These Greek Meatballs make a great party appetizer! They’re made with lamb and a handful of spices (orange peel, mint, garlic) and rolled into perfect little bites.
I found this recipe in The Wall Street Journal years ago as good “noshing” food and had to try it with a few minor modifications.
It comes from Executive Chef Michael Symon of Greek Restaurant Parea in New York and Lola & Lolita Bistro in Cleveland.
These meatballs are made with ground lamb and some salt pork, although you can substitute bacon if you prefer. The spices are garlic, shallots, orange peel and fresh mint, with a little chopped hot chili for the spiciness.
If you don’t like spicy food, you can omit the chili pepper. Conversely, if you love spices, feel free to add another chili pepper to the mix!
How to serve these meatballs
These meatballs are great when served warm on toothpicks as an appetizer, although you could easily have them for dinner too. Serve them with some Greek yogurt for dipping, or even some tzatziki for something extra special.
How to advance and freeze
These meatballs can be made entirely ahead of time, chilled, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Simply microwave them on high for two minutes to reheat them.
You can also freeze cooked or uncooked meatballs. After cooking, allow the meatballs to cool completely before freezing.
Either way, simply place the meatballs on a parchment-lined sheet and freeze until set. Transfer to a freezer container or plastic bag (squeeze out as much air as possible) and freeze for up to three months.
Thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight. Cook uncooked meatballs according to recipe directions. Cooked meatballs can be reheated 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
Meatballs can also be pre-cooked, chilled and microwaved on high for 2 minutes.
ingredients
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1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
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1 garlic clove, chopped
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1 hot chili (jalapeño, serrano or other hot chili), seeded and chopped
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1 large shallot, chopped
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1 pound ground lamb
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4 ounces salted pork or bacon, ground or finely chopped
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zest of 1 orange
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2 tablespoons chopped mint
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Greek yogurt for dipping
method
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Soak Shallots, Chili Pepper, Garlic:
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil, minced garlic, chilli and shallot and cook for 1 minute, then allow to cool.
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Prepare the Meatball Mixture:
Meanwhile, crumble the lamb in a large bowl. Sprinkle the salt meat (or bacon), orange zest and mint evenly over the lamb and season with pepper. Scatter the cooled garlic mixture over the lamb. Mix gently until just combined
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Form the meatball mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls:
Transfer to a plate or sheet pan.
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Cook Meatballs:
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-medium heat. Working in batches if necessary to avoid clogging, sear the meatballs on all sides until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
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Serve warm with toothpicks or skewers of Greek yogurt
