Turkey Patties with Smoky Lemon Crema
over a Bed of Roasted Veg
- Milk
- Wheat
Patties don’t always need to be sandwiched between buns, and tonight’s dinner is the most delicious example of that philosophy. Turkish-spiced turkey patties are drizzled with spicy, tangy harissa lemon crema. That’s all tossed over zesty roasted sweet potato, bell pepper, and zucchini. The finishing touch is some salty feta, which only adds to the colorful palette—and we don’t just mean ROYGBIV, we’re talking about your refined palate that’s ready to dig into this mouthwatering dish.
Ingredients
½ cup
Feta Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Red Onion
10 ounce
Ground Turkey
2 tablespoon
Sour Cream
1 unit
Zucchini
1 unit
Lemon
1 unit
Sweet Potato
1 clove
Garlic
1 tablespoon
Harissa Powder
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Turkish Spice Blend
1 unit
Bell Pepper
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
3 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position (top and middle positions for 4 servings) and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. • Dice sweet potato into ½-inch pieces. (TIP: Peel if desired.) Core, deseed, and dice bell pepper into 1-inch pieces. Halve, peel, and cut onion into ½-inchthick wedges. • Toss sweet potato, bell pepper, and onion on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, 1 tsp harissa powder (2 tsp for 4), and a pinch of salt and pepper. TIP: If you prefer a milder flavor, use less harissa powder. • Roast on top rack until veggies are tender, 22-25 minutes. (You’ll add more to the sheet after 10 minutes.)
• While veggies roast, zest and quarter lemon. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. • In a small bowl, combine sour cream, ¼ tsp harissa powder (½ tsp for 4 servings), a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, pepper, a pinch of lemon zest to taste, and garlic to taste (you’ll use the remaining garlic in step 4). (Be sure to measure the harissa powder; we sent more.) Stir in water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency.
• Once veggies have roasted 10 minutes, remove sheet from oven. Carefully stir veggies, then push to one side of sheet. Toss zucchini on empty side with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. (For 4 servings, add zucchini to a second baking sheet; leave veggies roasting and add zucchini to middle rack.) • Return to top rack until all veggies are tender, 12-15 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine turkey*, panko, Turkish Spice, remaining garlic, salt (we used ¾ tsp), and pepper. (For 4 servings, use 1½ tsp salt.) • Form into 6 (12 for 4) 1½-inch meatballs. TIP: Wet hands or coat with oil first to prevent sticking.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over mediumhigh heat. Add meatballs to pan and gently press down with a spatula to make ½-inch-thick patties. (For 4 servings, cook patties in batches if necessary.) Cook until browned and cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side.
• Sprinkle roasted veggies and roasted zucchini with half the feta and half the remaining lemon zest; stir to combine. • Divide between plates. Top with patties. Drizzle with as much smoky lemon crema as you like. Garnish with remaining feta and lemon zest. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the spicy, flavorful dish, though some found it too hot; adjust harissa to taste for perfect heat 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple for most, though some found it took longer than expected; roasting veggies at a lower temperature may help.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more sauce or crema; some preferred crumbled turkey over patties for better texture and moisture.
- Portions: Several found the meal light on veggies or overall portion size; adding extra vegetables could make it more filling.
- Texture: Turkey patties were hit-or-miss; some found them dry or dense, while others enjoyed the seasoning and flavor.
Reviews from our home cooks
My husband is very resistant to any dish with turkey but he kept raving about this one. The turkey patties with the smoky lemon crema were the best part of the meal. The flavors were very complementary. I went a little overboard on the harissa though and learned a good lesson. A little harissa goes a long way.
The Turkey patties and veges came out as exactly the recipe card is - love it. With feta cheese in the roasted veges are awesome. Full flavors and a kicks of spiciness from the seasoning are perfect to this recipe. Plus smokey Lemon creama.
The Smoky Lemon Crema was very good. Great drizzle for anything really. Roasted veggies were very good too. Patties cooked really fast so be careful not to overcook them. I really liked the spices in this recipe.
WAY too spicy- i don't mind heat but this was prepared following the recipe and was wayyyy too much spice. It would be better if the crema wasn't spicy on top of the spicy turkey patties. Also- would have loved more crema (to help cool off the heat!) Otherwise, really tasty recipe that i will be recreating minus the spice :)
Really tasty. Turkey patties could have used an egg or mayo to keep the meat juicy. Love the smoky lemon crema.
These were surprisingly our favorite meal from the box. The turkey patties were juicy and the smoky lemon cream paired perfectly with the spices mixed in to the pattties and the veggies
So good! Lots of veggies that were all delicious with the lemon crema & feta toppings! Turkey patties were seasoned very nicely.
This recipe tasted unlike anything I had ever tried before. I really liked the combination of the harissa, garlic, lemon, and feta. The turkey patties were addictive!
I totally agree turkey patties do not need a bun! Thanks for the foundational bed of veggies. This was delicious! I did made a little more of the sauce. We love sauce. Loved the use of the Middle Eastern spices, especially the harissa. Yum!
It was easy to prepare. Turkey patties tasted good. I liked lemon crema sauce.
