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Baked Spicy Turkey Meatballs on a bed of roasted cauliflower and arugula in a roasting tin with lemon garlic sauce and a spoon.
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5 from 2 votes

Baked Spicy Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Cauliflower

These baked spicy turkey meatballs are so simple to make and become the perfect one pan oven dinner with roasted cauliflower and a lemon garlic yogurt sauce.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: British, North African
Servings: 6
Calories: 282kcal
Author: Sasha Hooper

Ingredients

For the baked turkey meatballs

For the roasted cauliflower

For the lemon garlic yoghurt sauce

  • ½ cup full fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 preserved lemon flesh and seeds removed and skin finely chopped, about 1-2 tablespoon (leave some for garnish)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1-2 tablespoons warm water
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Garnish (optional)

  • arugula or spinach leaves, pomegranate arils, cilantro, mint, Aleppo pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Put all the meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix with your hand or a spoon until just combined. Scoop and roll out the turkey meatball mix into 18 golf sized balls and set aside.
    1 pound ground turkey, 1 shallot, 2 garlic cloves, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons rose harissa paste, ¾ teaspoon ground cumin, ¾ teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Toss the cauliflower florets, tender leaves and red onion in the olive oil. Sprinkle over the cumin, coriander, garlic powder, Aleppo pepper, salt and pepper and toss again to combine. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden and starting to crisp at the edges.
    4 cups cauliflower, ½ red onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the meatballs in and around the roasted cauliflower, making sure to leave enough space between each of them. Bake for another 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through, to an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F.

For the lemon garlic yoghurt sauce

  • Add the yogurt, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, preserved lemon, maple syrup, salt and water into a blender jug. Blitz until creamy and smooth, about 60-90 seconds.
    ½ cup full fat Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons tahini, 1 lemon, 1 preserved lemon, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 1-2 tablespoons warm water, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Serve the meatballs and cauliflower over arugula (rocket) leaves. Garnish with pomegranate arils, chopped cilantro (coriander) and mint and an extra sprinkling of Aleppo pepper if desired. Also delicious served over couscous!
    arugula or spinach leaves, pomegranate arils, cilantro, mint, Aleppo pepper

Notes

  • Use a cookie scoop for ease of rolling out the turkey meatballs. 
  • Remove the centre pulp from inside the preserved lemon (if using) as it's bitter. If not using, use some lemon zest.
  • Prepare ahead of time and let the flavors in the meatball mix meld for up to 2 days in advance in the fridge.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 881mg | Potassium: 615mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 446IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 3mg