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About This Recipe for Lamb Meatballs
Lamb meatballs are one of the best ways to cook ground lamb. We add a number of complementary flavors to the minced meat to highlight its rich natural taste.
We also make sure that the texture is not too dense and each meatball ends up light and airy while respectfully substantial.
You can shape the meatballs as small as shown in the pictures within this post or larger and slightly flattened like kofte. Largers ones will require a little longer in the oven.
This recipe calls for feta cheese crumbles which add tiny tasty nuggets to the overall flavor profile. You can substitute with goat cheese or skip the cheese altogether.
TIP: Oven baking these lamb meatballs is a much better approach than frying them. Besides the less messy experience, baking does a better job rendering any visceral fat built into the mix, leading to a lighter tasting bite of lamb.
Ingredients
Ground lamb. You will need a pound ground lamb which you can buy at the meat sections of most grocery stores or you can select a boneless leg of lamb and ask for it be ground by your butcher or meat department clerk.
Flavoring agents. Minced garlic, finely chopped green onion, fresh or dry oregano, cumin, salt and pepper are added to the mixture to lend it flavor. You can consider parsley, fresh dill, red pepper flakes and finely chopped yellow onion as alternatives.
Egg. Added to act as a binder.
Bread crumbs. To lighten up the texture and absorb some of the rendered fat.
Lager. A light lager such as pilsner or similar helps introduces a bit of carbonation and infuses liquid in the mixture. Alternatively, use the same amount of plain yogurt with 1 teaspoon of baking soda added to it, to activate it.
Feta cheese and olive oil. Both are optional. You can work in feta crumbles into the ground lamb mix for added taste. You can also choose to add a bit of olive oil in the mixture or use it to brush the meatballs with once they are baked. Both depend on how dry (or not) the ground lamb you work with is.
How to Make a Tender Lamb Meatball?
The secret of a tender lamb meatball is a good ratio of ground lamb to other ingredients.
Additionally, the use of a texture lightening agent such as an activated leavener or beer/carbonated water which introduce carbon dioxide into the ground lamb mixture helps the meatballs rise and makes them tender.
Using beer. The carbonation in beer has applications beyond quick beer bread and beer batters. Light and juicy meatballs typically result from adding a bit of lager or ale to the ground meat mixture which instanly becomes light and loose. The beer also adds flavor, which is why we recommend using a lager along the lines of a pilsner or an ale such as American wheat or brown ale.
Using baking soda. Baking soda is activated by an acid to produce carbon dioxide so if you substitute yogurt for beer and add baking soda directly into the yogurt (which is acidic) the meatballs WILL end up more tender by way of being infused with carbon dioxide bubbles.
How to Make Lamb Meatballs
Below are images demonstrating the workflow of making the meatballs. Complete instructions are provided in the Recipe Card.
Prep work. Bring your ground lamb to room temperature before handling it. Finely chop the green onion, mince the garlic, crumble the feta.
Mix and shape. Combine all the ingredients together, mix well and shape into balls (you can use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon for uniformity if you wish). It really helps to dip your fingers in olive oil before you handle the mixture.
Cook. Bake the meatballs at 375 F over a parchment paper lined baking sheet. If you shaped them larger than shown it will take a bit longer for them to bake than 20-25 minutes.
What to Serve with Lamb Meatballs
Serve the meatballs over buttery Israeli couscous with pine nuts, feta and mint, accompanied by a yogurt dip. This is an easy to assemble and delightfully simple to prepare spread. See the Recipe Card for instructions.
Other suitable side dishes are fresh salads from the Mideastern and Mediterranean culinary traditions. For example Moroccan couscous or tabbouleh. Or a Greek salad of lettuce, kalamata olives, red onions and feta. Or a bulgur based salad. Or lentils.
