Creamy, tangy, and herby-fresh sauce coating these super tender and fluff lamb meatballs. Served with pita bread to dip in all of the creamy goodness of this dish!
These Greek lamb meatballs or ground lamb balls taste so good! They're so soft and fluffy in texture because of the bread crumb they contain in their mixture.
And as for their flavor? It's so appetizing! The strong fatty flavor of lamb is so well-balanced in this recipe. Combined with flavors of fresh herbs like dill and spearmint (both herbs match perfectly with lamb). As well as, warming spices like cumin, nutmeg, and coriander. But the best of all is the sauce!
Greek yogurt makes the best sauce for lamb meatballs. It's fresh and tangy making the strong meaty lamb flavor feel lighter.
How To Make Lamb Meatballs
To make this ground meatball recipe begin by preparing the ground lamb mixture.
Pulse onions (red onion + green onion) and garlic in a small food processor until almost smooth. By blending these, you add moisture and the flavors combine evenly into the mixture.
Next, wet some bread crumbs. Not using ground bread crumbs here. Just crumb removed from leftover bread slices and cut into smaller crumbs. Wet these crumbs with some water and add to the ground lamb mixture. This is the key to making super fluffy lamb meatballs.
Combine the ground lamb with the pulsed onions and garlic, the wet bread crumb, the spices (nutmeg, coriander, cumin), the fresh herbs (spearmint, parsley), vinegar (tenderizes the meat), salt, and pepper. Mix and knead the mixture well for 2-3 minutes.
Now you can refrigerate the mixture for a while for the flavors to become stronger. Or proceed to shaping and cooking the meatballs.
Shape into 22-23 small meatballs approximately 35 grams each. Then pan fry and brown them in a tablespoon of hot olive oil. Make sure you use a non-stick frying pan for this. Because we're not coating them in flour and they might stick to the bottom otherwise.
Drain the meatballs on paper towels and start to prepare the sauce in a saute pan. Heat the butter and once melted, add minced garlic. Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds. Don't let it get too much color. Add the flour stir, and cook until sandy in color. Then add either hot water or stock. Add the meatballs and simmer for 20 minutes covered.
The Yogurt Sauce
To make the Greek yogurt sauce combine Greek yogurt and lemon juice with the sauce you cooked the meatballs in. To do this, you need to mix the hot sauce into the yogurt slowly so it won't curdle. And then transfer it back to the saute pan. Mix in fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
Can I Bake The Meatballs?
Sure! If you want a healthier alternative to pan-frying, you can bake the lamb meatballs in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Grease a sheet pan with oil and place the meatballs.
Bake the minced lamb meatballs for 20 minutes or until browned. Then prepare the sauce using just 2 cups of hot water or stock instead of 2 ½. Cook the meatballs in the sauce for 5 minutes instead of 20. Then proceed on mixing the sauce with the yogurt.
Can I Use Other Types Of Meat?
Yes, you can make this Greek yogurt meatballs recipe with either pork, beef, or a mixture of meats.
Making Ahead
You can also make the ground lamb mixture ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you are ready, shape them into meatballs and cook them.
Don't shape them into meatballs and keep them in the fridge though. Because they will drain their blood (moisture) while they sit and we don't want that, we want them moist. Therefore, shape them when you are about to cook them.
Storing
Lamb meatballs and yogurt sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat keep the heat to low whether you use a microwave or heat them on the stovetop. We don't want the sauce to curdle. Also, add a small splash of water to the sauce when reheating.
Serve With
Serve these simple lamb meatballs plainly with pita bread or with potato fries. If you want some Greek side dish suggestions for this dish, try a Maroulosalata (Greek Lettuce Salad), a Marinated Tomato Salad, Homemade Pita Bread, or these Chickpea Fritters.
Recipe
Lamb Meatballs In Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
For The Meatballs:
- 500 grams (1.1 pounds) ground lamb
- 80 grams (2.8 ounce) white bread crumb cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon ground pepper
- 3-4 leaves spearmint or mint minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley minced
- 1½ tablespoons vinegar (I'm using red wine vinegar)
- 80 grams (½ medium-sized) onion
- 20 grams (1 medium) spring onion
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅓ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For The Sauce:
- 30 grams (2 tablespoons) butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1½ tablespoons flour
- 2½ cups hot water or stock
- 250 grams (1 cup) Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh dill minced
- 2 teaspoons spearmint or mint minced
- 1-2 pita bread cut into triangles to serve with
Instructions
Prepare The Meatballs:
- Add the bread crumb to a bowl and pour 3-4 tablespoons of water. Mix it to become evenly wet.
- Blend the onions and garlic. Add both types of onions after cutting them into smaller pieces to a food processor and pulse until almost smooth.
- Add the ground lamb to a mixing bowl and combine with the onion pulse, the bread crumb, the spearmint, parsley, vinegar, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Knead the mixture for 2-3 minutes.
- Optional step: Refrigerate the mixture for about an hour. To become firm, hold its shape, and for the flavors to combine.
Cook The Meatballs:
- Shape. Make about 22-23 small round meatballs (weighing approx. 35 grams each).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat.
- Brown the meatballs. Turn them gently using 2 forks or tweezers to brown all around. Do this in two batches.
- Drain the meatballs on paper towels.
- Melt butter over moderate heat in a saute pan.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon. Cook for a minute or two until sandy in color.
- Pour in the hot water or stock.
- Simmer. Cover the saute pan with a lid and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- Mix the yogurt and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Drain all the sauce from the meatballs and slowly mix it into the yogurt.
- Transfer the sauce back to the saute pan off the heat, and stir to combine with the meatballs.
- Season the sauce with salt, and ground pepper (taste to see how much it needs), and mix in the 1-2 tablespoons of dill and 2 teaspoons of spearmint.
- Serve with pita bread and enjoy!
Tasted great