Um, HELLO. Have you ever seen a extra vibrant meal? I imply, it’s at all times my aim to share stunning, vivid recipes with you that use recent, seasonal produce, however I needed to re-share this meal from final summer season that grew to become an prompt household favourite.
These unimaginable herby hen meatball pitas are loaded up with a creamy, spicy home made jalapeño tzatziki sauce, protein-packed hen meatballs, tons of herbs, and a rainbow of crunchy veggies. They’re SO FUN and take simply half-hour to make for the proper summer season dinner.
I present you precisely find out how to make this meal on this Good Mood Food episode on YouTube, so you’ll want to fireplace up the episode and assemble them proper alongside me! Your weeknight dinner is served.
Every part you’ll have to make these herby hen meatball pitas
Recent herbs and veggies are the important thing to meatballs themselves and the entire scrumptious toppings in these pitas. Oh, and prepare to do backflips for that scrumptious jalapeño tzatziki. Right here’s what you’ll want:
- For the jalapeño tzatziki sauce: I really first created and shared my original tzatziki sauce again in 2019 and I nonetheless put it on actually every thing. It’s recent, creamy, and has a protein punch because of Greek yogurt. You’ll make the sauce as is with the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, salt & pepper, however we’re additionally including some diced jalapeño for a kick of warmth!
- Herbs: if you happen to develop recent herbs in your backyard, this recipe is ideal for you. We’re including parsley, mint, and dill proper into the meatball combination, plus some dried oregano.
- Meatball combination: together with the herbs, the meatballs are made with lean floor hen (I like to recommend no leaner than 93%), an egg, panko bread crumbs, diced crimson onion & jalapeño, lemon zest, salt & pepper.
- For assembling: select your favourite pita bread, then add fantastic toppings like sliced cucumber, tomato, uncooked or pickled crimson onions, additional dill, and crumbled feta cheese.
Make these meatball pitas your individual
Are pitas a sandwich? Both approach, these are simply as simple to customise as your favourite sandwich. Right here’s what I can advocate:
- Swap your protein: be happy to make use of lean floor turkey, and even beef or lamb if you happen to’d like.
- Select your spice degree: if you happen to LOVE spicy meals like I do, hold the seeds within the jalapeños all through the recipe, and take into account topping with my home made pickled jalapeños! Should you’re serving kiddos or anybody who’s delicate to spice, I like to recommend eradicating the seeds or omitting the jalapeños altogether.
- Choose your bread: I’m obsessive about consuming this meal as an open-faced pita or a pita pocket, however you would additionally serve every thing in a wrap (gluten-free if you happen to’d like) and even on a mattress of rice or arugula. The choices are infinite! If you wish to hold this recipe gluten-free, you’ll additionally need to use gluten free bread crumbs.
Can I exploit a distinct sauce?
Certain! Should you’re not into tzatziki or are searching for a dairy-free (DF) possibility, strive one in every of these:
The best method to roll meatballs
I at all times simply use my fingers to type the meatballs for ease and to maintain them good and spherical. When doing so, I like to recommend wetting your fingers or coating them with a bit of olive oil or nonstick cooking spray to stop the meatball combination from sticking.
Ideas for prepping this meal forward of time
There are a number of simple methods it can save you time and prep these herby hen meatball pitas forward of time:
- Make the tzatziki sauce. Be at liberty to start out by mixing collectively the tzatziki sauce and storing it in an hermetic container within the fridge 1-2 days forward of time.
- Prep the meatballs. You may both roll the meatballs up and retailer them uncooked in an hermetic container within the fridge earlier than cooking them 1-2 days later, OR you may absolutely pan fry or bake the meatballs forward of time, retailer them within the fridge, and assemble the pitas 1-2 days later.
- Chop your veggies. Like with many recipes, you may pre-chop a whole lot of your produce forward of time and retailer it in hermetic containers within the fridge for 1-2 days.
Freeze the meatballs for later
Should you’re not utilizing the entire meatballs to make the pitas straight away, you may simply freeze them to make use of later:
- Prepare dinner first, then freeze: place your cooked meatballs in a freezer-safe, airtight container or bag and freeze them for as much as 3 months. Whenever you’re able to get pleasure from, let the meatballs thaw within the fridge for a number of hours or in a single day, after which reheat them in a pan on the stovetop till they’re good and heat earlier than assembling your pitas.
