Lamb and beef meatballs with whipped feta yogurt
30 min · 39 g protein · 391 cals / serving
Juicy oven-baked meatballs of lamb and lean beef with mint, cumin and garlic, on a thick swoosh of feta whipped into Greek yogurt with lemon, and a crunchy cucumber and tomato salad on the side. Big flavour, short list, half an hour.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 7 oz ground lamb
- 10 1/2 oz ground beef (95% lean)
- 1 small zucchini, coarsely grated and squeezed dry
- 2 1/2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 small onion, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- a handful fresh mint, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Whipped feta yogurt
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 1/4 cups nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Salad
- 1 large cucumber, diced
- 2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet. Mix all the meatball ingredients with your hands until just combined, roll into 20 balls and space them out on the sheet. Bake 12–14 minutes, until browned and 160°F in the centre.
- Meanwhile blend or whisk the feta, yogurt, lemon zest and juice until smooth and thick. Taste: the feta is salty, so it rarely needs more.
- Toss the cucumber, tomatoes and red onion with the oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt.
- Spread the whipped feta yogurt over a platter or four plates, pile the hot meatballs on top and serve the salad alongside.
Good to know
Can I make them all lamb?
Yes: all lamb tastes richer and more gamey, and ground lamb carries a lot more fat, at about 62 instead of 70.
Why grated zucchini?
It keeps lean meatballs moist without anyone noticing it is there. Squeeze it hard in a towel first, or the mixture goes soft.
What else could I serve with them?
A warm pita or a scoop of couscous for anyone who wants more, and the whipped feta yogurt doubles as a dip the next day.
Per
- Calories
- 85
- Protein
- (41%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (40%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (18%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 162 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1564 kcal goes into the pot and 2010 g of ingredients comes out as about 1845 g of food: 85 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.