Spiced Meatballs with Greek Yogurt Mint Sauce, a perfect recipe for a Mediterranean dinner night. Beautifully spiced little meatballs with a refreshing yogurt mint sauce all wrapped up in a warm soft pita. So finger-licking good!
Song of the day: Dune Mosse - Zucchero & Miles Davis.
Spiced Meatballs with Greek Yogurt Mint Sauce takes wonderful Mediterranean organic ingredients to a whole new level of flavor, texture, and beauty in a handheld simple fun way to eat!
Meatballs
Spiced meatballs could mean a lot of things, but today it is taking us to the Mediterranean. I don't know about you but I love little meatballs, they are always so enticing to me. If done well they can be the most flavourful tender moist morsels of food love that you can imagine.
I was inspired by Bon Appétit magazine on this one. The moment I saw those little morsels resting in that incredible Greek yogurt and those swirls of salsa verde I was hooked and wanted to get into the kitchen to make these. We did play a bit with the recipe as we did not have any lamb and I wanted to put a bit of a twist on the yogurt combining salsa verde with some wonderful fresh cut mint.
A blogger couple
Being a couple and food blogging has its privileges. As most of you food bloggers already know from experience, it is a bit of work. Nicoletta works heavily on the blog full time as I still have a day job. I wish I could do more and that is our dream to make this for both of us a full-time gig, so universe, hear our prayers, and help us make that a reality. Enough of the sermon let's get back to the story.
Teamwork
So what I was really trying to say, is that, as a couple, Nicoletta and I work together to create wonderful loving things in our kitchen and these Spiced Meatballs with Greek Yogurt Mint Sauce were just that. Nicoletta mixed up the herbs, meat, and spice and put it into the fridge to rest. This will get all those spices and flavors beautifully infused into the wonderful organic ground beef. I chopped up some fresh mint right into some wonderful organic Greek yogurt and mixed it up. I absolutely love Greek yogurt, it is rich, a bit thicker, and has an amazing acidity to it that is the plain one, the perfect foundation for all those herbs, and finally a perfect place for those wonderful meaty morsels to lay in.
Simple and tasty
This recipe is really simple. Add in that the meatballs are roasted in the oven after you have artistically scooped and rolled them to precise roundness and placed them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The sauce just needs a few scoops of salsa verde and just before the meatballs are done I place a few small pita breads in the oven to warm them up and make them soft so we can wrap all those good things up into a nice handheld parcel.
The meatballs look wonderful, nicely roasted with all those juices all browned up, yum. I think I'll just steal one. Quality control! lol.
Look at the beautiful contrast in color, that creamy white of the yogurt, the vibrant green of the salsa verde, and those muted pale mint leaves just give a wonderful canvas for the meatballs to be featured. Those meatballs look so juicy and after our quality control department sampled them, we have two thumbs up!
My apologies, the extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil has informed me that I had forgotten to mention its brilliance and beauty. You can't have Mediterranean without the e.v.o. oil!
I love this intimate and interactive food style. Scooping up all those flavors into that soft and warm pita that feels so wonderful in my hand. A quick wrap and I am ready to sink my teeth into this creation.
OMG, the flavors!
Truly, the pita is chewy yet tender and soft and the edge a bit crisp. The yogurt mint sauce is perfectly acidic, creamy, those sweet aromatic notes from the mint leaves and that vibrant fresh rich flavor drop of the salsa verde leads us to the meatballs in a very sultry and almost primitive way. The meatballs are so tender and moist the juices I feel running onto my chin. The flavors of turmeric, cumin, oregano are rhythmic pleasures to my tongue and that hit of child flakes packs enough of a jab to delight the senses. This spiced meatball cannot be what it is without that oh so familiar garlic and I have to say that ground beef from Sunworks Farm has such a wonderful flavor and you can sure feel the happiness of that cow as it grazed those beautiful grassy fields.
Mediterranean cuisine has always been on the top of my list and this recipe for Spiced Meatballs with Greek Yogurt Mint Sauce reiterates why I love it so much! Make tonight a Mediterranean night!
Enjoy!
Cut! That's a wrap!
Can I have a napkin please, lol.
Spiced Meatballs with Greek Yogurt Mint Sauce
Spiced Meatballs with Greek Yogurt Mint Sauce takes great organic tasty Mediterranean ingredients and take them to new heights in flavor, texture, and beauty in a wonderful handheld intimate and interactive feast!
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- a pinch dried oregano
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp plus ½ cup e.v.o. oil
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves, divided
- 1 lb (about 500 g) lean ground beef
Greek Yogurt Mint Sauce:
- 4 mint leaves chopped
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt
- 2 tbsp e.v.o. oil
Salsa Verde:
- 4 tbsp fresh parsley
- ¼ cup e.v.o. oil
- 1 clove garlic
- pinch paprika (optional)
- Pita bread, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine egg, panko, cumin, oregano, turmeric, red pepper flakes, finely chopped parsley, 2 tablespoon e.v.o oil, and salt. Finely grate 1 garlic clove.
- Add ground beef and stir with your hands until evenly distributed.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.
- Take out of the fridge, place a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Gently roll ground beef mixture in between your hands into a 1 ½"-diameter (about the size of a golf ball). We made 26 with the mixture
- Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing evenly apart.
- Bake meatball in the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce.
- Mix chopped mint into yogurt and blend.
- In a small food processor blend parsley, oil, garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth.
- Spread yogurt over plates, swirl in salsa verde and add meatballs on top.
- Drizzle a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with some paprika.
- Ready to serve with some beautifully warmed pita.
Enjoy!
