Mediterranean salad with turkey meatballs

I made this on a whim when I was really craving a super filling salad for dinner, had a bunch of ingredients in the fridge that I needed to use before it spoiled (1/2 an eggplant, some lemons, feta cheese), and was also in the mood for Middle Eastern or Mediterranean food. I was thinking about Taim’s spinach salad while preparing it but I don’t know how to make falafel, so I added turkey meatballs which I make often. And I was thinking about a seedy Mediterranean salad that chef Eden Grinshpan posted recently, so I added sunflower seeds for some crunch. Then I whipped out all of the flavor profiles that I love in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food like plain Greek yogurt for some sort of dressing, lemon + lime, dill seasoning, etc.

This dinner was an absolute flavor bomb, and I’m here writing about it before I forget what I did because I’m so worried that I won’t ever be able to recreate this kitchen-sink salad again if I don’t write it out. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Base layer:

• Bed of dark leafy greens (spinach or baby kale)

Cooked ingredients:

• 1/2 Eggplant

• 1 White onion (half for roasting, half for turkey meatballs)

• Ground turkey meatballs

  • 1 lb ground turkey

  • 5 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 white onion, chopped

  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • Salt + pepper

Salad dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• Lime (squeeze juice from 1/2 lime)

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• Salt + pepper

Meatball dressing:

• 1/4 cup plain, Greek yogurt

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Lime (squeeze juice from 1/2 lime)

• Generous amount of dill

• Salt + pepper

Toppings:

• Olive oil drizzle

• Balsamic drizzle

• Dill, sprinkled generously

• Raw sunflower seeds, sprinkled generously (can substitute with pistachios, pine nuts, etc)

• Sliced avocado

• Feta cheese (crumbled or in small blocks)

• Salt + pepper

Instructions

1. Meatballs: Warm a cast iron pan on medium-low with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Chop the garlic and onion separately. In a bowl, combine ground turkey and all of the meatball ingredients, including the garlic and onion. Roll into 1.5 inch meatballs and drop them onto the cast iron pan. Cook on medium-low heat for ~10 minutes on each side, flipping over halfway through and drizzling with extra olive oil when you flip. Meatballs should be slightly browned but not charred (lower heat to Low if cooking too fast on the outside) and cooked all the way through.

2. Roasted eggplant and onion: Preheat oven to 415 F. Chop 1/2 of an eggplant into 1 inch cubes, and slice 1/2 of the onion into narrow slices for roasting (Tip: For both the eggplant and onion, chop the vegetables as if you were grilling them onto a shish-kebab so that they are bite sized). Spread veggies out into a flat layer on a non-stick baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic, then toss. Roast for 20-25 minutes until slightly browned and cooked through. Season with salt + pepper.

3. Prepare salad dressing and green salad: Mix the dressing ingredients together, then in a large bowl with your leafy greens, lightly dress and toss the salad. I personally don’t use a separate bowl to mix the dressing; I just eyeball it and drizzle the ingredients over the greens.

4. Prepare yogurt dressing for meatballs: Mix the meatball dressing ingredients together in a small bowl with a fork or spoon. This is basically a quick and easy version of tzatziki sauce (without the cucumber or mint, but that would taste good too!)

5. Construct the salad: Lay out the dressed leafy greens onto a plate. First, top with roasted eggplant and onion. Then, add additional toppings (dill, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, avocado, salt + pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic). Lastly, top with meatballs and add a dollop of yogurt-sauce on top of each meatball). Tip: I really like this as a slightly-warmed salad, so I pop the plate into the oven for just ~3 minutes to warm up the spinach and feta.