I don’t know about you all, but I love making ‘bowls’ for meals. After several attempts, I landed on this recipe and I am so excited to share!! I built these bowls around rustic lamb meatballs packed with Mediterranean flavors. Add in the creamy yogurt spread and zesty pesto and I believe you have the perfect bite! Let me tell you, these bowls are amazingggg. It’s herbaceous, packed with citrus and comes together so easily!
Because there are a lot of ingredients I tried to utilize them across the different components to limit waste. Using more herbs = more flavor, who would’ve known?! Another reason this is a go-to recipe for me: the instructions are easy. Most of the steps are to add all of the ingredients and stir.. I mean what is easier than that?!
I created this zesty Greek pesto based on a traditional pesto: olive oil, cheese, herbs, and citrus. This recipe makes about 1 cup and is perfect to keep in the fridge and use on other dishes. It can keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
I really hope you have as much fun making this bowl as I did! Whether you’re prepping dinner for the week or for a crowd, these Lamb Meatball bowls are sure to impress!
Lamb Meatball Bowls with a Feta Yogurt Spread and Zesty Greek Pesto
Ingredients
For the lamb meatballs:
- 1 lb ground lamb you can substitute ground chicken of beef if you prefer!
- ¼ cup plain hummus
- ¼ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp dried Greek oregano use ¼ cup if fresh!
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp fresh dill use 1 teaspoon if using dried dill
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil for cooking
For the Basmati rice:
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 ¾ cups water
For the feta yogurt:
- 8 oz feta cheese
- ⅓ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp fresh dill 1 tbsp if using dried dill
- the juice from half of a small lemon about 2 tbsps
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the zesty Greek pesto:
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 tbsp dried Greek oregano 2 tablespoons if using fresh
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 3 tbsp fresh dill
- ⅓ cup feta cheese
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
For the Basmati rice:
- Thoroughly rinse the rice in a sieve or colander until the water washes through almost clear. Add to a medium sized bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and cover with water. Let sit for 30 minutes. While the rice is soaking, make the meatballs.
- After 30 minutes drain the rice. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Add rice and 1 teaspoon of turmeric. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Once the 15 minutes is over, turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 additional minutes.
For the lamb meatballs:
- In a medium sized bowl combine hummus, Greek yogurt, and all of the spices. Mix to combine. Stir in the breadcrumbs. Add lamb and mix to incorporate until everything is evenly combined.
- Using ¼ cup measure out meatballs (should make about 10) and roll into balls. I like to add a little olive oil on my hands and then roll them out, makes it less messy!
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add meatballs, not touching, and cook for 5-6 minutes, rotating every 2 minutes to make sure all sides are cooked. I like to get a good crust on the meatballs to add texture. Once the meatballs are browned on all sides, remove from heat.
For the feta yogurt:
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium sized food processor. Blend until smooth. Scoop out the yogurt into a bowl and add to the refrigerator until assembly. Rinse out the food processor as you will need it again for the pesto!
For the zesty Greek pesto:
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium sized food processor and pulse until it all comes together, abuot 1 minute. Remove and add to the refridgerator until assembly.
For assembly:
- Scoop Basmati rice into half of a bowl, and on the other half smear the feta yogurt. Top with meatballs, the pesto and garnish with extra feta and herbs. Enjoy!
Elana
Just reading through the recipe my mouth was watering. I knew that I had to try these so set about gathering up the ingredients over the next shopping trip. I wasn’t able to find the greek oregano locally but ended up ordering it off amazon. I ended up using Chiobani whole milk plain greek yogurt and WOW what a GREAT combination of flavors. Well worth the time and effort involved because the family devoured it!
Emily
So happy you loved it! 🙂