Greek Turkey Rice Bowls
Greek Turkey Rice Bowls are a healthy and filling rice bowl inspired by Greek flavors! This greek bowl recipe is great for meal prepping and eating clean all week long, and full of fresh and clean ingredients.
It's been awhile since I've cooked with Greek flavors and I have missed them so much! Usually I make my Falafel Quinoa Bowls, but I was craving something a bit more meaty, which is how these Greek Turkey Rice Bowls were born! I love rice bowls and adding ground turkey adds lean protein. These healthy bowls are full of Greek and Mediterranean flavors and is an easy dinner recipe that will be a regular on your meal rotation!
If you love Greek flavors, check out my Greek Fries and Greek Salmon Salad and finish it off with something sweet like No Bake Peanut Butter Pie!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Customizable - they are easy meals that can be customized for every palate. People just add the ingredients that they want, and everyone has their own bowl.
Kid Friendly - My kids LOVE rice and I usually make sure there's at least one other component they'll definitely eat, and then it's a great opportunity to introduce new foods to them. My kids also love my Chicken Burrito Rice Bowls and Indian Rice Bowls!
Meal Prep - I tend to make extras of all of the ingredients so, in addition to being one dinner for all of us, it can be a couple of lunches, too!
Ingredients
Ground Turkey - this recipe is made with lean ground turkey.
Spices - dried spices include oregano, basil, and dill which are in the greek turkey and the tzatziki.
Garlic
Sun-dried tomatoes - these flavorful tomatoes that are packed in oil add a ton of flavor to the Greek turkey.
Cherry tomatoes
Onion
Red wine vinegar
Olive Oil
Fresh Parsley - this is in both the tomato salad and the lemon parsley rice.
White Rice - fluffy white rice is perfect for the lemon parsley rice.
Greek Yogurt - plain greek yogurt is the main ingredient in tzatziki.
Cucumber - shredded cucumber is used in the tzatziki and also I like to add a few slices on top of the bowls. I love using English cucumbers if I can get my hands on them.
Kalamata Olives - these are sprinkled on top for a
Variations
This great recipe is delicious as written, but it is also very flexible!
Add cheese - A sprinkle of feta cheese on top would add some creaminess and tang to the Greek bowl.
Different Rice/Base - You can use white rice or brown rice for the lemon rice, or really whatever your favorite grain is, depending on your preference. Other grain ideas would be quinoa, couscous, barley, farro, and wheat berries!
Add lettuce - Some chopped romaine lettuce in place of or in addition to the rice would add some nutrients and more crunch to this rice bowl recipe.
More Vegetables - Chopped bell peppers in the tomato salad would add some great flavor and crunch! You could also add sautéed zucchini, kale, or mushrooms to the turkey.
Greek Bowl Recipe Meal Prep
This rice bowl recipe is perfect for meal prepping. This recipe will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I like to prepare all of the fresh ingredients at the start of the week so I have them in the refrigerator and ready for easy lunch and dinners.
Prepare the Greek ground turkey and the rice and store in the refrigerator. I like to put individual servings of the turkey and rice together in medium glass Tupperware containers, so I can microwave them together easily. Make the tomato cucumber salad and tzatziki and store those in separate containers so you can add them after the turkey and rice have been warmed up.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes. I think ground chicken, chicken breasts, and chicken thighs would work really well in this recipe. To use chicken breasts or thighs, simply dice them and cook them over medium high heat with some olive oil and the onion until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes, and then add the spices as noted in the instructions. This is also a great idea for leftover grilled chicken!
Definitely. If you want to save yourself a step, use a refrigerated tzatziki from the store.
Yes. You can make pretty much all of it ahead of time! Simply store the rice, tomato salad, tzatziki, and turkey in different containers so you can reheat the rice and turkey and then assemble with the rest of the components.
Absolutely! Hummus would be a delicious addition to these Greek rice bowls instead of or in addition to the tzatziki. Pita chips would also be a delicious addition.
I haven't done this but I think it would work really well. Simply cook your cauliflower rice as you typically would or according to package directions, and then add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley!
Serving Suggestions
Greek rice bowls are a meal in itself, however there are a few fun serving ideas that you could add!
Pita chips would be delicious to serve with this rice bowl recipe. You could either crush them up and sprinkle them on top, or serve them whole and use them as a dipper.
Hummus is a natural addition to these bowls. Hummus is a traditional Greek food and would be delicious on top of these bowls.
Warm pita bread would be a tasty side dish to these turkey rice bowls. Pita bread goes very well with tzatziki and cucumber tomato salad.
Other Recipes to Consider
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Greek Turkey Rice Bowls
Ingredients
Tzatziki:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon dried dill
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup shredded cucumber
Tomato Salad
- 10 ounces grape tomatoes quartered
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Lemon Parsley Rice:
- 1 ½ cups white rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- juice from 1 lemon
- zest from 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
Greek Turkey
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ white onion, diced
- 2 teaspoon cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ⅓ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (the ones in oil)
Other:
- 1 cucumber sliced
- kalamata olives for topping
Instructions
For the Tzatziki:
- In a medium bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, garlic, and cucumber. Season with salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Tomato Salad:
- Combine tomatoes, onion, parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Lemon Parsley Rice:
- Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cold water.
- Place broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until rice has absorbed the water.
- Remove from heat, add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley, and toss well. Set aside.
For the Turkey:
- While the rice is cooking, cook the turkey.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet.
- Add the turkey and onion, and cook until the turkey is browned and the onion is softened, breaking up the turkey into small pieces as it cooks.
- Add the garlic, oregano, and basil, and stir well to combine.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, and stir to combine, cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
Assembly:
- To each bowl, add rice, turkey, tomato salad, chopped cucumbers, olives, and top with tzatziki. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use ground chicken instead of turkey.
- Use store-bought tzatziki to save time.
- This is great for lunches! Prep everything in advance and divide into glass containers or Tupperware and you'll be set for a few days!
Hi! I am making this right now, but the ingredient list for the rice doesn’t list any butter or the amount. Thanks!
Hi Tania!
Sorry about that - it's 1 tbsp of butter 🙂 Adding it right now!
This recipe is delicious. I did end up using a high quality ready-made tatziki, though. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Andrea!
Great recipe! Made this for the first time tonight and the whole family loved it. I followed the recipe exact except bought tzatziki at Trader Joe’s. Will definitely be making again and adding some feta!
Excellent recipe! Flavors were excellent, easy, prep ahead meal for busy days or make it and eat it. I tweaked it a bit for my family: ground my own chicken (we are not fans of ground turkey) and used tomato paste in replacement of sun-dried tomatoes which were expensive and I was not sure my kids would be a fan of them. If you choose to do that, replace 1 Tbls paste for every 3-4 tomatoes. I eyeballed it and added a little olive oil to the meat mixture to replace the fat lost from not using the tomatoes. We also added pepperoncini peppers and feta. I left the grated lemon out of the rice because my family isn't head over heels for overly lemony things (I love it!). Highly recommended - will definitely put this in my rotation and make it again.
Awesome recipe, quick and easy to make and still delicious. I do buy the Tzatziki from the store to make it even easier. My boyfriend loves this meal too!
I made it with rice for my family and cauliflower rice for me. Used apple cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. Delicious. Added some salt to the meat.
My family really enjoyed this. We'll definitely be making it again!
Loved, loved, LOVED this, rice and the meat mixture too. Don’t change a thing! Thanks for the great recipe will definitely be making again!