Hummus with Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs ~ I made a meal out of my favorite creamy hummus appetizer simply by topping it with tender turkey meatballs lightened up with fresh shredded zucchini.
It doesn’t get any better than hummus. Unless of course you top it with skewers of juicy turkey zucchini meatballs and drizzle it all with a lemony yogurt sauce. Just writing about it makes me hungry all over again. Add some fluffy HOMEMADE PITA BREAD and a jug of wine and you’ve got a feast.
We eat plain hummus for dinner all the time, but these skewers give the dish a little extra ‘main course’ gravitas. The meatball recipe is adapted from my Turkey and Zucchini Burgers, which comes from the great Yotam Ottolenghi. The zucchini makes the meatballs super light and juicy. If you like, the hummus can be made ahead of time, and the meatballs can be formed, but I always think meatballs are best cooked at the last minute. It only takes a few minutes, so it’s well worth it.
If you’re intrigued by the idea of making a meal out of hummus, try my Hummus and Spiced Lamb, it’s absolutely luscious.
I have lots of other recipes on the blog either directly from, or inspired by, Yotam Ottolenghi, the Israeli/British chef who’s creative recipes have inspired me more than any other single person ~ you can see them all here. Some of my favorites are:
Hummus with Turkey & Zucchini Meatballs
Ingredients
hummus
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and WELL rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup tahini
- toasted pine nuts and olive oil for garnish
meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey, i used white meat
- 2 cups grated zucchini, about two small
- 3 green onions, very thinly sliced
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 4 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 4 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- oil for browning
yogurt sauce
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 Tbsp tahini
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- water to thin
Instructions
- Make the hummus first. Put the chickpeas in a food processor, along with the garlic and lemon juice, and puree until very smooth. You will have to scrape down the sides of the machine occasionally. Let the machine to its work for several minutes to get a smooth puree.
- Add the tahini and salt and puree again. I add water at this point to thin the hummus down a bit, maybe 1/2 cup. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Refrigerate until needed.
- For the meatballs put the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Break it apart as you put it in.
- Wrap the shredded zucchini in paper towels and squeeze the moisture out. Add it to the bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix with your fingers until well combined, but don't over work the meat.
- I use a 1 1/2 inch scoop to scoop each meatball and then roll it lightly with my hands. Set on a platter while you finish them all. The mixture will be very wet and loose, but will firm up as it cooks, so don't worry. I like the cover and chill the meatballs for about an hour, but that's optional. You can proceed right away if you like.
- Heat oven to 400F
- Coat the bottom of a skillet with oil and heat until quite hot. Brown the meatballs, in batches, for a few minutes so that all sides get brown.
- Transfer the meatballs to a baking pan and carefully thread about 3-4 meatballs each onto skewers. Set the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. You can check with a thermometer if you like, the interior should be at or close to 165F.
- Serve the meatballs warm on top of the hummus, and drizzle with sauce.
- For the sauce, mix the ingredients together and add enough water to thin it to a drizzling consistency. Taste to adjust the flavors if you like.
Thanks for pinning this Hummus with Turkey & Zucchini Meatballs
LOVE hummus and anything ottalenghi! Such a good idea to pair his turkey meatballs with hummus for a main meal – so full of those gorgeous middle-eastern flavours and super healthy too!! 🙂
I absolutely love recipes like this! Those flavors are just so delicious.. I’m suddenly starving!
What a great summer dinner. Love the meatballs!!
Meatballs are always a hit and since I’ve made these, I already know they are! Perfect!
Hi Sue, this recipe is a keeper, I love everything about it. I have this cookbook but have not made this recipe yet. Sometimes I go back through my books and find whole new recipes that I fall in love with. Have a great week-end!
I eat hummus nearly every day. Love these Mediterranean flavors!
We do too Laura – it’s a good thing it’s so easy to change up!
Meatballs and hummus are such a great combination! I bet these would be excellent folded into a wrap with some soft lettuce. So good.
Absolutely!
Oh wow this looks amazing! I was lucky enough to work at an amazing Lebanese restaurant in college and ate fresh homus with grilled chicken for dinner about 3 nights a week! (my secret to never gaining beer weight, haha!) This brings me back, but those turkey meatballs really step it up. I cannot wait to try this!
I love that — I haven’t posted a chicken and hummus recipe yet, you’ve inspired me 🙂
OMG this looks amazing! I, too, have made the burgers, and they are yummy! I will be buying the ingredients for the meatball version this weekend. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for another mouthwatering post!
You’re welcome 🙂 Thanks for visiting Purple Queen!
Sounds like my kind of dinner! I have made the burgers and they’re so… good! Such a great idea to change them into meatballs!