Za’atar Turkey Meatballs With Tahini Yogurt

By Sheela Prakash

Updated March 25, 2026

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
35 min
Rating
5(406)
Comments
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Creamy tahini-spiked yogurt plays a dual role in these quick baked turkey meatballs: Half is combined with the ground meat and herby, earthy za’atar to ensure that the meatballs are extra juicy and tender, while the rest doubles as a drizzling and dipping sauce. How you choose to serve the duo of meatballs and tahini yogurt is up to you: Stuff them into split pita, serve them over cooked grains like rice or bulgur, or just sit them alongside a pile of garlicky greens.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ¾ cup plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt

  • 3 tablespoons tahini

  • 1 large garlic clove, grated or minced

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided

  • 1 teaspoon plus a pinch kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), divided

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 pound ground turkey

  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs

  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

  • 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon za’atar, divided

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • Oil, for forming the meatballs

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, tahini, garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Transfer ½ cup of the tahini yogurt to a small bowl and reserve.

  3. Step 3

    Crack the egg into the large bowl and, using a fork, lightly whisk it into the yogurt mixture. Add the turkey, panko, three-quarters of the parsley, 2 tablespoons za’atar, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper; mix lightly just until combined. Using oiled hands, roll into 16 meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on the prepared baking sheet. (The mixture will be quite soft.) Bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water to reserved tahini yogurt until thin enough to drizzle. (If it’s still too thick, add another 1 tablespoon water.) 

  5. Step 5

    Garnish the meatballs with the remaining parsley and za’atar and serve with the tahini yogurt.

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    Ratings

    5 out of 5
    406 user ratings
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    Comments

    Lanny

    Super-tasty. I think I’ll cut back on the panko by half next time — the recommended volume made my meatballs a little too “bready.” Otherwise a great and easy formula, will definitely make again. Served them in warmed pitas with lettuce, tomato and cuke one time; lettuce, tomato and sliced Kalamata olives a second time. The olives were a next-level flavor addition accompaniment.

    Carol O'Rourke

    I tried this recipe to make use of tahini and z'atar lingering from earlier recipes requiring not-so-usual pantry items. The meatballs were a delicious and I think, healthy protein for dinner. Btw, I cut the meatball recipe in half for just 2 of us and that worked just fine, though I wished I made more of the yogurt sauce. Yummy.

    Candlestick

    It's me, I am the person being cued! I very rarely add as much salt as NYT recipes call for. It's almost always too much salt. And I'm neither watching my sodium nor particularly salt-sensitive, and it's still too much salt. Having successfully halved or even quartered the salt in other NYT meatball recipes, I'm going to guess it will work just fine with this recipe, too.

    Candace Gallagher

    The flavor was very good, however, these turned out extremely dry. It may have been that I used 99% fat free turkey breast. If I try it again, I will use regular ground turkey and possibly add olive oil to the mix.

    Karen

    Moist and delicious! I needed an extra 4 minutes cook time (they were only around 150F at 18 minutes). I served them over quinoa tabbouleh for a refreshing summer supper.

    Merrill

    One of the best meatball recipes I’ve ever made. Mixed ground turkey and chicken. So moist & flavorful!

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