Greek Meatballs and Greek Roasted Vegetables

I first made this meal last summer. I had clipped the recipe for the roasted vegetables out of Family Circle Magazine and decided to make meatballs to round out the meal.
I had some ground turkey and I just added ingredients that I thought would make a tasty meatball and hoped for the best.

They turned out great and everyone was very excited about this dinner. I quickly wrote down the estimates of what I used for the meatballs, so I could make them again because I didn't take a picture of them that first time we ate them.

I don't like repeating recipes over and over again, because I like to try new things all the time, but I knew that I wanted to make this particular meal again sometime.
I recently made the meatballs and roasted vegetables again, this time using ground turkey breast for the meatballs and the results were great.

The key to keeping the meatballs moist is browning them first in a little bit of oil, then adding liquid- I prefer chicken broth- and then covering them, to let them cook completely.

I really love the combination of eggplant, green pepper, and red potatoes, that the recipe uses in the roasted vegetables. Chickpeas are added to these veggies, near the end of the roasting time and really enhance the whole dish. Top it off with fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs and a little feta, and you have got a real winner.

Both times that I have made this meal, I have prepared the veggies first, and started roasting them, then made the meatballs while the veggies are in the oven. That way everything is ready at about the same time.


Greek Meatballs by Mary Ann
20 oz ground turkey, 93% lean or ground turkey breast
1 egg
2-3 oz feta cheese crumbles, flavored with basil and tomato
1 1/2 Tbls chopped fresh oregano
3 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
garlic powder
salt
black pepper
2 Tbls skim milk

Mix all meatball ingredients with a fork.
Form meat mixture into balls about the size of golf balls.
Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a saute pan over med-high heat. Add 1/2 of the meatballs and brown on all sides. Add 1/3 cup chicken broth or water. cover with a lid and cook until meat is no longer pink in the middle, about 6-8 minutes.
Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Greek-style Roasted Vegetables adapted from Family Circle magazine

• 1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
• 2 small eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
• 1 medium-size sweet onion, sliced
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degree F. In a large roasting pan, toss together the potatoes, eggplants, onion, green pepper, 1-2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic salt and pepper. Peel off the lemon zest with a peeler and add to mixture. Reserve lemon. Roast vegetables at 425 degree F for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

2. Add chickpeas and roast an additional 15 minutes.

3. Stir in juice from lemon, oregano and mint. Top with feta crumbles.