GF Greek Lamb Meatballs
- Isabel S.
- Dec 21, 2017
- 3 min read
Oh, boy, have I got a good one for you! MEATBALLS. LAMB. GREEK. It's all good. The best part (for me and my fellow glutards) is that they are gluten-free. No breadcrumbs needed! I love Greek food. It's one of the best cuisine styles because it's so full of flavor and decadent tasting but still feels fresh and healthy. There are always plenty of fresh veggies involved in greek meals and lamb is featured heavily. I very rarely eat red meat... Sometimes I'll eat a burger or steak but it always leaves me feeling heavy and uncomfortable. Lamb is much easier to digest and has more protein. Also, another benefit is that most of the time lamb is going to be better quality meat. Lamb is primarily grass-fed while beef is most often grain-fed and if you want free range beef it's probably going costs more. I got this fresh ground lamb at Fresh Market. Two pounds was only $13. That's a lot of meatballs for a darn good price!
Anyway, on to what really matters. The taste! These babies are so delicious and moist (sorry for the gross word but that's the only way to describe them). I think using lamb meat, which is notoriously tender, and not using breadcrumbs helps them to be extra tender (Oh look at that, I found a better word). Even though these are made with red meat they're surprisingly bright in flavor thanks to herbs and spices often used in greek food like mint, parsley, and coriander. To add to the freshness, I make a salad of cucumber, parsley, purple onion, celery, and tomato tossed in lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt and garlic powder, as well as tzatziki sauce, and just for fun, I top it all off with mediterranean feta cheese crumbles.
P.S. there are no tomatoes in these photos because it's winter time and none of the tomatoes have looked good!
There are about a million options to serve these. Put it all in a pita, pile it on some white rice, top off a salad, eat them by themselves slathered with tzatziki, make a simple pasta with olive oil, lemon, garlic, olives, and meatballs...I could go on but I'll stop. You get it!
Ingredients
(Makes about 30 meatballs)
2 Lbs ground lamb
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup finely minced purple onion
5 cloves minced garlic (I use a microplane)
1 medium carrot finely grated (Again, I used a microplane)
1 egg
1/2 lemon zest and juice (Microplane the zest...get one if you don't have one. It's handy.)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
A few healthy grinds of lemon pepper
A dash of cinnamon (probably about 1/8 tsp)
Directions
Preheat oven to 450F
Throw it all in a big bowl and get to mixing! Even though it grosses me out a little, I use my hands. It mixes it so much more evenly and quickly than using a spoon.
Spoon or pinch out mixture about 1 TBSP at a time and roll into balls. (Keep the same size so they'll bake evenly.)
Place on Silpat or baking paper and bake for 12-15 minutes depending on size.
Tip- I take one out after 12 minutes and break it open to check for doneness. The inside should be cooked through with no pink and the outside should be slightly browned.
Serve however sounds good! They store great in the fridge for a few days or can be frozen!
Disclaimer- I don't like things too salty so I tend to under salt because I feel like you can always add more if you want. If these aren't salty enough for you, add a little salt to the top when they come out of the oven or make a small batch, taste them, and add more salt before baking the rest.
Bonus recipe!!
Tzatziki (Aka the hardest word to spell)
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 lemon juiced
1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves of finely minced garlic
1/2 cup grated cucumber (Grate into a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out some of the liquid)
Fresh dill to taste
Sea salt to taste
Lemon pepper to taste
Mix it all up and slather it on everything. It's one of my favorite sauces!
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