My son loves meatballs and I love Greek food, so I decided to make a Greek-inspired meatball. I used many of the ingredients I love from a Greek salad and rolled them into mini meatballs. Add a little orzo, and you have a meal that would make Zeus beg for seconds.
Greek Mini Meatballs and Roasted Vegetable Orzo
Equipment
- 1 large sheet pan
- 1 mixing bowl
- parchment paper
- 1 box grater
- 1 large serving bowl
- 1 colander
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lbs ground beef or lamb
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro set 1/4 of ingredient aside for orzo
- 3/4 cup parsley set 1/4 of ingredient aside for orzo
- 1/4 cup chopped mint set 1/4 of ingredient aside for orzo
- 1 cup feta cheese (crumbled) set 1/4 of ingredient aside for orzo
- 1 tbsp oregano dried
- 1 tbsp garlic grated
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/4 tbsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed. Meyer lemons are the juiciest. Save 1/2 cup for orzo
- 1 egg
- 1 cup carrots grated
- 1 cup mixed bell peppers chunks or rounds if using mini peppers
- 30 cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup purple onion cut in half, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 handfuls baby spinach coarsely sliced
Instructions
- preheat oven to 400F and prep all vegetables.
- line sheet pan with eco-friendly parchment paper.
- Using a large mixing bowl add meat, cilantro, parsley, mint, feta, oregano, garlic, salt, cinnamon, ¼ cup of lemon juice, andegg, Mix everything together by hand until thoroughly combined.
- Place carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions on the sheet pan. Drizzle with the avocado oil and a pinch of salt and mix around. Place pan in oven for 10 minutes then remove.
- Form the meat mixture into small balls all around the same size. A good size is a generous tablespoon. Place the formed meatballs on top of the vegetables. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and meatballs are slightly brown.
- Cook the orzo. Once done, set aside a cup of pasta water and drain the orzo in a colander. Once drained add the spinach, the remaining herbs and feta, olive oil, lemon juice and ¼ cup of the pasta water, give it a toss. Add half the roasted vegetables with all the juices from the tray and toss everything together. If it seems dry, add a bit more of the pasta water and continue to toss. Repeat until you are happy with the results. Then add the remaining vegetables and juices on the top of the orzo and top off with the meatballs as in the accompanying picture.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
8/08/22
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