Jen, I feel ya on the hangry 4.5-year-olds at your feetI have two of them! My 4yo, in typical style, did not try any, but my husband, who is also a picky eater, had three helpings. I realize as I type this that this makes us sound like simpletons but Ill have to swallow my pride along with these delicious meatballs. Six years ago: Caramelized Shallots, Peanut Sesame Noodles, Almond Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote and Cauliflower, Bean and Feta Salad I usually have a batch kicking around in the freezer, but none are there right now. :-). Not just any lamb meatballs, though. For a one-pot minimum-cleaning operation you could brown the meatballs ( browning makes them so much tastier) in the pressure cooker, remove meat balls, soften onion etc in same pot, add sauce ingredients, cook for the required minutes ( under pressure, of course), then return meatballs to pot and finish for a few minutes. Perfect as well (and delicious). And now to find some lamb. Smitten Kitchen's meatballs felt like everything the blog stands for: simple, approachable, and reliable. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 more minute. But I adored the flavors of the end result; I followed the recipe exactly except I left out the olives. Best part is that I made whole recipe for just two of us so lots of leftovers. Laura Such a great tip. I have some Cheat Meals that I keep in the freezer, one of which is the Chicken Pineapple and Teriyaki Aidells Meatballs. Tanay Warerkar, Eater NY reporter, Ratatouilles ratatouille: This cartoon-inspired ratatouille has become my go-to showcase for summer vegetables. Prior to browning? I would encourage you to can your own tomatoes each summer as this will throw it right over the topagain. And the dish took a really long time to make. I made these tonight after your Instagram post, and they were incredible! Lovely recipe, I added olives and preserved lemon to the meatballs and served them with your eggplant pure instead of inside a sauce! Directions are perfect and easy; I baked the balls on parchment at 350 for 40min. I think I will bake them or broil them next time. This is a new favorite. I served it over farro cooked with veggie stock, with a side of roasted cauliflower. Ari I think you could skip the feta. Additionally, because the directions say to simmer covered the whole time the sauce was really watery. Thats what I usually do when a recipe calls for olives. (I am having 10 guests over for dinner tomorrowIa m in Paris by the way, so hopefully, the time difference will work in my favor ;-) I made the meatballs twice (meaning one batch at a time and they seem to be perfect.. You have, I think, one tiny typo in your post: just above the picture of the cooking meatballs, I think you meant to say I am not immune instead of I are not immune? For those hangrys, my first step when starting dinner is to cut and put out fresh veg, sometimes with hummus. Love your site. If I serve with plain orzo like Deb, it would be work better. These look wonderful. Prepare the meatloaves: Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat 2 913-inch baking dishes with nonstick spray or oil. We made these last night, we all loved them. However, from what Im reading, those of you that are browning your meatballs first are finding that they hold up in the sauce (what I usually do), and those that are not are finding that they fall apart a bit. I cook in black tank tops. 1 tablespoon thinly sliced mint leaves, plus more for garnish I do not use the olives and do not add the lemon to the sauce. They look fabulous. All of my favorites in one dish. I am the worlds worst meatball fryer, the worst, but you were right, once I made the sauce everything was fine, even the ones that completely fell apart when I turned them (is there a secret?). I served the olives on the side because my husband doesnt like them (he is weird). Jen It might serve 6 to 8 (8 with a bunch of other things on the table, like pitas and salads). Deb, we recently found our our 21-month daughter is allergic to eggs. Like almost everyone, my meatballs fell completely apart (I even doubled the egg reading everyones comments). Now that my kids are teens 2 out of 4 have palettes that have been altered (dare I say seriously stunted) by their peer groups, and not for the better! Oops. Her first book, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, was a New York Times bestseller. I dont know how you do it with a 3yo underfoot, even tho he is so cute. tomato-glazed meatloaves with brown butter mashed potatoes *I think* this helps it hold together better and all the flavors meld (maybe someone already said this but here it isagain). I Tried Smitten Kitchen's Perfect Meatballs and Spaghetti Recipe | Kitchn I find when Im browning meatballs in my all clad, it just ends up as torn up chunks of meat that dont resemble meatballs anymore :(. Earned the Beer Melting Pot badge! Tiny spiced lamb or turkey meatballs and coins of marinated zucchini are grilled on skewers and served with a minty garlic yogurt sauce. I see yellow and red peppers, maybe cucumbers and cauliflower? I think with the added garnishes and that squeeze of lemon, these are begging for a sandwich. Monica Burton, eater.com editor, Marbled banana bread: This banana bread is decadent and perfect. I dont think Ive ever made my own meatballs before, actually- so this is probably a good place to start. Those look amazing! What made you decide to use lamb? I only used 4 tbsp of water because the mixture felt very wet as it (could have been my meat, could have been the oil- who knows); they browned up fine and were not dry at the end. Any suggestions? Privacy Policy, Previous post: lamb meatballs with feta andlemon. ugh feeling so sad !!! ism. Youve inspired me to look up the recipe. I loved these and so did my whole family. These look amazing! From what Im reading there is a concern over the softness of the meatball. Cant wait to try these. Instead of adding olives to the sauce I added a few spoonfuls of olive tapenade I had. Would love to make them but Im eating paleo. Do you think its ok to use beef ? Love it. We sat through the entire meal and talked about all the ways these meatballs could be used in a pita, in a sub, with tzatziki, as a scrub (j/k! Served with couscous it was a filling and tasty meal! And because I have preschoolers, I put the chopped olives on the side for my husband and I to add, and that worked well. The meatballs were perfectly moist (usually have a problem with homemade ones being a little dry) and impressed our guests. and then I remembered that my own boy is now a great hulking 8 yr old. Ina Garten makes a good one, though Id make it thinner/saucier, as her recipe is more like a dip in thickness. Im TOTALLY using those with this recipe, it sounds FANTASTIC. Oy vey! Greek Lamb Meatballs, with tomato, feta cheese, and mint I usually do it very high or even broil them 10 to 12 minutes is fine for most sizes, you can finish it in the sauce. Made this recipe last night and loved it. mmmm.lamb and feta two of my favorite words. I made this tonight. Spices are optional. See other industries within the Manufacturing sector: Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing , Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing , Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing , Animal Food Manufacturing , Animal Slaughtering and Processing , Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing , Apparel Knitting . I never had a taste of lamb meatballs ever. I halved the meatball recipe (but used a full large egg), and made the full sauce recipe. These will in no way scrub anything so soft, pillowy, and delicious. It was wonderful to taste the mint as I bit into the meatball and surprised my guests. O.M.G. Oct 17, 2015 - Lamb Meatballs with Feta and Lemon on smittenkitchen.com. Your email address will not be published. The juice of 1 lemon + the zest in both the sauce and the meatballs was too much the acid from the lemons combined with the intense olive flavor made this dish really unpleasant to eat. Sorry. Pinterest. Ill cut the olives by half in the future. Could you make these in a slow cooker too? First, you mash together the ground meat, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, salt, pepper, onion powder, eggs, and garlic until evenly combined. Since we are huge fans of meatballs at our house (in fact, we just had buffalo chicken meatballs last night that I pulled out of the freezer from a couple months ago), these are definitely going on my list. I ate it with a squeeze of lemon and kalamata garnish because I didnt think soon enough to mix them in. Is that suppose to be pressure? Use a Food Processor. Thanks for sharing! Do you have any suggestions for an alternative binding agent? I realize you didnt intend the recipe for pressure cooking, but wonder if you have thoughts about what may have gone wrong for me As with many of the IP recipes Ive tried, this came out quite wet. Do you think chicken or turkey could be subbed for the lamb? Ive just made a few jars of it and am looking for recipes. Served on pasta with the feta, mint and parsley garnish. Absolutely delicious, and not an overwhelming lamb flavour for those who think they dont like it. I will double the recipe next time. Would you cook the meatballs in the sauce or combine it after cooking? Thank you for the pan info and the link. Or, you could just have very soft meatballs. I dunno. Amazing! You wont have such a