Greek Meatballs with Orzo

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Stray from your classic taco Tuesday or pot roast Sundays and take a trip to Greece for a meal! Greek Meatballs with Orzo is a savory, herby, and bright weeknight dish that will transport you to the warm shores of a dreamy Greek island.

Okay, not really, but it’s just a really really good meal. Greek Meatballs with Orzo is a gourmet-tasting yet approachable meal that your whole family will love. Feta-stuffed turkey meatballs are served with lemony orzo, olives, and dill. And it’s all made in just one pan!

One-pot meals are my go-to when I’m tired and can’t bear the thought of cleaning any more than I have to. I like to make one-pot meals in a non-stick sauté pan or my favorite pink pans. If I’m being totally honest, one-pot meals take just a bit longer to cook than if you used a few pans, but I’d rather spend a little more time prepping than cleaning up. After I eat I just lose the will to clean up, haha!

Ingredients for Greek Meatballs with Orzo

• lean ground turkey or chicken (I used 99% lean turkey)
• salt and pepper
• minced garlic
• feta cheese
• panko breadcrumbs
• cinnamon (seems weird but it adds a nice warm flavor to the meatballs!)
• oregano
• cumin
• onion powder
• egg
• lemon juice
• olive oil
• uncooked orzo
• chicken broth
• roasted red peppers (I used canned roasted red peppers)
• kalamata olives
• dried dill

Can I Make this Recipe Dairy Free?

This recipe works well as a dairy-free recipe. Simply leave out the feta cheese in the meatballs and don’t add any at the end. You can serve this dish with a little feta on the side if some of you do want cheese.

How to Make Greek Meatballs

Mix together the ingredients for the meatballs and roll them into 3-tablespoon rounds. I like to grease my hands with some avocado oil spray so the mixture doesn’t stick to my hands.

Cook the meatballs in a large skillet over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil. Turn each meatball to cook all sides. They should take about 10 minutes to cook if you’re constantly rotating them. Check the internal temperature of to make sure they are cooked through if you’re unsure. If they reach 165℉ they are done. Set the meatballs aside and move on to the orzo.

To that same pan that you cooked the meatballs in, add the orzo along with olive oil and garlic. Let that cook for a minute or two and add the chicken broth, roasted peppers, olives, dried dill, salt, pepper, and remaining lemon juice.

Turn the heat to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the orzo is tender. Once tender, stir in the remaining feta cheese, then place the cooked meatballs on top. Let the meatballs warm through, then serve and enjoy.

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Greek Meatballs with Orzo

Recipe by Julia Pacheco

Recipe rating: 5.0 from 2 votes

Course: Dinner, MainCuisine: Greek, MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-5

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Greek Meatballs with Orzo is a gourmet-tasting yet approachable meal that your whole family will love. Feta-stuffed turkey meatballs are served with lemony orzo, olives, and dill.

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground turkey or chicken

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp pepper

• 2 tbsp minced garlic, divided

• 1/2 cup feta cheese, divided

• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 egg

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided

• 1 cup uncooked orzo

• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped (I used canned roasted red peppers)

• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced

• 1 tsp dried dill

Directions

• To a medium-sized bowl add the ground turkey, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup feta cheese, the Panko bread crumbs, cinnamon, Oregano, cumin, onion powder, egg, and half of the lemon juice, and stir well.
• Grease your hands with a little oil and roll about 3 tbsp of the mixture into a ball. Repeat for the rest of the mixture. Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the meatballs and cook for about 10 minutes turning each meatball to cook all sides. Check the internal temperature of the meatballs to make sure they are cooked through. If they reach 165℉ they are done.
• Remove the cooked meatballs to a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm. To the same pan that you cooked the meatballs in, add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and the orzo.
• Stir well to coat the orzo in the oil and garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant, add the chicken broth, roasted peppers, olives, dried dill, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and remaining lemon juice. Stir well and turn the heat to low. Let simmer, covered, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the orzo is tender. Once tender, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup feta cheese, then place the cooked meatballs on top. Let the meatballs warm through, then serve and enjoy!

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