Turkey and Beef Greek Meatball Bowls

These greek meatball bowls are made with juicy and tender turkey and beef meatballs, a lemon oregano rice pilaf, and a 5 minute tzatziki. This recipe will show you how to make all three in under 45 minutes for a meal that anyone will love!

Looking for more meatball recipes? Try my Simple Italian Meatballs, my 5 ingredient Turkey Meatballs, or my Thai Coconut Curry Meatballs.

The best parts about this recipe

• It’s got a little bit of everything – protein, carbs, veggies + a creamy, tangy sauce to bring everything together.
• The meatballs are made in the oven, which frees you up to make the other parts of the dish.
• Everything comes together in 45 minutes!

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Table of Contents

• Ingredient Notes
• How to make Italian Chopped Kale Salad Step by Step
• Recipe and Cooking Tips
• Storage and Reheating
• Additions and Substitutions
• FAQ
• Video Tutorial
• The Recipe
• Looking for more similar recipes?

Ingredient Notes: 

Ground meats – I use the 80/20 ground beef, and the 93/7 ground turkey and 1 lb for each. Feel free to use a higher fat content ground beef here.

Spices – The warm spices like paprika, coriander, cumin, and garlic powder gives this a mediterranean or greek type of flavor, which goes super well with the tzatziki sauce and rice pilaf.

Oregano – I use dried oregano in the rice pilaf, but fresh oregano (or other fresh herbs) would be really lovely here, and to garnish the top of the bowl.

Veggies (Peas, Kale, Cucumber) – I add peas and kale to the rice pilaf to add more greens into the bowl. You can either use fresh or frozen peas – the cooking time is the same. For the kale, make sure to de-stem this before adding to the rice. The pre-chopped kale usually still has stems, so I recommend buying your own bunch of kale.

How to make Greek Meatballs Bowls – Step by Step Instructions:

Step 1: Dice the onion, garlic, and dill

Step 2: Start the Rice Pilaf

• Heat a large pan on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, diced yellow onion, and a big pinch of salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes, then add chopped kale and another big pinch of salt. Saute until slightly wilted (about 2 minutes), then add minced garlic and dried oregano. Stir, then add green peas.

Step 3 : Cook Rice Pilaf

• Wash and drain jasmine rice, add to the pan with a large pinch of kosher salt. Stir, then add chicken broth and water. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes with the cover on.

Step 4: Preheat the Oven and Assemble Meatballs

• Preheat the oven to 400F. As the rice pilaf cooks, assemble the meatballs. Mix all meatball ingredients (except olive oil) in a bowl. Scoop mixture onto a baking sheet (about 2 tablespoons per ball) and round smooth. Space meatballs 1″ apart, then drizzle olive oil over them.

Step 5: Bake Meatballs

• Bake for 13-16 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Step 6: Make Tzatziki

• While meatballs cook, make tzatziki. Shred cucumber, toss with a pinch of salt. In a bowl or jar, add yogurt, mayo, salt, garlic powder, pepper, lemon juice, and dill. Squeeze water out of cucumber and add to the jar. Mix and adjust seasoning to taste.

Step 7: Plate the Dish

• Plate pilaf with 3-4 meatballs, a lemon wedge, and fresh dill. Top with some tzatziki and fresh cucumber slices. If you’re meal prepping this bowl, add 2 scoops of tzatziki and fresh cucumber slices in a separate container.

Recipe & Cooking tips:

Tip 1 – For the lemon oregano rice pilaf, make sure to lower the heat after adding the chicken broth and water. Cooking the rice on low heat helps get that nice fluffy texture, and prevents the rice from sticking to the bottom of your pan.

Tip 2 – Don’t skip the panko breadcrumbs in the meatballs, as this helps absorb the juices and fats from the meatballs, and prevents the juices from seeping out while cooking in the oven. Another trick to keeping the meatball juices inside is to cook them until they are just done (try not to overcook). You know this by using a meat thermometer (165F), or by breaking one open to see if it’s still pink.

Tip 3 – Squeeze the water out of the shredded cucumber to ensure the tzatziki doesn’t get too watery. If you don’t immediately see any water from the cucumber, toss it with a pinch of salt and wait 5 minutes.

Storage & Reheating

Storage: Store the ingredients separate and in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can keep the rice and meatballs together, however I recommend storing the tzatziki separately, and to wait until the same day to cut the Persian cucumber for the bowl.

Reheating: Reheat the rice pilaf and meatballs on the stovetop in a non-stick pan with a splash of water. Steam and cook for 5 minutes, or until warmed. In a pinch, the microwave also works.

Additions and Substitutions

Additions:

• Pickled red onions – would be great for flavor and color
• Cucumber Tomato and Olive Salad – would be great for more fresh components and more veggies!
• Feta Cheese – I love a sheep’s milk feta, and this would be a great addition to the bowl
• Fresh chopped mint – would be a lovely garnish

Substitutions:

• Kale – If you’re not a big fan of kale, you can replace this with chard or any other harder leafy green (I wouldn’t use spinach or soft leafy greens here, as it’ll turn into mush after cooking with the rice).
• Ground beef or turkey – if you don’t have either of these on hand, feel free to substitute with ground pork or ground chicken.
• Greek yogurt – Instead of greek yogurt for the tzatziki, feel free to substitute sour cream.

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