huge excess of sauce, promise. In reality, weeknight cooking is usually about practicality; hurried and hastily chopped, and all too often with a 4.5 year-old having a hangry meltdown at my feet because he didnt want baked potatoes with broccoli for dinner, he wanted spaghetti and meatballs. He is such a cute kid. Lovely! They can tell if youre in a rush! I subbed the breadcrumbs for a cup of cooked white rice to make my gluten- free sweetheart happy (thanks to other commenters for that tip), and left out the olives because I forgot to buy themother than that, followed directions and they came out so well. Now I regret not buying more chicken thighs so I could have this on hand for a quick meal. 1 1/4 cup (about 70 grams) breadcrumbs, fresh or plain, such as Panko Im using a ground flax/water concoction for most substitutions. Drain meatballs on a paper towel-lined plate. I Tried Four Popular Meatball Recipes and Found the Best One - Kitchn Usually I have to modify recipes like crazy but this was pretty on-point. And although I have little interest in helping preschoolers fulfill their life goal of subsisting exclusively on pasta and pizza, I am not immune to the occasional politely worded request. I usually cant help from noticing junk like this. No Patio Party Is Complete Without This Jug. Most of the ingredients you probably have lying around, plus its delicious and lasts for days. I am in Canada and amazon.com does not ship here. I was thinking fresh mozzarella or fresh provolone. I also halved the meatball recipe and I accidentally used a whole egg, but that wasnt the end of the world. Since I hate the mess of frying meatballs, I tried it, and they turned out perfect. New note, 5/16/14: In response to several commenters mentioning softness, two things: First, I should have noted from the outset that I adore a tender, soft, moist meatballs, which these were intended to be. Its a keeper! Love love love lamb meatballs, and the flavors here sound amazing. My thoughts are more lemon and meatballs to add to the flavor. Looks fast to prepare cook, divide and pack in 2-serving containers for later thaw, bring to office, pop in convection oven and voila we have a (nother)late -night -at -the -office -dinner (frequently needed) Also gets points for being portable and contains all ingredients we like! Made these last night with ground turkey rather than lamb (but otherwise followed the recipe as written), and WOW. Help!! Roasted yams and chickpeas with yogurt: I make this easy-ass yam recipe once a week for lunch. added 1 tbsp lemon juice (and no zest) since yogurt is thick Will this tank the intended ambiance? Using wet hands, form mixture into small (1 1/2 to 2-inch diameter) meatballs; I have taken to using a large (just shy of 3 tablespoon) cookie scoop for easy sizing. Additional lemon juice and/or cucumber juice should achieve this nicely. I love the addition of feta too. Thank you so much Deb! Second the earlier comment about baking the meatballs on an oiled ( stainless steel, not coated) cookie rack placed on a cookie sheet. I made a half batch of these before and they were delish! There are different kinds of nuts, and they are actually beneficial to our health. Delicious! I looked at the original recipe why did you increase the breadcrumbs by so much? Her second cookbook . Ive done the same with the meatballs that go in Italian Wedding soup and they defrost just fine. Ive got a three year old who also suffers from the dinner time meltdowns. please, can you advise ? And I see no problem with all that leftover sauce! I sub ground organic gluten free steel cut oats for all of the breadcrumbs in any recipe. Thanks. I halved it with no trouble at all. Perfect timing Deb, my husband was just saying last night that I am using far too much cumin lately (he unfortunately doesnt love it as much as I do) so Ill cook this for him instead of your Turkey meatballs (which we both love!) Now the dish is done, but the meatballs are mushy. Better success when dealing with delicate meatballs. I recently discovered your site, and everything looks extremely delicious. Ive never made lamb meatballs but that will be changing soon. :), Yum! In my house thats a glowing endorsement! Made this tonight and it was great! These look great! will be making this a lot through the winter. It might not hurt to 1.5x it, only because the leftovers are excellent and it would save you the worry over making too little. Ive recently rediscovered meatballs as a weeknight option, though I dont have the patience/time to make the balls so I just make meatloaf instead. Juice of one lemon These were amazing, and are going to become part of my regular go-to dinner rotation! Pinches of red pepper flakes (to taste) Deb Perelman is a