Mediterranean lamb meal prep meatballs
Lamb meal prep meatballs made with feta, mint and dill have amazing flavor. Mediterranean recipes provide tasty, nutritious lunches or dinners to help you meet your goals. One of our favorite meal prep recipes are these Mediterranean chicken meal prep bowls.
Meal prepping is easy, once you establish a routine. Try something new for your meal prep lunches or dinners with juicy, flavorful lamb meatballs.
Whether you are trying to be more mindful of what you are eating or simply trying to pack delicious work week lunches, planning ahead is key.
Mediterranean diet meal prep
Eating the Mediterranean way is a great if you are trying to be more mindful of your eating.
It focuses on heart-healthy foods, whole grains and lots of vegetables, and it’s packed with flavor from fruity olive oil and herbs.
The Mediterranean diet that we think of and the food that people actually eat in Mediterranean countries isn’t always the same.
For example – lamb is fairly common in Mediterranean countries, like Greece. If you’ve ever had a gyro, these meatballs taste a bit similar, especially with the tzatziki.
How to meal prep
This might be a little daunting for those who haven’t done meal prep before. You might wonder “How much do I need?” or “What should I buy?”. The good news is, it’s totally up to you. That’s also the hard part.
So, we’ll start there.
A portion of protein is usually between 4 – 6 ounces, depending on your needs. Starchy foods like brown rice or quinoa should be 1/4 of your total meal. Usually 1/2 cup portion works for most. Veggies should be half of your plate. Load up!
Make sure you have enough containers for the week, plus any smaller containers (salad dressing, etc.) that you might need. When making your meals, try to purchase/cook foods that can overlap in different meals for variety so you don’t get bored.
Sometimes when we have too many choices, it gets overwhelming. I usually start with my protein and go from there. In this case, we are making lamb meatballs, so all that’s left is what I want to eat with it.
I made tzatziki to go with my meatballs (you can watch me make it here) and I had green beans in the fridge already. Green beans are a great choice because they are lower in carbs and they cook quickly.
I make a list of everything I need, take stock of what I have and what I need to shop for and quantities for the week.
How can meal prepping help?
How many times have you stood in front of the refrigerator trying to figure out what to eat? It happens to me all the time. That’s why I started meal prepping my lunches.
It was a hassle trying to figure out what to eat during the week for lunch and inevitably, I’d either make poor choices or skip lunch altogether. Does this sound familiar?
I needed to plan, to figure out ahead of time what I was going to eat. This also helps to keep me accountable and it eliminates the guesswork of trying to figure out what I’m going to eat when I’m already hungry.
Meal prepping for beginners
This is a great recipe for beginners to the meal prepping game because it is super simple and so good.
Making meatballs is not a difficult task and it’s actually pretty quick, especially if you get someone to roll them with you. You can cook the meatballs on the stove or in the oven, I give you both cooking options below.
Make a list of everything you’ll need to make your meals for the week, measure it out, cook and divide it up into your containers. Once you do it a few times, you’ll see how easy it is and what a difference it makes during the week.
Lamb meal prep meatballs
This is what you’ll need for Mediterranean lamb meatballs. This makes two dozen meatballs, which is pretty much exactly what you need for the week ahead. You can make a batch of baked chicken meatballs as well to change things up.
One quick note: you see the pine nuts in the photo? They are toasted. This is not to be skipped. The flavor completely changes by toasting them for a few minutes in a dry pan.
Once you have your lamb meatballs prepped, decide if you want to cook them on the stove or in the oven. Plan what you are going to eat with them and lay out your containers.
After everything has cooled, divide evenly into containers and stack them up in the fridge for the week.
Best containers for meal prepping
You can find containers almost everywhere. Whether you choose plastic, glass or even paper, the options are nearly endless. Choose what works best for your lifestyle.
I bought mine on amazon, the link is below for the two compartment containers used in the photo.
I like these particular containers because they keep things separated and the lids aren’t impossible to get off. I have single compartments containers that I dislike very much because getting the lids off is no easy task. It’s not Fort Knox, it’s lunch, it shouldn’t be that hard.
Used to make lamb meatballs
These are a few items that will make your life easier and things that are used constantly in my kitchen.
The scoop gets used for everything from meatballs to cookies. The parchment is a kitchen staple, as are the sheet pans. And the knife is literally the one I use every single day of my life.
Here are a couple more meal prep ideas to keep you going:
• Chicken Fajita Low Carb Meal Prep
I really hope you love this recipe. If you make it, snap a pic and share it with me either in the Fabulous Foodie Friends Facebook group or on Instagram by tagging @pookspantry and using hashtag #pookspantry.
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Mediterranean lamb meal prep meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lamb ground
- 1/2 cup breadcrumb
- 1/4 cup feta crumbled
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp dill finely chopped
- 1 tbsp mint finely chopped
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp granulated onion
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a dry frying pan, toast pine nuts for five minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and lightly mix until thoroughly combined.
- Using a 3/4 ounce scoop, measure out meatballs and roll into balls.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium – medium high heat and add olive oil.
- Add meatballs a dozen at a time (or whatever fits in your pan without overcrowding)
- Brown on all sides, turning every few minutes. Cook for 10 – 12 minutes total.
- Set aside to cool before packing into containers.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂
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Originally published 4/24/19, most recent update 12/29/20