Mediterranean Venison Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
Mediterranean venison meatballs with tzatziki are flavorful, tender, and perfectly balanced with fresh herbs and tangy pickled onions. Serve with flatbread, rice, or salad for a hearty meal.
Servings: 24 meatballs
Calories: 65kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic, grated
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup English cucumber, seeds removed and grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground venison (or other lean ground meat)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup grated yellow onion (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped (or ½ tablespoon dried parsley)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped (or ½ tablespoon dried oregano)
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped (or ½ tablespoon dried thyme)
Toppings (optional)
- pickled red onions
- Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
Tzatziki Sauce
- Combine all ingredients except cucumber and mint in a small bowl. Whisk until well-combined. Fold in cucumber and mint. Transfer to a glass jar for easy storage. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to let flavors marry. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- To a medium bowl add egg, milk, bread crumbs, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix together with a whisk. Let mixture sit while you prepare other ingredients (onions, garlic, herbs, etc.), about 5 minutes. The breadcrumbs will absorb the wet ingredients which helps the meatballs stick together.
- Add meat, onion, garlic, and herbs to the bowl. Gently mix together with your hands until well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to divide the meat into 24 equal portions, about 2 tablespoon each.
- Gently form each portion into a ball. Place meatballs on a parchment paper-lined pan, evenly spaced. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F and the outsides are golden brown.
- If you'd like to brown your meatballs a little more, you can broil them on high for 3-5 minutes after the initial cooking time.
Serving
- Top meatballs with chopped parsley and pickled red onions. Serve with tzatziki sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
- Any wild game meat, ground beef, etc. can be used in place of venison in this meatball recipe.
- I like to make my own tzatziki sauce. If you're short on time, there are storebought options as well!
- One of the secrets to tender meatballs is to gently mix the ingredients. If you overmix the ingredients or compact the meat mixture too much, you'll end up with tough meatballs.
- A cookie scoop is a handy tool to make evenly-sized meatballs. But, you can also portion them by hand.
- These venison meatballs are super tender, so they are best baked in an oven to avoid breaking them. You can cook them in a pan on the stovetop, but be careful when you flip them!
- Parchment paper is essential to making sure your meatballs don't stick to the baking sheet.
- Venison meatballs are perfect for freezing! You can freeze them either raw or cooked, then cook or reheat them later for a quick and convenient meal.
Nutrition
Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
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