Greek Grain Bowls
So let me start this entry off by asking y’all a serious question. Do you ever dream up an awesome recipe, then try to make said recipe & it’s like….”yea, this is OK but my idea didn’t fully come to fruition?” a little bit of a deflated balloon feeling? Well, that’s whatoriginally happened to me with this recipe.
I originally wanted the meatballs to be light, full of veggies & seriously delicious – which I’ve now learned is fucking impossible to do with Ground Chicken *eyerolllllll* So the 2nd time I tried my recipe again I opted for Ground Turkey (in Donald Trump’s voice *WRONG*)
ok so shit, I had to pull out the big guns – Ground Lamb. The skies opened up, angels sang & my husband actually said “damn these are really good” for a guy who doesn’t like lamb and simply wants meatloaf all the time. *wink* Great, so I’d finally nailed down the correct protein, I now needed to shed some of the “weird shit” that I decided to put in my meatballs the first time around.
third times the charm.
I’m saying this humbly. I’m saying this as a recipe-tryer. I’m saying this as a human. This was a true trial & error type of recipe. I feel stronger for my failures. Even as pissed off as I was each time. Except for the third time – third time was definitely, 100% the charm. Say it with me – yellow squash does NOT belong in meatballs. I thought I was on the brink of something special. Instead, I got dry-ass meatballs that were way less flavorful than I bargained for, with extra veggies shoved into them to boot – a double negative. Chris was not happy.
So, what you see in the pictures, it what I took on my first adventure when I was trying to bring this recipe to life – don’t pay attention to it because like I said, this was a damn journey. I didn’t feel like taking NEW pictures EVERY TIME I plotted a new course for this damn dish. Could you imagine how EXTRA pissed I’d be if I took new pictures every time & this dish still turned out to be crap? Most things remained the same – just a few much needed swaps — so stick to the pictures as a method rather than exact ingredients.
the love she deserves
This recipe is a halfsies – the meatballs & addition of crunchy salad underneath are ALL MINE. The roasted veggies & couscous are a Katie Lee invention – research “Sheet Pan Couscous” on Pinterest – ya welcome in advance because it’s a MUST with my meatballs! We absolutely love it – so easy too!
We originally saw her sheetpan recipe on an episode of The Kitchen — highly recommend watching! But Katie Lee’s dish was vegetarian — my lightbulb instantly went off. I loved the idea of sheetpan veggies, roasted in the oven and then couscous sprinkled overtop with hot chicken broth at the ready to pour over the concoction, steam it up with some tin foil and VIOLA! Perfect Greek meal!
Ingredients
· 1 LB Ground Lamb
· ¼ cup finely chopped combined dill & oregano, fresh
· 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
· 2 large shallots, finely chopped
· ½ cup Feta Cheese, smaller chunked
· 1 egg
· ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
· 1 TBS Greek Seasoning
· ½ TSP S+P
· Zest of ½ lemon
Instructions, 1
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Liberally spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray.
Mis En Place – you knowwww whats upppp.
Chop the fresh herbs & set aside.
Chop the garlic & the shallots, set aside.
Wash your lemon, for the love of Zeus.
If you are EVER putting lemon in your water or using the rind, kindly wash it with soap & water to remove any pesticides. Shit, I can’t believe I feel the need to say that, yet here we are.
Measure out the Feta, breadcrumbs, S+P and Greek Seasoning
((This recipe is by no means “quick” but when your hands are going to be touching raw meat, I’d prefer to have all my shit lined up so I can just dump it in as I go))
Instructions, 2
In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground lamb with the feta, garlic & shallots.
Next crack the egg directly into your meat mixture & add in the Greek Seasoning & both of the herbs – it should smell HELLA fresh!
I like to save the lemon zest & panko breadcrumbs for last – be sure to be mixing gently to not overmix your meatballs!
Eyeball it – don’t sweat it. take a chunk of your ground lamb mixture & gently roll out a golf-ball size meatball in your palm.
Place directly into your prepared muffin tin – so easy! Everyone stays contained & any grease stays in the muffin holder for way less mess.
Bake at 400 degrees for 24 minutes, flipping your meatballs over halfway thru.
The meatballs should be browned & fully cooked – the feta won’t melt like traditional cheese, but it will keep the inside of the meatballs juicy & perfect!
Enjoy these Greek Meatballs on a salad with more Feta, Tomatoes, Cucumbers & Red Onion or, shit go crazy & make the full monte with the delicious sheetpan couscous with roasted veggies – whatever you decide, you can’t go wrong!
Meatballs don’t have to be Italian
It’s officially summer now which means it’s gonna be hot as shit soon – or hell, maybe it already is. You probably won’t want to fuss with a recipe that takes forever in the oven or stirring a pot over a scorching stove. I’d say it’s a safe bet that my Greek Meatballs would cook up perfectly fine in the AirFryer but the sheetpan couscous definitely needs the oven. Read thru the entry & pick what you think is best for you! You could do one or the other (salad or sheetpan veggies) or go crazy like we do & do both! Although we do ½ the recipe for the sheetpan couscous since I prefer the crunch of cold romaine. Spinach is a welcome choice as would arugula – ooh I can just imagine that spicy bite now with all the other flavors! Be sure to pick up your favorite Tzatziki from your local Greek Place – I would tell you I have a recipe for it but that’s a big-ass lie because it’s still in the works. I can’t EVER seem to get my Tzatziki to be as thick, creamy & rich as authentic Greek restaurants do. Maybe it’s because I’m not Greek, who knows? Hope you’ll come up with your own vehicle for these meatballs to ride in & enjoy them wholeheartedly – Peace!
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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