Why This Recipe Works

Enter orzo—a rice-shaped pasta with a rare talent for maintaining its shape and texture when cooked, especially when pretoasted. So we pretoasted the orzo in olive oil and garlic, using a 6-inch cake pan. Then we parcooked the pasta in a warmly spiced tomato sauce. Meanwhile, we shaped our turkey meatballs using shredded zucchini, a healthy way to add vegetables to the dish, replace the traditional panade, and give the meatballs moisture and tenderness. We nestled the meatballs into the parcooked orzo and sauce, then air-fried the meatballs until they had simmered on the bottom and were lightly roasted on the top. Finally, we added crumbled feta and air-fried everything together for the last few minutes. By the time the meatballs had reached their proper temperature, the cheese had melted and was just beginning to brown. You can substitute traditional orzo for the whole-wheat orzo; do not substitute other pasta shapes.

Before You Begin

Be sure to use ground turkey, not ground turkey breast (also labeled 99 percent fat-free), in this recipe. Ground chicken also works well here. You will need a 6-inch round nonstick or silicone cake pan for this recipe; before starting this recipe, confirm your air fryer allows enough space for the pan.

Instructions

Combine orzo, oil, and half of garlic in 6-inch round nonstick cake pan, then spread into even layer. Place pan into air-fryer basket and place basket into air fryer. Set temperature to 400 degrees and cook until orzo is lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

Stir tomato sauce, water, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, cinnamon, and cloves into orzo mixture until evenly combined. Return basket to air fryer and cook until orzo is al dente, 18 to 22 minutes.

Using hands, lightly knead turkey, zucchini, oregano, salt, remaining garlic, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper in medium bowl until mixture forms cohesive mass. Using lightly moistened hands, pinch off and roll mixture into 8 meatballs. (Meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Stir orzo mixture gently to recombine. Nestle meatballs into orzo and cook until meatballs are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle feta over meatballs and cook until meatballs register 160 degrees and feta is spotty brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

Transfer pan to wire rack and let meatballs and orzo rest for 5 minutes. Drizzle with extra oil and sprinkle with extra oregano before serving.