Photo of Turkish meatballs with a cucumber-yogurt dipping sauce by WW

Turkish meatballs with a cucumber-yogurt dipping sauce

1
Points® value
Total Time
52 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
32 min
Serves
12
Difficulty
Easy
Lean ground beef is combined with fiber-rich bulgur and fragrant spices in this easy appetizer—it's absolutely perfect to serve for a New Year's bash. The meatballs also feature scallions, cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon, as well as a simple dipping sauce. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for larger gatherings. The best part is you can form the meatballs up to 6 hours before cooking and keep them refrigerated until you're ready to go. The dipping sauce can be made up to 6 hours ahead, too, but be sure to stir in the cucumber and radish just before serving.

Ingredients

Uncooked bulgur

½ cup(s)

Cooking spray

1 spray(s)

Uncooked 93% lean ground beef

½ pound(s)

Scallions

¼ cup(s), chopped, sliced

Cilantro

3 Tbsp, fresh, chopped, divided

Jarred minced garlic

1¼ tsp, divided

Ground cumin

1¼ tsp

Table salt

¾ tsp, divided

Paprika

½ tsp

Ground cinnamon

¼ tsp

Plain fat free yogurt

1 cup(s)

Cucumber

¼ cup(s), finely diced

Radishes

2 Tbsp, sliced, finely diced

Dill

1 Tbsp, fresh, chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook or soak bulgur according to package directions; drain any excess water and let cool.
  2. Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat baking pan with cooking spray.
  3. Put beef, scallions, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, 1 teaspoon each of garlic and cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, paprika, cinnamon and drained bulgur in a large bowl; combine ingredients with your hands until well-mixed.
  4. Roll meatball mixture into twenty-four 1 1/4-inch balls; place on prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, to make dipping sauce, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, radish, dill, remaining tablespoon of cilantro, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic, cumin and salt; mix well.
  6. To serve, place meatballs on a serving platter with toothpicks and spoon sauce into a small bowl. Yields 2 meatballs and about 1 1/2 tablespoons of sauce per serving.