, egg, garlic, lemon zest, dill for meatballs, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Shape mixture into 12 equal meatballs, each a mounded 2 tablespoons.
Begin heating a large pot of water.
Heat the olive oil for meatballs in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until the meatballs are browned on all sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes (cut to check). Set aside and keep warm.
While the meatballs brown, cook the orzo in boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain, transfer to a bowl, and stir in the olive oil for orzo. Remove some orzo for the children’s plates. Add the lemon juice and dill for orzo to the remaining orzo, and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the children’s plates, place the plain orzo, meatballs, and desired vegetables (from the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion) on their plates. Serve with a side of tzatziki sauce. For the adults' plates, divide the seasoned orzo evenly between serving bowls. Top with tzatziki and meatballs. Toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and onion and serve with orzo and meatballs.

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