Greek Lamb Meatballs

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These savory Greek lamb meatballs (keftedes) are bursting with robust Mediterranean flavor and aromatic goodness. Oven baked to golden perfection, they’re lightly crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside. Make this easy recipe in 30 minutes.

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🧆 Why This Recipe’s a Keeper

• Flavorful blend of herbs and spices. Like baked chicken meatballs, Swedish meatballs, and buffalo chicken meatballs, these baked lamb meatballs boast the perfect blend of fresh and dried spices. They’re herby and garlicky with an enticing sumptuous flavor. Make large meatballs for dinner, and tiny ones for appetizers and snacks.
• Greek lamb meatballs is a make-ahead dish. Assemble a double batch of keftedes (Greek meatballs) and freeze half for later.
• Perfect for sharing. For a party appetizer, place them on a platter over a bed of fresh baby spinach. Arrange thin strips of red onion on one side of the platter for a beautiful pop of color. Present this healthy snack with warm slices of pita bread, hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, and Kalamata Greek olives.
• Versatility: Greek meatballs are very versatile and can be served in various way. For an easy hand-held meal, make a meatball gyro sandwich. Add meatballs to warm piece of pita bread and top with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, crumbled feta, cucumber and tzatziki sauce.
• It’s an easy dinner recipe. Serve Greek lamb meatballs over a luscious smear of creamy roasted garlic hummus or plain yogurt. Garnish with crumbled feta and julienned mint or fresh oregano. The best sides include flat bread, arugula salad or Greek salad, veggies, lemon rice pilaf or orzo, and lemon wedges.

🧑🏼‍🍳RECIPE TIP: Keftedes can also be served in tomato sauce – although I don’t usually serve them with plain marinara. These meatballs go especially well with Arrabiata sauce or a shakshuka-style / harissa-based sauce.

🛒 Ingredients

• Large Eggs: Helps bind the meatballs together so they aren’t too crumbly. For extra richness, use 2 egg yolks instead of 1 whole egg.
• Plain Unseasoned Breadcrumbs: Help absorb any extra moisture so we end up with juicy, not soggy, meatballs. For softer meatballs, use Panko breadcrumbs.
• Onion: Adds an earthy flavor that’s a classic addition to meatballs. Make sure to mince it very finely (or grate it). No one likes a finding a huge bit of onion in their meatballs.
• Fresh Parsley: Adds a subtle grassy flavor that enhances the meatiness and earthiness of the lamb meatballs.
• Fresh Oregano: Adds an unmistakable Mediterranean flavor, and helps bring out the freshness in the lemon.
• Garlic Cloves: This rustic ingredient is a classic addition that pairs perfectly with lamb.
• Lemons (for juice and zest): Together, lemon juice and zest emphasize the lemon flavor in the Greek meatballs. Be sure to zest the lemon before you juice it.
• Kosher Salt: Encourages meat to release its liquid, which results in juicy flavorful meatballs. It’s also an important seasoning. It ensures all the components of the recipe will taste their best.
• Ground Black Pepper: Adds depth of flavor to the meat along with a vibrant spicy kick.
• Dried Italian Seasoning: Adds more herby flavor to the meatballs.
• Red Pepper Flakes: Help round out the seasoning with just a bit of heat. If desired, it’s okay to leave them out and use more ground black pepper instead.
• Ground Lamb: This ingredient is the star of the show! But if desired, you can make this recipe with beef, pork, or a mixture of beef and lamb.
• Olive Oil: Helps coat both the pan and the lamb meatballs to ensure they crisp up on the outside while staying juicy on the inside.

🍋 FOR GARNISHING: Sea salt, feta, fresh oregano, lemon wedges

📖 Recipe Steps

RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven while it’s heating up.

1. In a large bowl, whisk egg until the texture is smooth and uniform. Add breadcrumbs and mix briefly. Let crumbs sit for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they’ve absorbed the liquid from the egg. Once the mixture has a paste-like consistency, add onion, parsley, oregano, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
2. Add ground lamb to the bowl.
3. Mix the ingredients together very gently. We don’t want to compact the meat. If that happens, the Greek meatballs will be very tough and chewy.
4. Once the meat is well combined, divide it into 12 equal pieces. With pot holders, carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Brush the tray with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Coat your hands with the remainder of the olive oil. With a light rolling motion, gently form the 12 meat pieces into smooth round balls. Work quickly. We want the pan to stay as hot as possible.

🧑🏼‍🍳 RECIPE TIP: For meatball recipes where you don’t want large chunks of onion visible, grate the onion instead of chopping/mincing.

1. Return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until lamb meatballs are crisp on the outside and register 160°F on an instant-read food thermometer. Serve keftedes immediately.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips

• The best size for meatballs: When meatballs will be served on their own, medium-size meatballs (about 2-inches in diameter) are the appropriate size. If the meatballs will be served as appetizers, form them into 1-inch balls.
• How to prevent tough meatballs: The most common culprit for tough meatballs is compacting the meat too tightly when mixing the meat with other recipe ingredients, or when shaping the balls. Other culprits include using extra-lean meat, or having too much breadcrumbs in the meat mixture.
• How to rehydrate a dry meat mixture: Gently work ice water or melted butter into the mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. This will remoisten the uncooked meat and keep it tender and juicy during baking. If cooked meatballs are dry, brush them with melted butter or olive oil to rehydrate.
• How to store baked lamb meatballs: Transfer them to an airtight container lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions when making this Greek lamb meatballs recipe, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

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Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Friends who’ve tried these baked lamb meatballs loved their deeply savory taste. Comments were made about their well-balanced flavor, lightly-crisp exteriors and juicy centers.

If you agree this easy keftedes recipe is absolutely delicious, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero! Share it with a friend. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

Greek Lamb Meatballs 👉🏻 Join the Convo

Have you ever tried Greek lamb meatballs that were oven baked? Do you prefer them as appetizers or as part of a meal? What are your favorite condiments and sides for keftedes? Share your thoughts below.