Spiced Turkey Skewers With Cumin-Lime Yogurt
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4large pitas
- 1tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1cup full-fat (at least 5 percent) Greek, skyr or other thick yogurt
- 1lime, halved
- 1tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- 1pound ground turkey, preferably dark
- 1tablespoon ground turmeric
- 1medium red onion, peeled and halved (one half grated and strained, and the other sliced into 1-inch wedges)
- ½tablespoon sumac powder (optional)
- 1packed cup fresh mint sprigs
- 2Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced into thin coins
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
452 calories; 16 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 834 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Soak 8 bamboo or wooden skewers in water for 10 to 30 minutes before you begin the recipe.
- Step 2
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush the pitas with oil, place on a sheet pan under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes per side, then wrap in foil to keep warm.
- Step 3
In a small serving bowl, stir together the yogurt, juice of ½ lime, ½ teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Scoop out ¼ cup of the yogurt mixture and place in a large mixing bowl. Place the remaining yogurt in the refrigerator.
- Step 4
Gently combine the turkey, remaining cumin, turmeric, grated onion and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in the bowl with the yogurt until most of it has a mustard-orange hue. Divide the meat into 8 similar-sized loose balls. Lightly wet your hands so the meat doesn’t stick, then shape the meat around the skewers by placing the meat in one hand, pressing the skewer in the center, then using the fingertips and thumb of the bottom hand to shape the meat by lightly pressing it to create an oblong shape.
- Step 5
Place the skewers in the center of a sheet pan and sprinkle the sliced onion on the outskirts. Use your hands to rub the onions and the outside of the skewers with oil, then season the onions with salt. Place the remaining ½ lime on the pan cut-side up, and roast until the outside of the meat is a darker mustard color and no longer pink inside, 11 to 14 minutes.
- Step 6
Squeeze the lime juice on top of the turkey and slide the meat off the skewers. Place the pitas on a serving plate, spoon some of the reserved yogurt on them, then place the turkey and onion slices on top. Sprinkle all over with the sumac, if using, and serve with mint, cucumbers and the remaining yogurt.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Carla W
I shaped the chicken mixture around the skewers on a broiler pan coated in olive oil as my mixture was quite wet. Squeeze the onion out VERY well. I made the yogurt sauce first, then prepped the chicken mixture. Toasted pita breads in a hot pan last and wrapped in foil to keep warm. Could do with extra grilled and salted red onion. I dressed the cuke and mint with a generous glug of strong olive oil, the squeezed lime juice and sprinkled sumac on top. Very fast and flavorful.
JHBK
Very flavorful and easy recipe with little clean up. Skipped the skewers but shaped the meat as if they had them. Looked a little phallic but saved the trouble of soaking and removing the skewers.
Nenis
This was relatively quick and tasty, but got a very wet turkey mix thanks to onion juice. Added some panko to fix that. It also took closer to 20 min and I finished off on the grill to get more color and grill marks. The yogurt and grilled onions were glorious. Will add more next time. Don’t skip the sumac!
Cathy
I made this as written-it was very good but you could easily make these as meatballs and skip the skewer all together. I did grate my red onion as directed and put it in a fine mesh strainer, pressing to release liquid so the consistency of the meat was perfect.
Sky
Serve with hot sauce! It gives you just a little bit of heat that wakes up all the other spices in the dish.
Blossom
This looks delicious! I've stopped eating beef for the most part, so it's always good to see recipes for new ways to cook turkey. I always have ground turkey on hand. As for the people throwing a fit about sheet pan recipes, there's millions of other recipes out there that don't involve the oven! I personally would rather use the oven for this vs a cast iron pan. My kitchen smokes up badly whenever I grill anything on the stovetop in cast iron.
Thomas Burns
Remove skewers before serving. Why bother to use them?
Carol G
Inedible- loose and wet. I used light turkey, because that’s what I had. But the yogurt made the recipe way too wet and it imparted an off flavor. The oven temp in this recipe is too low, the blobs did not develop the crust as shown in the picture, 400’ heat or a BBQ would be better.
megan mcconnell
Really not good. Made it exactly as written.
Anita
Not a hit in our house. The texture was mealy; the taste was oddly bitter; and visually? Sorry folks, like something the cat coughed up, though I would have had an easier time forming that around a stick. Kids liked the seasoned yogurt and the baked lime, though, so one star for that.
Barg
One of the absolute best meals I’ve ever made and so easy.
Megan
This was so delicious. I made homemade naan so it took longer but it all worked out so well. My family loved it, including my 2-year old.
Ari
Cooking time is way off (closer to 20-25)
Fran
Made this (almost) as written. Skipped the skewers - mixture was too wet for them anyway. Upped the oven temp to 400 and then used convection for the last 5 min to help with the color. It was very good. I balked at the amount of cumin and turmeric but it wasn’t overpowering. I suspect those struggling with an overly wet mixture are either not draining the onion enough and/or using too much yogurt. Hope this helps!
One-Off
Made exactly per recipe. Turkey mixture was wet, pasty, and didn’t brown at 350 for 14 mins. I did let the onion liquid drain but maybe I’ll try squeezing the liquid next time. Agree with others that there is no need for the skewers. Would have been easier formed into maybe 12 balls. Color presentation at the table was nice with the turmeric, sumac, mint, and cukes. How do you blend the spices well into the turkey without it just turning into a paste?
TM
Add a little olive oil to the yogurt for the sauce
Zapes
I’ll never make this one again. Too much cumin & turmeric. Needs other seasonings. There are better recipes out there.
Jill
Really liked this. I put the meatballs on top of the onion slices when I roasted them in the oven, no skewers, and added some hot rub mix in addition to the called for ingredients. Put on warm pita with a homemade Tzatziki.
Lesley B
skipped the skewers and made the shape and they came out great!
nicole
I made meatballs instead of putting the turkey on skewers because I didn't have any- worked great!
Carey
Really delicious but needed an extra kick. I added hot sauce to the yogurt for that, but next time I’d add some more spices to the meat to add depth: touch of cayenne, garlic or garlic powder, maybe some za’atar.
Rachel
These were delicious, if not a tad bland. Making them was a comedy of errors—out of yogurt, then huz bought fat free, grocery order omitted cucumbers so we served with peas—but they ultimately came together great. Next time would add some binder to keep the turkey mix a little less loose and add extra onion slices to the pan while roasting. Used metal skewers that I had on hand in lieu of wood. Next time will add a bit of heat to the turkey.
ventura
Sauce 5. Turkey 1. I may have been overzealous in squeezing the moisture out of the veg as well as the frozen/thawed ground Turkey i used. I found the turkey dry, mealy and flavorless unless it was drenched with the yummy sauce.
Malika
I made this the other night! Quick for weekdays, healthy and loved the flavor! Definitely have to make sure onion is strained well. I also cooked the onions for a little longer to get them nice and crisp. Topped w zaatar. Wondering if anyone has any recommendations on cocktails or wine to pair with this??
carol
I made this to rave reviews ... would advise skipping the skewers and baking the meat. Used plain nonfat yogurt and all was good. the juice from the roasted lime that is squeezed onto the meat before serving is - IMHO - what makes the meal.
JEG
Flavor was great. This was a healthy, tasty and quick meal. Ground turkey can have an odd texture, so may try with chicken next time. I very finely diced the onion which was quicker and added scallions for a topping too. Cooking time was a bit longer than11-14 min.
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