self-taught home cook and photographer and the creator of SmittenKitchen.com. lamb meatballs with feta and lemon | smittenkitchen.com Comments More like this Delicious Greek chicken meatballs in a creamy dreamy lemon sauce. I also browned the meatballs in the pan. Amy I havent tried the flax/water thing but if it helps with binding (what the egg is used for here) I see no reason not to try it here. This evening makes our 3rd time making a batch of these bad boys! But the taste of the feta with lemon and the marinara together was like an orgasm for my taste buds. You have the gift.. Here Are the 2023 James Beard Awards Restaurant, Chef, and Media Finalists. Buying ground lamb tomorrow. I cant wait to try making these for myself. Wheat free options Id use gluten-free breadcrumbs if you have them or can get them. The thought of trying to figure out cups of feta is making my brain ache. Everyday meatballs from Smitten Kitchen Deb Perelman/Smitten Kitchen Everyday meatballs: I'm pretty obsessed with meatballs (one year I made 53 different recipes for them as a cooking. Thanks for the recipe! Youll never look back. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Why I Can't Stop Making Smitten Kitchen's Meatloaf | Kitchn I also like my meatballs a tad more firm so I added a bit more breadcrumb to firm up the meat mixture. Thank you for helping this non-cook survive under isolation.. My husband and I love this recipe but we always make the same mistake and put the two tablespoons of olive oil into meatball mix instead of saving it for the pan! DEB!!! Dont have butter? Other modifications: left out the olives, used dried basil in place of fresh mint, and I ran out of feta for topping so I used crumbled goat cheese. 1 large egg There are some other tips about using oats or rice. A couple glugs of red wine or white/dry vermouth (optional) in a bowl, mix the lamb, egg, breadcrumbs, feta, garlic, parsley, tomato paste, lemon zest & salt take a golf ball sized serving of the meatball mixture and shape into rounds, set aside on a plate heat oil in the Instant Pot on saut function medium add the onion and garlic to soften for 2-3 minutes I also added Middle Eastern 7 Spices (Baharat) to the meat mixture. I look forward to making the meatballs soon, but more importantly, the pic with the TUBE of tomato paste just changed my life! Notes: I made half the meatballs and all of the sauce because I wasnt really paying attention. Great looking recipe! We used thyme instead of oregano in the salad and it worked really well. I pan-fried them partially and then finished cooking them in the sauce. The more recent time I threw in some anchovies (dont knock it till youve tried it!) They seem like they would pair beautifully with a fltbread :-). We love to eat foods that is a fact. Great post! Oh man, yes please! Privacy Policy. Served with a store bought chopped Mediterranean salad and angel hair pasta (cause its his favorite.) Sure, we can recognize quarantine queen Alison Romans shallot or cauliflower pastas, shiny blue Great Jones sheet pans, and a few specific brands of restaurant-level ceramics, even in a 10-second Instagram story without tags. 1/4 cup (30 grams) crumbled feta, for garnish. This is SO. These were a GIANT hit at my house. Were a little nervous about this one and had a few ideas for substitutions wed like to run past you. Huge hit for our family. Moncia. Im guessing the acid in the lemons broke down the meat? Squeeze lemon juice over meatballs and sauce. See our ethics policy. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in the same pan. Im going to try with fake ground beefwhich I NEVER eat because I know its not really good for youbecause these look so good! I used 1.5 pounds of ground lamb because the ground lamb was very expensive at the Fairway here in NYC. Sauce will be less dense than cooked in open saute pan ( no evaporation) but this method saves time. I really liked this bright flavored meatball recipe! I never need to add moisture to my meatloaf recipes. Alternatively, Ive used course almond meal. The sauce was neither too little or too much, the flavorings in both the meatballs and sauce were superb, and believe me, we will cook this again and again. 