Lamb Meatballs with Greek Orzo Salad and Whipped Harissa Feta

During Quarantine I challenged myself to work with different types of meat and fish, and lamb happened to be one of those. I never ate lamb growing up, but it is so easy to cook up! Ground lamb particularly is a nice and easy way to upgrade your meatball situation.

I love to make this meal when I'm feeding a group, or if I am meal prepping for myself. It's so easy to put together and easily stores in the fridge for 5-7 days.

This dish will have people saying "it's the whipped feta for me, it's the lamb meatballs for me, it's the pickled veggies for me, it's the greek orzo salad for me". Everything about it is just right. Also, it's super easy to swap out your protein to be flexible for different diets. If you don't want meatballs, then go for falafel. If you don't want the orzo, then go heavier on herbs, tomatoes, and cucumber. The flexibility is there for you if you need it.

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Get Started!

Prep Time: 30 Mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Servings: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1lbs Ground lamb (80/20)

• 1 large egg, beaten

• ½ cup breadcrumbs

• 5 cloves chopped garlic

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp red crushed pepper

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp salt and pepper

For the Orzo Salad

• 2 cups cooked orzo

• 1 medium red onion

• 1 cucumber

• 1 container cherry tomatoes

• ½ cup kalamata olives

• ½ cup fresh finely chopped parsley

• ¼ cup fresh finely chopped mint

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp Dijon

• Salt and Pepper

For the Whipped Feta

• 1 block of feta

• 1 lemon

• ½ cup Greek yogurt

• ¼ cup harissa

Optional Sides

• Peperoncini peppers

• Beet cabbage kraut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and begin to prep your balls. Mix your meat and other ingredients so they are evenly distributed in the mixture. Form these into small balls, I’ll let you decide how big you want them😉

2. Prior to popping these in the oven, sear your meatballs on the stove top. DO NOT skip this step! Not only does it give the meatballs a nice crispy texture, but it also helps hold in the juices while they cook in the oven. Add about 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to a pan on medium heat. Let these cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, moving them around to have a sear on most of the meatball.

3. Once your meatballs are seared, add them to a sheet pan lined with parchment, drizzle with olive oil, and let them cook for 20 mins.

4. While the meatballs are cooking, combine the ingredients for the Greek orzo salad to a large bowl. Once you have all of the chopped vegetables, herbs and room temperature orzo. In a separate bowl add Dijon, olive oil, red wine vinegar, chopped parsley and mint, and salt & pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and let it coat the mixture. If you’re like me and love more dressing than less, add more olive oil and red wine vinegar as necessary.

5. In a food processor add your feta, Greek yogurt, lemon, and harissa. Blend until this is nice and creamy. This consistency is up to you, if you want to make it more chunky that works too!

6. When your meatballs are done cooking you can begin to plate. Start by spooning and spreading your whipped feta to the plate. Add your meatballs and orzo salad to the plate and garnish with fresh parsley.