Meal Prep-Friendly Herby Turkey Meatballs Recipe

We could all use a little extra help around lunch or dinnertime, but sometimes, that extra help has to be an earlier version of yourself — hence why meal-prepping was invented. There are countless foods and dishes out there that you could meal prep, and moreover, there are quite a few mistakes you can make while meal-prepping, like getting burnt out on the same old chicken and broccoli dish over and over again. Luckily, thanks to this herby turkey meatballs recipe from developer Kara Barrett, you can switch up your meal prep routine without veering too far from a tried-and-true formula. 

There are a couple of reasons to love this meal-prep recipe, which boasts both turkey meatballs and cauliflower rice on the side. First, it's budget-friendly, which is always a perk. "These are affordable ingredients, and the total cost for a week's worth of lunches from this recipe is comparable to one restaurant lunch," Barrett tells us. She highlights the wholesome quality of the ingredients in this dish, noting the "sensible portion size and healthy ingredients." Though you could easily enjoy the turkey meatballs and rice alone, you might also be so inclined to dollop on some Greek yogurt, parsley, and black pepper for a little extra pizzazz before digging in.

The cauliflower rice plays double-duty in this recipe, so with a few bags of riced cauliflower, you'll stretch it both into a side dish and for use in the meatballs. Other meatball ingredients include ground turkey, salt, chopped herbs, an egg, and Greek yogurt. Meanwhile, to round out the side dish of cauliflower rice, you'll also need salt, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Finally, to garnish your meal-prepped dish, you might optionally add on Greek yogurt, a sprig of parsley, and some black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cauliflower, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil.

Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for the meatballs. Set aside.

Add the remaining cauliflower to one baking sheet, smoothing it out into a single layer.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the turkey, 1 teaspoon salt, reserved cauliflower, herbs, egg, and yogurt.

Form the turkey mixture into meatballs and place them on the other baking sheet. You should have 20 meatballs.

Bake both trays for approximately 25–30 minutes. Broil for an additional few minutes, if desired, for additional browning.

Divide the meatballs and cauliflower evenly into five storage containers. Optionally, add a dollop of Greek yogurt, a sprig of parsley, and a few cracks of black pepper.

Store and reheat for lunch or dinner during the work week.

This is a pretty bare-bones recipe, and, as such, it leaves quite a bit of room for customizations. "Try different herbs or experiment with spices," Barrett tells us, and both options open up the door to quite a few possibilities. The recipe calls for mixed herbs in the meatballs, and more specifically, a blend of parsley, basil, and lemon balm. If you're more of a dill person, you could easily add that to the mix or use it in place of one of the other herbs. There really are so many types of common herbs out there, ranging from rosemary to chives, so get creative or use up what you have on hand. The same goes for spices — "I have berbere spice that could make a spicy meatball," says Barrett. "In the mood for a taco vibe? Add some taco seasoning and give your riced cauliflower side a Mexican rice treatment."

Another customization option comes in the form of using a different type of meat. Ground turkey is nice and lean and makes for a healthy option, though ground chicken works in a similar fashion. Beef will add a little more fattiness to the dish, but it's also a viable and classic option when it comes to meatballs.

Adding cauliflower rice to meatballs may seem like an unexpected move, but as Barrett explains, "The cauliflower extends the meatballs, making the meat stretch a little further, and it adds additional moisture." Also, even if you don't end up eating much of the cauliflower rice on the side, you'll still get a dose of veggies in just from enjoying the meatballs alone.

Cauliflower aside, there are plenty of other ways to enhance these turkey meatballs. "This is a juicy meatball, but if you prefer a firmer meatball, you can add a panade or breadcrumbs or skip the yogurt," Barrett says. Breadcrumbs are pretty commonplace binder in meatballs, though this recipe proves that they're not strictly necessary, especially if you want to keep your meatballs low-carb or gluten-free. If you do want to add a binder but don't happen to have breadcrumbs on hand, pretzels actually make for a unique meatball binder, but it'd be wise to omit the added salt in the original recipe (unless, of course, your pretzels happen to be unsalted).