Notes
- Salsa verde can be done few days ahead. Keep in a jar, with olive oil covering the top, with the lid, in the refrigerator.
- The paprika is optional.
- Remember that you need at least an hour of marination time for the ground beef.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Meat
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: meatballs greek yogurt salsa verde baked meat main pita mediterranean
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Christina says
Wow, this recipe looks insanely delicious! PINNING!!
Hi Cristina so glad you liked these. I have to say they were so packed with flavor and that mint yogurt sauce combined with the salsa verde just hits some out od this world taste! Thank you for your enthusiastic words, much appreciated.
Loreto
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Your pics have me totally craving this for lunch right now!! And that yogurt mint sauce? I bet that would taste good on just about anything 🙂 YUM!!!
★★★★★
Hi Dawn, yes I loved the mint sauce. I weas thinking souvlaki, grilled stea, roasted cawliflower. So many options!. So glad you liked this one. Thanks!
loreto
Gloria says
This recipe is calling my name. We love cooking with lamb...and you cannot beat a great sandwich/wrap any night of the week. Your pictures are mouthwatering....just like the food!!
★★★★★
Thank you Gloria. I just loved the look of this dish. So alluring and delicious. Real hand food, lol.
Have a great cooking week!
loreto
Heather says
Loving all the flavors that are coming together in this. And all wrapped in a warm pita? Sign me up. Putting this on the dinner rotation for next week.
★★★★★
Thank you Heather. I think you are going to love this dish. So many flavors mingling in such a balanced way. Get lots of napkins, lol.
Happy cooking!
loreto
Anna says
What a great dish! I love all the spices and flavours in this meal, and what a great idea to use them in a pita bread!
★★★★★
Thank you Anna, I was very pleased with this recipe and you are so right, lots of flavors and spices making it just simply delicious!
Cheers!
Loreto
Kelly Anthony says
This recipe gets all the yes's from me! I adore lamb and I can't think of a better way to eat it!
★★★★★
Hi Kelly
Thank you! The lamb and the sauce marry perfectly together. I love that it is a hand food, however napkins are needed, lol.
Happy cooking!
Loreto
Marisa Franca says
I thought I was hungry before I read the post but now I'm ravenous. We do love our meatballs -- especially the spicy ones. And add to it our homemade pitas with some delicious Greek sauce. Ahhh!! Dinner can't get here soon enough! Great recipe and I hope you both get your wish for working this full-time.
★★★★★
Thank you Marisa we so appreciate your wishes and comment. As you know blogging is a lot of work, and there are some ups and downs, and many learning curves. I always tell Nicoletta lets just do what we do, being who we athentically are, the rest will take care of itself! For me I love cooking, always have since very little, so my passion runs deep. I am very grateful for all the beautiful comments, and sure hope you feel that in my answers to them. Knowing that you are ravenous tells me we are doing our job well.
Have a great week!
Ciao, Loreto
Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago says
These look so tasty! Perfect for a weekday lunch or a light dinner!
★★★★★
Thank you Kathryn. So true, always planning meals is a great way to save money and be resourceful with what you have. I would honestly love this anytime of day, even breakfast the nexxt day! Lol.
Have a great week in your kitchen!
Loreto out.
Shelley says
This really is gorgeous! All the colors are so alluring, and the flavor profile is just dynamite! Definitely so perfect with wonderful, fresh pita. Instant passport to the Mediterranean!
Hi Shelly, love that transport to the Mediterranean! So true this dish is so alluring. I loved the aromas that lingers and gently grabs you appetite for a stroll. This is definately one of my favorites!
Thanks a bunch for the beautiful words.
Cheers!
loreto
Leslie Haasch says
That yogurt mint sauce sounds fantastic - this would really mix up my dinner rotation!
Always inspired to create wonderful dishes to broaden the pallet. The sauce was amazing and it really balances the spice in the meatball. I love warm pita and how beautiful it is in my hand wrapping all those great flavors and textures in such a comforting way!
Thank you leslie!
Cheers!
loreto
Amanda Mason says
A Mediterranean dinner sounds AMAZING! I wish my hubby liked to cook with me! Seriously - these look amazing and I see myself eating these for a snack, lunch and/or dinner! Love the cumin in this recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you Amanda, I have to say I love working in our tiny kitchen with Nicoletta. Lots of fun and beautiful to create something together and then sit down to enjoy it relaxing.
Hope your wish to get your husband into the kitchen with you come to life!
happy cooking!
Loreto
Kitty says
This recipe looks a divine!dinner! Can you prep and freeze the meatballs for later?
Hi Kitty, Thank you.
You sure can. I personally don't keep things in the freezer to long. I would say try to use them in that first month, this way you are insured that the flavor of the meatball is preserved. If you have a vacum packer better yet!
Happy cooking!
Loreto
lauren says
You are speaking my language with this!! My mom is going to absolutely love this, pinning it for our next family meal!
Thank you, It is a fun meal with loads of flavor. Those spices meatballs where so juicy and delicious. Have fun making these, and most of all have a wonderrful time eating them!
Cheers!
Loreto
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Wow this recipe looks amazing! I am totally making this for my husband, he will be so excited to eat this!
Hi Sam Thank you!
It is a great dish, lots of middle eastern flavors, no shortage of deliciousness. I love hand foods like this where there is some assembly required. There is also something to be said about how messy this can get. Some great foods are like that.
Have a wonderful week
Cheers!
Loreto
Noel Lizotte says
I can't wait to try these! This sounds like Saturday afternoon cooking to me!
★★★★★
I can't waite for you to try these. They were delicious and so much fun to eat!
Thanmk you for stopping by.
Loreto