Crispy roasted potatoes and all other manner of potato dishes are also a match for these lamb meatballs, especially when accompanied by tzatziki sauce.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Greek Lamb Shoulder Roast | Pan Seared Lamb Shoulder Chops | Lamb Marinades | Smoked Leg of Lamb | Frikadellen
Recipe
Ground Lamb Meatballs with Feta
Ingredients
Lamb Meatballs
- 1 lb ground lamb lean
- 1 egg
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup Pilsner*
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta sheep's milk, in brine is best
- 1-2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ¼ cup green onions sliced very thin
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil optional***
Couscous
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 1 ½ cups Israeli couscous
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
- salt & pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbles
- fresh mint to taste
Instructions
LAMB MEATBALLS
- Bring the ground lamb to room temperature.
- Turn oven on to 350 F. Line a half sheet baking sheet (or two quarter sheets) with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix using your hands until a uniform mixture is achieved.
- Dip fingers in a bit of olive oil and start to form small meatballs ( alternativley use a 1 tablespoon measure to make them uniform in size). Place the meatballs onto the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (depending on your oven's strength) and let cool down for a minute before brushing with olive oil (if needed).
COUSCOUS
- In a pan over medium-low heat melt 1 tablespoon butter and add the pine nuts. Stir and cook until they turn golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan over medium heat.
- Add the couscous and stir, cook until it is slightly browned.
- Add the chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Stir well, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the couscous absorbs all the liquid.
- Remove from the stove, add the pine nuts, stir and let cool off slightly.
- Transfer to a serving platter, add the feta crumbles and mint and stir a little bit.
- Serve with the lamb meatballs and the yogurt sauce** on the side.
Beck & Bulow
This is an amazing recipe. It will now be my go-to recipe for meatballs. Very moist and flavorful!
Lydia from Life Beyond the Kitchen
I love all the flavors in this dish, especially lamb and cumin. The meatballs look gorgeous on the bed of Israeli couscous. Thanks for sharing with us at Creatively Crafty #ccbg 🙂
Lina
That sounds so delicious! Thanks for sharing at Sew It Cook It Craft It! You're one of my features tomorrow when the new party starts!
CraftBeering
Thank you so much, Lina!
CraftBeering
Thank you, Lina!
Ben|Havocinthekitchen
You've combined some of my favorite ingredients such as Israeli couscous, feta, pine nuts, and mint. Also the meatballs look wonderful - so succulent and well-browned. I'll be a dozen please 🙂
Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
I didn't know that secret about making the meatballs...and would have never or thought to put beer in the meatballs to make them moist and juicy. These meatballs sound so yummy! I will have to give these a try for sure 🙂 XOXO
Nicoletta
You know that I'm vegetarian, but there some dishes that just trigger my mouth to salivate 😉 . And these lamb meatball dish is one of them. Love the other flavors: mint and cumin, the yogurt dip, the Israeli couscous, the Pilsner, the feta! Loreto would be in heaven 🙂 . So glad to hear your son is getting better! He sounds incredible, what a joy and privilege to be his parents. Hugs to you all!!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Absolutely perfect! A great pairing with the couscous and that great yogurt dip!
You boy sounds wonderful and so glad he is on the mend after his surgery! My son has had a love of learning his entire life (and still today). It's so great to watch them. Like sponges 🙂
annie@ciaochowbambina
Your little guy sounds like one very special individual! You know what they say - apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Happy to know he is on the mend! And I get it - meatballs always make me feel better, too! I love the addition of feta crumbles!
Haley
Found you on the CBBG group this morning! Didn't have lamb so used ground beef , feta and pils. Loved the results and love what you are doing, so many recipes I will definitely try other ones!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
Grandmothers are always right! My family has a beloved Swedish meatball recipe that doesn't use beer or baking soda and now I'm curious how they'd turn out with one of those additions. Just don't tell my family or they'd disown me for making alterations :). These sound perfect paired with your yogurt dip! Have a great week, my friend!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
These look awesome, Milena! Love the pairing with the yogurt sauce and couscous, but also love the suggestion of having with a tomato cucumber salad. Lamb is something hubby and I really enjoy, but don't realize how much we enjoy it until we have it, ya know? Have to try this one out soon! So many delicious flavours goin' on.
Your little boy sounds so precious! so happy to hear that he is on the mend. Hugs!