These juicy Greek meatballs made with ground lamb, herbs, spices and feta cheese are easy to make and perfect for sharing! Pan fry or bake in the oven.
1lemon, zest only (use the lemon to serve on side)
450g(1 lb) lamb mince (ground lamb)
2tbspolive oil, if you are pan frying
Spiced Yogurt Sauce
250g(1 cup) Greek yogurt
2tspsumac
1tbspolive oil
1tbsplemon juice
To serve
Pita bread
red onionthinly sliced
Handful pomegranate seeds(optional)
Handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
Lemon wedges
Olive oil to drizzle
Instructions
Put the onion, garlic, feta cheese, bread and herbs in a mini chopper and process until a paste forms. Alternatively mince the onion and garlic using a grater, use Panko breadcrumbs, crumble the feta cheese using a fork and finey chop the herbs.
Add to the ground lamb in a large bowl with remaining ingredients (salt, spices, pepper and lemon zest). Mix well using your hands.
Start rolling the mince into small meatballs about the size of a walnut.
Once all the mince is used up, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan. Fry the meatballs, in batches, for about 3 minutes on each side until golden.
OVEN BAKED MEATBALLS
Preheat the oven to 200C (400F) and line a large tray with baking paper.
Space the meatballs out on the tray, a few inches apart.
Bake 15-20 minutes, flipping the meatballs halfway through, until golden and cooked through.
To serve
Mix all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce in a bowl.
Serve the meatballs with the yogurt and other dips such as hummus, tzatziki with the pita bread and lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Serving suggestionsYou can serve these keftethes (Greek for meatballs!) as an appetizer with a variety of small dips such as tzatziki sauce, spiced yogurt, hummus and pita bread. They also pair well with my orzo salad, herbed rice or Greek potato salad. Storing leftoversCool any leftovers and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. You can enjoy them cold or warmed through in a pan or the microwave. You can toss them into a simple tomato sauce and serve with pasta if you like.