These Greek meatballs are great for a party appetizer! They’re made with lamb and a handful of seasonings (orange zest, mint, garlic), and rolled into perfect little bites.
I found this recipe in the Wall St. Journal years ago as good “noshing” food and had to give it a try, with a few minor changes.
It comes from chef Michael Symon of the Parea Greek restaurant in New York and Lola & Lolita Bistro in Cleveland.
Ingredients for Greek Meatballs
These meatballs are made with ground lamb and a little bit of salt pork, though you could substitute bacon if you prefer. The seasonings are garlic, shallots, orange zest, and fresh mint, with a little chopped hot chili pepper for spiciness.
If you don’t like spicy foods, you can skip the chili pepper. Conversely, if you love spice, feel free to add another chili pepper to the mix!
How to Serve These Meatballs
These meatballs are great served warm on toothpicks for an appetizer, though you could easily have them for dinner as well. Serve them with a little Greek yogurt for dipping, or even some tzatziki for something extra special.
How to Make Ahead and Freeze
These meatballs can be made entirely ahead of time, cooled, and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. Just heat them in the microwave for two minutes on high to warm them up again.
You can also freeze either the cooked or uncooked meatballs. If cooked, let the meatballs cool completely before freezing.
In either case, just space the meatballs out on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer them to a freezer container or plastic bag (squeeze out as much air as possible) and freeze for up to three months.
Thaw the meatballs overnight in the fridge. Cook uncooked meatballs following the directions in the recipe. Cooked meatballs can be rewarmed in the microwave on high for two minutes.
Try These Other Meatball Recipes
- Turkey Meatballs
- Swedish Meatballs
- Pressure Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
- Italian Meatballs
- Cranberry Glazed Meatballs
Greek Meatballs Recipe
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 20 meatballs
Meatballs can also be cooked ahead, refrigerated and reheated in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 hot chili pepper (jalapeño, serrano, or other hot chili pepper), seeded and minced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 4 ounces salt pork or bacon, ground or finely minced
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Greek yogurt for dipping
Method
1 Soften shallots, chili pepper, garlic: Heat a small pan over medium heat and add oil, minced garlic, chili pepper, and shallot, and cook for 1 minute, then let cool.
2 Make meatball mixture: Meanwhile, crumble lamb into a large bowl. Evenly scatter the salt pork (or bacon), orange zest and mint over lamb, and season with pepper. Sprinkle the cooled garlic mixture over lamb. Gently mix until just combined
3 Form the meatball mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls: Transfer to a plate or sheet pan.
4 Cook the meatballs: Heat a large cast iron pan over medium to medium high heat. Working in batches if necessary to prevent crowding, cook meatballs on all sides until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
5 Serve warm with toothpicks or skewers with Greek yogurt.