- Freeze earlier than baking: you may also freeze these meatballs earlier than cooking them! Kind your meatballs as instructed, place them on a baking sheet, and put them within the freezer for 1-2 hours. Then, switch your frozen meatballs to an hermetic, freezer-friendly bag or container and place them within the freezer for as much as 3 months. To thaw them, merely place them within the fridge for a number of hours or in a single day after which prepare dinner them as directed within the recipe.
Extra dinner recipes you’ll love
Get all of my dinner recipes here!
I hope you like these herby hen meatball pitas! Should you make them you’ll want to depart a remark and a ranking so I understand how you preferred them. Take pleasure in, xo!
Good Temper Meals Episode 9

The
Formidable Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Generally Indulgent, and Completely By no means Boring Recipes for Each Meal of the Day
Herby Rooster Meatball Pitas with Jalapeño Tzatziki

Completely scrumptious herby hen meatball pitas piled excessive with flavorful, protein-packed hen meatballs, recent veggies, and a creamy home made jalapeño tzatziki sauce. This simple, nourishing dinner comes collectively in half-hour and is the proper steadiness of savory, spicy, and recent.
Components
- For the jalapeño tzatziki sauce:
- 1 recipe for tzatziki sauce
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced (take away seeds if you’re warmth delicate)*
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound lean floor hen or turkey (round 93% lean is finest)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup finely diced crimson onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or sub ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons chopped recent parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped recent mint
- 1 tablespoon chopped recent dill (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- For meeting:
- 4 to eight items of pita bread, relying on the way you need to serve them
- 4 mini Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes, sliced
- ½ crimson onion, thinly sliced or pickled crimson onion
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Further recent dill
Directions
Make jalapeno tzatziki sauce: Whereas the meatballs prepare dinner, make your jalapeno tzatziki sauce by combining all substances for tzatziki sauce and diced jalapeno in a medium bowl. Put aside or cowl and place within the fridge till able to serve. This may also be made 1 to 2 days forward of time.
Put together the meatballs: Fill a small bowl with water and place it on the counter.
In a big bowl, add the bottom hen, egg, panko, crimson onion, garlic, jalapeno, parsley, mint, dill, oregano, lemon zest, salt and black pepper. Use clear fingers to combine till properly mixed; keep away from overmixing in any other case the meatballs will change into powerful. Kind into 16 golf ball sized meatballs, dipping your fingers in water between every meatball to stop sticking.
To pan-fry the meatball (my choice for extra taste!): In a big, deep nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium warmth. As soon as the oil is sizzling, add the meatballs, leaving about ½ inch between every (you might want to do that in batches, relying on what number of meatballs you may slot in your skillet with out overcrowding them), and brown on all sides till cooked by (a meat thermometer ought to register 165°F levels), 10 to 12 minutes. Switch the meatballs to a plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs, including extra oil, if crucial.
To bake the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a big baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the meatballs at the least an 1 inch aside on the parchment paper. Bake till a meat thermometer inserted into the meatball reads 165°F, 17 to 22 minutes.
Assemble and serve: You may both slice your pita bread in half and open it to stuff them, or you should use a complete pita bread and deal with it like a taco. It depends upon how thick your pita bread is. Both approach, dollop jalapeno tzatziki sauce in or on every pitta, then add 2 to three meatballs, a layer of tomatoes, cucumbers and crimson onion, feta and dill, if desired. Prime with a bit of extra jalapeno tzatziki, if desired, and revel in!
Recipe Notes
Vitamin
Serving: 1pita (with 1 piece of pita bread, absolutely assembled)Energy: 535calCarbohydrates: 47.5gProtein: 38gFats: 21.2gSaturated Fats: 5.5gFiber: 2.7gSugar: 5.9g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Formidable Kitchen | Images by: Eat Love Eats
This put up was initially revealed on June ninth, 2024, and republished on Might twenty eighth, 2025.
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