lamb meatballs with feta and lemon
Despite trying to provide ample evidence here, nobody believes me when I say that I get no special pleasure out of weeknight cooking — and guys, it’s like my , which doesn’t bode well for those of us who are no place near a kitchen all day. In an ideal world it would be relaxing, a way to unwind as we talked about our days while snapping ends off asparagus and rinsing rice before we cooked it. We’d make food that surprised and delighted us, food that exceeded our humble weeknight expectations every time and righted all of the day’s wrongs. And then the dishes would magically wash themselves. In reality, weeknight cooking is usually about practicality; hurried and hastily chopped, and all too often with a 4.5 year-old having a hangry meltdown at my feet because he didn’t want baked potatoes with broccoli for dinner, he wanted spaghetti and meatballs. Please send in the violins.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 17 of 19 ingredients — the other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 17 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Lamb | 100g cooked | 294 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Feta Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Oregano | 1 tsp dried (1.8g) | 5 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Mint | 2 tbsp fresh (3g) | 2 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Vermouth | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cup (about 70 grams) breadcrumbs, fresh or plain, such as Panko
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1/2 cup (55 grams) crumbled feta cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons (35 grams) tomato paste
- Zest of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- A couple glugs of red wine or white/dry vermouth (optional)
- 1 28-ounce (795 grams) can of crushed or pureed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Zest of half a lemon
- 3/4 to 1 teaspoon table salt
- Pinches of red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 1/3 cup (about 45 grams) pitted, chopped kalamata olives
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced mint leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
- Juice of one lemon
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) crumbled feta, for garnish