2 pounds ground lamb Long time fan of yours, having made countless of your recipes with great results. Wet your hands and form the meat mixture into 2-inch balls and place them on a lightly greased, aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes at 425F. Made these meatballs last night and they were delicious! The breadcrumbs are mostly about softening the meat so I think you can fiddle a bit. Others, its got to be raw or vegetarian etc. More here. These look heavenly love the idea of the feta crumble, and scooping these up in a pita. My meatballs completely fell apart while attempting to brown them on the pan. Were lamb lovers in our house, cant wait to try these! Required fields are marked *. Our editors cook more now than ever and keep returning to Deb Perelmans blog to do so. It looks like we have found another staple we enjoy so many of your recipes, and we are running out of days of the week for all of them! Love the combination of the lamb, mint and feta. Thank you to the reviewers who said they made meatloaf instead. The key was definitely to brown them first. Add onion and garlic and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Im a big fan of lamb in any dish, but I really like your use of lemon and feta in this dish! Id like to make a full batch and freeze them. By the way I followed a tip from another post above and baked the meatballs at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, and they didnt fall apart at all after adding them to the sauce. Starting with a pound of ground lamb, make 4 very thin patties on cling wrap or tinfoil. Make meatballs: If you plan dont plan to brown the meatballs, use only 3 tablespoons water. The lemon zest, mint, and feta pack these with flavor! (mmm, garlic) Did everything else the same, and served it with white rice. Anyway, I got 24 meatballs out if it. Turned out great. Such amazing flavors! what can I do ??? Theyll stay soft even when reheated. Gotta keep trying! I happen to have everything else on hand. Form the mixture into small meatballs, just smaller than a golf ball. Question- can I make the meatballs early in the day and refrigerate until ready to brown them? Thanks for sharing. YOU ARE WRONG. Save the other half for an omelet or the like. 1/3 cup (about 45 grams) pitted, chopped kalamata olives These are such a family hit and I can not wait to get some lamb. Madeleine Davies, eater.com daily editor, Quick, essential stovetop mac and cheese: I heard about this recipe through Marian Bulls Twitter and have been making it at least a couple times a month since. I hadnt made this recipe in years, but remembered it fondly. Start the meatloaves by making fresh breadcrumbs in the food processor. Hamilton No reason you cannot leave out the mint or red pepper flakes. I made these today, yes, on a weekday, and yes, it took me awhile but it wasnt hard, just time consuming with the browning of the meatballs but it was worth it! Explore. Mediterranean Meatballs and Herb Pasta - What's Gaby Cooking Oct 17, 2015 - Lamb Meatballs with Feta and Lemon on smittenkitchen.com. Im intrigued by the pressure cooker idea. Oh, boy does that sound familiar! And now we have a second batch of sauce to make them again soon! These look super delicious, however I must know- WHERE did you find that wind-up matzo ball??!? Please send in the violins. What could be more perfect? Yep- memory was spot on! I was going to make these on the stovetop, but as a new owner of an Instant Pot, I decided to give that a go. Ill still try it without the feta though. Weird. The Best Smitten Kitchen Recipes, According to Eater Editors However, I doubled the sauce recipe and first of all my sauce looks nothing like yours :-( and I think that I added too many Kalamata olives Ugh (i also used fresh tomatoes instead of canned I blanched the tomatoes to get rid of the skin) I also only added the juice of 1/2 a lemon total .. Place the breadcrumbs in a large bowl. It was my first time to taste it.. and I cant explain, it was too delicious. I suppose I dont find them savory enough; I prefer to pair them with sharper or spicier ingredients. The lamb flavor isnt overwhelming but just enough with the mint made it great. Thanks for the inspiration, Deb! Nevertheless, despite how wide the gap is between this ideal and my relative reality, I do try to close it, with varying degrees of success. If anyone has any suggestions how to get the meatballs for firm up even though they have already been cooked please let me know. Then I accidentally put 2 T of oil in the meatballs because I was in a hurry reading the recipe :( But they turned out great! Once at high pressure, she recommends cooking them for 5 minutes. My only deviations from the recipe as written were to a) use the whole egg even though I halved the recipe, and b) subbed two huge heirloom tomatoes for the canned tomatoes. The sauce was good too but I was expecting something more saucey. PS Devoted follower of SK! I will definitely make this again. Liquid from chick peas. I might just turn the 2 lbs of meatballs into a meat sauces instead. I love the pan you used to cook the meatballs. Best new recipe I have tried in a really long time, thanks so much! I followed your recipe, and they turned out great. Enjoy with a glass of wine to feel fancy.