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Greek meatballs on a speckled plate with whipped feta and orzo.
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5 from 17 votes

Greek Meatballs with Sun-dried Tomato Orzo and Whipped Feta

Greek inspired baked lamb meatballs on top of easy sun dried tomato orzo with a swoosh of luscious whipped feta is an impressive (and surprisingly easy!), and delicious meal that everyone will love.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: dinner, Main Course, Mains
Cuisine: American, greek
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 740kcal
Author: Jessica

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • ½ large onion grated
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped
  • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ lemon (zest)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper replace with black pepper for no heat

For the Orzo:

For the Whipped Feta:

  • 7 ounce package of feta cheese
  • ¼ cup full fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Cut one onion in half. Grate one half of the onion and finely dice the other half. Set the diced onion aside for the orzo.
  • Mince three cloves of garlic. Set aside one clove for the orzo
  • Chop up parsley and mint. Chop a little extra for garnishing plates at the end.
  • In a large bowl place ground lamb, grated onion, two cloves minced garlic, mint, parsley, cumin, oregano, lemon zest, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix gently with hands until combined. Do not over mix!
  • Coat hands in a little bit of oil and form meat mixture into tablespoon sized balls. Place on a baking sheet with a little space between them. This makes about 12-15 meatballs. Bake for 18-20 minutes until meatballs are browned and cooked through.
  • While the meatballs are baking, prepare the orzo. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Add in onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in garlic and orzo and cook for another 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant and orzo is toasted. Stirring frequently.
  • Add 2 cups broth to the skillet and stir, scraping up any orzo that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and add in sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently until orzo is al dente. Add in a little bit more broth if it becomes too dry. During the last minute of cooking, wilt in 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves. Once orzo is cooked and spinach is wilted, squeeze in juice of half a lemon. Check for seasoning and set aside.
  • In a food processor add feta, greek yogurt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Whip on high until smooth and creamy.
  • To serve, place a serving of orzo on one side of the plate. Arrange meatballs on top. Dollop or swoosh whipped feta on the other side and garnish plate with more fresh mint and parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe will work with any type of meat. Just make sure that there is some fat content.
For best results, make the recipe components in the order outlined in the post. This will help you have everything ready at the same time!
Use orzo pasta. I don't recommend using any other shape. It just doesn't have the same vibe.
When making meatballs, break up the meat before you add vegetables, herbs and spices. This increases the surface area for the add-ins to distribute throughout the ground meat without overmixing it. Overmixing ground meat can lead to tough, chewy meatballs.

Nutrition

Calories: 740kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 953mg | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 635IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 322mg | Iron: 4mg