Lemon Turkey Greek Meatballs – The Perfect School Lunch

First, we would like to say a big thank you to Waltzing the Dragon for featuring this recipe in their September 2018 newsletter. Their comprehensive resources on everything T1D have been an infallible support to our family over the years. If you have not yet had a chance to check out their website, I highly recommended their Information on Back to School Care Plans, Travel, and Insulin Pumping.

As a busy mom, I LOVE meatballs and not specifically because of their taste (although let’s face it, they are delicious), but because:

1. They are easy to make ahead.
2. They freeze and thaw really well.
3. You can use them in a million ways.
4. Kids love them!

In fact, I think I have 4 types of meatballs in my freezer right now!

Usually in the fall, when football season is back, and we want to spend time in the kitchen again after a hectic summer; we get together and make trays of meatballs. Meatballs of every variety, Italian Beef, Pork Koftas, Lemon Turkey, and Porcupine. We fully cook them, then freeze, and defrost as a really easy weeknight meal.

So when we were thinking of the perfect go to school lunch, it was no surprise that we landed on meatballs. Specifically our Lemon Turkey Greek Meatballs. They don’t contain garlic or onion, so they won’t stink up your child’s lunchbox or locker; they are extremely versatile; they are healthy; and the low fat content of turkey means they taste great cold or warmed up.

These meatballs are moist and tender with a pop of lemon flavour. And best of all they are kid approved! My girls on many occasions have eaten so many of these lemon turkey meatballs at dinner that they haven’t had room for anything else.

Here are a few of our ideas on how to send these tasty meatballs in a school lunch.

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Lemon Turkey Greek Meatballs – Gluten and Gluten Free

These meatballs have evolved over time, looking for a summer light tasting meatball to accompany Greek meze style meals. Meze or mezze means small dishes and often include Hummus, Tzatziki, Olives, Souvlaki, and Grilled Haloumi cheese. Great as a meal, appetizer, or perfect for lunches. 

A few tips for this recipe (although if you don't have these items it will still turn out). Tip #1: If possible use a microplane to zest the lemon, instead of a traditional zester. It will grab more of the top layer of the zest that contains the flavour giving oil, while leaving the white bitter part of the rind. Tip #2: Due to the ground turkey, these meatballs are very moist and can be difficult to form. If you have a cookie scoop at home, this works perfect for making the meatballs. If making for a meal I use a 2 Tbsp scoop and if I am making them for lunches or an appetizer I use a 1 Tbsp scoop. 

Course Appetizer, Lunch

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Lemon, Meatballs, Turkey

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1.3 lb. (500 gr) ground Turkey or chicken breast 0 CHO
• 2 TBSP (9 gr) Panko breadcrumbs (23 CHO/30 GRAMS)=6.89 CHO
• 1 Egg, beaten 0 CHO 0 CHO
• 1 TBSP Mayonaise 0 CHO
• 1 1/2 TBSP Fresh Oregano, chopped or ½ TBSP Dry Oregano 0 CHO
• ½ TBSP Lemon zest (approx. 1 Lemon or 3 grams) 0 CHO *note: weight is when using a microplane, if using a traditional zester the weight will be approx. 8g
• ½ tsp. Salt 0 CHO
• ¼ tsp. Pepper 0 CHO

Gluten Free Meatballs

• 1.3 lb. (500 gr) ground Turkey or chicken breast 0 CHO
• 1 TBSP (11 gr) Rice breadcrumbs (17 CHO/20 GRAMS)=9.35 CHO
• 1 Egg, beaten 0 CHO 0 CHO
• 1 TBSP Mayonaise 0 CHO
• 1 1/2 TBSP Fresh Oregano chopped or ½ TBSP Dry Oregano 0 CHO
• ½ TBSP Lemon zest (approx. 1 Lemon or 3 grams) 0 CHO *note: weight is when using a microplane, if using a traditional zester the weight will be approx. 8g
• ½ tsp. Salt 0 CHO
• ¼ tsp. Pepper 0 CHO

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 

2. Mix all ingredients. 

3. Form into ball using a cookie scoop (1 Tbsp for small or 2 Tbsp for large) and place on the baking sheet. If you don't have a cookie scoop, thats ok they just won't be quite round.

4. For the small 1 Tbsp sized meatballs, cook at 400 for 10 min. Then turn on the broiler and broil for 3 min. 

   For the larger 2 Tbsp sized meatballs, cook at 400 for 16 min. Then turn on the broiler and broil for 4 min. 

   Serve as part of a lunch, dinner, or meze platter with Tzatziki, Hummus, vegetables, pitas, Tortilla chips (Gluten Free), Greek Salad and anything else you can think of.

Recipe Notes

Carbohydrate Counts

Gluten:

Total CHO per batch = 6.89 CHO

0.016 CHO/g 

Small Meatballs (1 Tbsp raw; avg. 10g cooked) = approx. 0.16CHO/meatball

Large Meatballs (2 Tbsp raw; avg. 25g cooked) = approx. 0.41CHO/meatball

*My 2 TBSP scoop measures on the larger size, hence why the 2 TBSP weight is slightly more than double the 1 TBSP*

Gluten Free:

Total CHO per batch =  9.35 CHO

0.022 CHO/g

Small Meatballs (1 Tbsp raw; avg. 10g cooked) = approx. 0.22CHO/meatball

Large Meatballs (2 Tbsp raw; avg. 25g cooked) = approx. 0.55CHO/meatball

*My 2 TBSP scoop measures on the larger size, hence why the 2 TBSP weight is slightly more than double the 1 TBSP*

As you might have noticed, I have a slight obsession with bento box style containers. Here are links to my two favourites. Note that we don’t make any money off of these affiliate links, I just love them and wanted to share.

One of my favorites is from Justice Clothing and it has held up really well. It fits perfectly into a Justice lunch kit and isn’t too heavy, and at 12.99 it’s not a crazy investment. It comes in 3 colors as well Click here to view.

My other favorite is this one from Yumbox. It has adorably labeled sections for each food group as well as a little dip compartment. You can also buy different inserts, each with a different number of compartments. The Yumbox is also sized a bit better for little ones, the Justice one can be a little on the larger size, and incredibly durable. It is however, a bit heavier and more of an investment at $41.99. It comes in 11 designs. Click here to view. *Note that this should only be washed in the top rack of your dishwasher.

I would also like to give a special shout out to these ones on amazon, they come in a pack of four and work out to $4.55 each. They aren’t quite a bento box, but they do have two small and one large sections. Click here to view

I have two of the skip hop boxes (royal blue and red) in these photos, they are the perfect size for little ones, however I don’t recommend them, all three of the ones we’ve owned have had the clasps for the lid fall off within the first couple of months of use.