Mediterranean lamb meatballs recipe
Lamb meatballs made with feta, mint and dill have amazing flavor, and they are an easy weeknight recipe. Pile them into a pita, serve them over your favorite couscous or rice recipe, or skewer them for a delicious appetizer.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my easy ricotta meatballs and my chicken meatballs recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my meatball recipes in one place.
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Mediterranean lamb meatballs
Lamb is fairly common in other parts of the world, like the Mediterranean. These meatballs are part of a lamb meal prep meal that I make to keep me fed during the week. They are delicious, and you can pair them with anything from a tomato cucumber salad to a fluffy pita, or top your favorite salad with them for some protein.
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, in the oven, in an air fryer, or under the broiler. All of the cooking options are in the recipe card below.
What you need to know
This recipe makes 2 dozen meatballs. You can make them ahead of time, wrap them tightly and store in the fridge until you are ready to cook. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
I prefer to fry my meatballs, because I like a crust on the outside of them. In order to give you options, so you can decide which method works best for you – I baked, broiled and fried them.
I made tzatziki to go with my meatballs (you can watch me make it here) and some hummus to round it all out, because I like both. Then I rolled it all up in a fluffy pita and it was a fantastic dinner.
This is my 2nd time making these meatballs- they are soooooo great I made a double batch and froze half!
– reader Deb
Ingredients
This is everything you’ll need to make a batch of Mediterranean lamb meatballs.
- Ground lamb – You can easily swap ground beef, ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey for the lamb, if you prefer.
- Panko breadcrumbs – Coarser and lighter than seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, they are unseasoned. You can swap them for regular breadcrumbs, if you prefer.
- Feta – A bit of salty feta cheese adds a great flavor to these meatballs.
- Pine nuts – Make sure that you toast them before adding to the lamb mince. Pine nuts are a little pricey, but, if it is within your budget, they are worth the splurge.
- Herbs – Mint and dill add a ton of flavor. Use fresh herbs instead of their dried versions if possible.
- Garlic – Measure with your heart. A little more, a little less – whatever you prefer.
- Seasonings – Granulated onion, salt and pepper.
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.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make these Mediterranean lamb meatballs. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Mix everything together in a medium mixing bowl. Use clean hands to gently combine all of the ingredients.
- Scoop meatballs and place on baking sheet.
- Cook according to your preferred method – pan fry, bake, broil, or air fry.
- Serve with your favorite sides, or tuck into a pita.
In photo 3, the top group of meatballs were pan fried. The middle group was cooked under the broiler, and and the bottom 8 meatballs were baked in the oven. If you like to be able to brown your meatballs all over, pan frying is the best, and also messiest, option. Broiling was ok, they didn’t brown as much as I’d hoped. Baking them would be my second choice. Baking gave them more color than broiling in my oven, but I did bake them with the convection fan on – this moves the air around in the oven and helps to brown them evenly.
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Lamb meal prep meatballs
Try something new for your lunches or dinners. Meatballs are perfect for meal prepping, or making ahead of time. You can toss them on top of a Greek salad, over couscous or rice, or have them with a side of vegetables.
Lamb meatball recipe FAQ’s
Meatballs are great for making ahead of time. Wrap tightly or store in an airtight container, in the fridge overnight to cook the following day.
You can freeze the meatballs, either cooked or uncooked, for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.
Variations and substitutions
- Broil – 6 – 8 mins, turning once during cooking.
- Bake – 400° for 10 – 12 mins, turning once during cooking. If your oven has a convection feature, use it. This helps the meatballs brown evenly.
- Air fryer – 400° for 10 – 12 minutes
Helpful tools and equipment
- Heavy duty sheet pans that hold up to high temps without warping.
- Parchment paper sheets are MUCH easier to use than tearing pieces off of a roll.
- Meatball scoop – This scoop gets used for everything from meatballs to cookies.
- Chef knife – This is hands down the most important tool in your kitchen.
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Mediterranean lamb meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lamb ground
- ½ cup panko breadcrumb
- ¼ cup feta crumbled
- 2 tbsp. pine nuts toasted
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. dill finely chopped
- 1½ tbsp. mint finely chopped
- 2 tsp. garlic minced, about 3 cloves
- 1 tsp. granulated onion
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt or, to taste
- ½ 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 gently mix until thoroughly combined. *Try not to work the mixture too much.
- Using a 1 ounce scoop (2 tbsp.), 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)*See notes for other cooking methods.
- Brown on all sides, turning every few minutes. Cook for 10 – 12 minutes total.
- Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Chef Tips
- When mixing meatballs, try not to overwork the meat. Mix just until combined and fairly uniform. Use your hands! A spoon will work the mixture too much and ends up crushing the meat. Your hands do a much better job of this task.
- Lightly oil your hands when rolling meatballs. The meat will stick to dry hands. A drop or two of oil will help those little balls roll into shape with no fuss.
Alternate cooking methods
- Broil – 6 – 8 minutes, turning once during cooking.
- Bake – 400°F / 200°C for 10 – 12 mins, turning once during cooking.
- Air fryer – 400° for 10 – 12 minutes
Nutrition
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Originally published 4/24/19, most recent update 7/19/24.
This is my 2nd time making these meatballs- they are soooooo great I made a double batch and froze half!
Thank you so much, Deb!! I’m thrilled that you like these meatballs as much as we do! <3