Mediterranean Meatballs Recipe With Creamy Lemon Herb Sauce by Jan Mostrom

Mediterranean is seeing its day as the world is noticing the health benefits and great tastes the healthy eating plan has to offer! (Read about the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.) These baked Mediterranean-inspired meatballs are full of fresh herbs and feta, and they're so easy to put together. The recipe makes 32 good-sized meatballs, so there is plenty for dinner and maybe even a few leftover to stuff in a pita or top a salad for lunch the next day.

Mediterranean food uses fresh, whole ingredients, so you’ll want to have these on hand to make these yummy meatballs with lemon herb yogurt sauce for dinner tonight: ground beef, turkey or chicken (I used ground turkey), feta cheese, fresh oregano, fresh parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, an egg, kosher salt, black pepper, Greek yogurt, cucumbers, fresh mint, fresh dill, lemons for juicing and rice for serving.

These moist gluten-free meatballs are wonderful for dinner on top of fluffy basmati rice drizzled with the lemony yogurt sauce. You could add a fresh salad as a side dish with a light vinaigrette. So good!

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Cuisine: Mediterranean
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 (makes about 32 meatballs)

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 2 pounds ground turkey, chicken or lean beef
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Lemon Yogurt Sauce 

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt
• 1 large regular cucumber or 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated 
• 3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• zest and juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 2 cups cooked basmati rice, for serving (optional)

Recipe Notes

• Cucumbers can be easily de-seeded by peeling, cutting into long quarters and using a metal spoon to scrape the seeds out of the center of the cucumber.

• I served my meatballs over rice, but you could also serve them alone or over quinoa, farro or your favorite grain, or over potatoes.
  

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Place the oven rack 6 inches from the top and turn oven on to broil. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set to the side.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground meat, feta, parsley, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, beaten egg, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt.
   
3. Mix the ingredients together to combine. (I like to use clean hands to mix it together.)
   
4. Shape meat into 32 meatballs about the size of a golf ball.
   
5. Place the meatballs under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through.
   
6. While the meatballs are in the oven, make the yogurt sauce. In a small mixing bowl, combine sauce ingredients and gently blend with a fork. Taste to see if you need more salt and black pepper.
   
7. Serve the meatballs over cooked rice with a generous dollop of yogurt sauce and enjoy!
   
   

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