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30 Minute Meal

Greek Meatballs

Greek Meatballs - healthy and kid friendly weeknight meal

 

Yup, I love meatballs. They are fun to eat, they are relatively quick to make (especially if you bake them!) and you can do soooo much with them beyond the traditional Italian ‘sketti and meatballs.
Greek Meatballs with Arugula Salad - The Gingered Whisk
These meatballs were delicious! They were tender and sooo flavorful, and I love love loved that sauce! We ate these like crazy. Except for poor Ladybug who threw a fit because she had nothing to “soak it up” with. Apparently my girl still believes that meatballs need spaghetti. Luckily I had some pita on hand and she was content with that. Then (and only then) would she eat, but she ended up loving these, too! And how can you not love a good meatball?
Greek Meatballs with Arugula Salad - great kid friendly weeknight meal!
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Love meatball recipes? Try these family friendly favorites:
Greek Meatballs

Love meatball recipes? Try these family friendly favorites:

Greek Meatballs

Greek Meatballs

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

These flavorful, tender meatballs have so much flavor and a perfect dipping sauce. This family friendly meatball recipe is perfect for weeknights!

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 15 ounces "meatloaf mix" (a combination of ground beef, pork and veal)
  • 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup grated red onion
  • 1 TBSP chopped fresh mint
  • 1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Sauce:

  • 1 tsp fresh chopped mint
  • 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

Arugula Salad:

  • 1 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 4 cups baby arugula leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups diagonally sliced cucumber (seeded and peeled)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the ingredients for the meatballs.
  3. Form the mixture into about 1" balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  4. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until done.
  5. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ingredients for the sauce and process until smooth (about 10 pulses).
  6. In a large bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  7. Add the arugula and cucumber and toss to coat.
  8. Serve meatballs on a bed of the arugula salad, topped with a dollup of sauce and sprinkled with paprika, if desired.
  9. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 360 Total Fat: 19g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 10g Cholesterol: 132mg Sodium: 938mg Carbohydrates: 23g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 8g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 24g
© Jenni
Cuisine: Greek / Category: Main

(Cooking Light, May 2013)

By
7
About

Jenni lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her amazing husband, two girls, two dogs who think they are children, and a feisty cat. She is the creator of The Gingered Whisk, a recipe blog dedicated to finding easy, healthy-ish, and tasty weeknight meals that kids and adults alike will love. She is super passionate about helping every member of a family learn to love great food. When not cooking, eating, or thinking about food, she is often hiking around area parks, creating intricate legos castles with her girls, watching nerdy tv with her husband, or curled up in a corner somewhere reading a good book.

7 Comments

  • Reply
    Cher Rockwell
    June 14, 2013 at 4:37 PM

    This challenge was a fun reminder of how versatile meatballs can be.
    Your Greek version sound perfect for summer!

  • Reply
    shelley c.
    June 14, 2013 at 5:22 PM

    Hey, ladybug does have a point… but those meatballs look good enough to eat without anything to soak them up, so I'd say everyone wound up happy 🙂 I love the flavors you used, and the sauce sounds so yummy. Thank you for being you and for joining in 🙂

  • Reply
    SeattleDee
    June 16, 2013 at 12:59 AM

    Mint is a wonderful addition to the mix, and I love the idea of serving meatballs over greens instead of pasta. As always, your photos are terrific.

  • Reply
    korenainthekitchen.com
    June 17, 2013 at 8:20 PM

    Yum, what a great idea for these meatballs! I bet they would be good tucked into a pita wrap – Ladybug is obviously on to something 😉

  • Reply
    Suz
    June 18, 2013 at 8:43 PM

    Awww, Ladybug. 🙂 I do like my helping of starch to soak up a sauce, but I think I might just survive without it if I was served these beautiful meatballs. Actually, I really love how fresh and light the whole meal looks and the flavours sound so good. Zesty herby cheese sauce? COUNT ME IN!

  • Reply
    Lisa
    June 20, 2013 at 2:26 AM

    Oh, Jenni, these Greek meatballs look amazing! I could eat that sauce with a spoon, and putting it on perfectly herbed and spiced meatballs is brilliant! I feel like breaking a plate 🙂 Love to you and the little bun 🙂 xo

  • Reply
    Mira
    October 25, 2016 at 1:12 AM

    Yummy!

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