College. I look back on my years at BYU and can’t help but smile. Those were life-defining years full of friends, family and a lot of fun. My time as a Cougar ranks among the best of my life.
It feels strangely surreal that today I paid the application fee for my oldest to attend my alma mater. She’s graduating early in December and hopes to start at BYU in January.
Do you think she’d mind if I tagged along for a few days to relive the college experience? I’m not sure which feeling I have strongest for her: excitement, pride or a little bit of jealousy.
I’ve shared one simple piece of dating advice with my daughter for college life: learn to cook and bake. Old-fashioned? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely. Many students are tired of cafeteria food and drive-thru meals. Cook for someone—even something simple—and you’ll win major points.
To celebrate my (fingers crossed) future BYU Cougar, here’s a fast, flavorful and impressive meatball recipe. They’re excellent on their own, and outstanding served with the tzatziki dipping sauce.
To all the cute BYU boys… you’re welcome.
Chicken Spanikopita Meatballs with Tzatziki Dipping Sauce
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Print Recipe
Yield: 18 meatballs 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 lb frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
- 1 tablespoon Montreal Grill seasoning
- Olive oil
Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients, breaking the spinach into small pieces as you add it. Drizzle 2–3 tablespoons of olive oil over the mixture and mix thoroughly with your hands. Form into 18 meatballs, about 1 1/2 inches each, and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake 13–16 minutes, until juices run clear.
- While the meatballs bake, stir together the tzatziki ingredients. Serve the sauce alongside the hot meatballs.
Notes
For a freezer meal: form the raw meatballs and freeze them on the baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and label with cooking directions. Thaw on a baking sheet before baking so they don’t freeze together into one large meatball.
- Author: Carole Jones
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 meatballs
- Calories: 116
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 385mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 49mg