Greek Lamb Meatballs
Sautéed mushrooms, celery and garlic add flavor and help keep calories in check and portions hearty in this easy lamb meatball recipe. We like to serve these meatballs Middle Eastern-style: with warm pita, cucumbers, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce or hummus.
Servings
6 servings
Prep Time
25 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
Ingredients
- 8ounces mushrooms, chopped
- 1small onion, chopped
- 1stalk celery, sliced
- 4cloves garlic
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2cup fine dry breadcrumbs
- 1/4cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/4cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1tablespoon dried mint
- 1tablespoon dried oregano
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2teaspoon salt
- 1/2teaspoon ground pepper
- 1pound lean ground lamb
Instructions
- Finely chop mushrooms, onion, celery and garlic in a food processor. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Add breadcrumbs, pine nuts, feta, mint, oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper to the cooled vegetables; stir until combined. Add lamb and mix gently to combine (do not overmix). Form into 30 meatballs (a scant 2 tablespoons each) and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165°F, about 15 minutes.
Tips
Freeze baked, cooled meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven for about 25 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 6 servings)
| Calories | 219kcal |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrate Total | 12g |
| Total Sugars | 2g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Total Fat | 12g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Mono Saturated Fat | 5g |
| Cholesterol | 44mg |
| Sodium | 373mg |
| Protein | 17g |
| Potassium | 387mg |
| Calcium | 81mg |
| Folate | 42mcg |
| Omega-6 | 3g |
| Vitamin B12 | 1mcg |
| Vitamin E | 2mg |
| Zinc | 3mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 5mg |
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