Sheet Pan Greek Lamb Meatballs with Lemony-Yogurt Sauce
These delicious Sheet Pan Greek Lamb Meatballs are filled with flavor – from the warm spices to the fresh herbs and the surprise feta-filled center – this is flavor layering at its best! Borrowing delicious flavor combinations from Greek cuisine, these lamb meatballs are easy, baked in the oven and are so versatile. Serve them in a bowl with your favorite grain and fresh vegetables or pack them into a pita for a quick dinner on the go. Either way, win-win!
I feel like I’m always preaching this, but I just love both the versatility of the sheet pan meatball and just how much flavor you can pack into them. Serve them in a bowl like I did here or pack them into a pita for a more mobile version – fast, fresh, and good for you. Perfect for busy families on busy weeknights.
Interested in more sheet pan meatballs? Try these Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs with Quick Pickled Cucumbers or these Pan-roasted Pork and Apple Meatballs with Apple Cider Sauce!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
Recipe ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these incredible Greek Lamb Meatballs:
Ingredient Notes
The ingredients to make these Greek-inspired sheet pan lamb meatballs and yogurt sauce are easy to find and readily available at most any grocery store. If you can, I recommend grabbing any fresh ingredients at your local farmer’s market for maximum flavor.
Here are a few ingredient notes:
Lamb: This recipe calls for ground lamb, which is readily available at most any grocery store. It has a wonderful flavor and texture. If you are unable to find it or prefer not to use it, you can substitute ground beef with no changes to the recipe.
Yogurt: You are welcome to use regular or Greek yogurt for this recipe, but it must be unflavored plain yogurt.
Herbs: Fresh parsley, mint and dill are called for in this recipe. You are welcome to use only 2 of the herbs, or even just 1 if that’s all you have, BUT make sure to keep the total amount the same in the recipe (6 tablespoons).
How to make Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs with Lemony-Yogurt Sauce: STEP BY STEP
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list in the recipe card below
Steps 1 & 2:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Using a box grater, grate the onion over a large bowl. To the grated onion, add the egg, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, grated or finely minced garlic, cumin, coriander, red chili flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, and panko breadcrumbs and mix well with a fork.
Steps 3 & 4:
Next, chop the fresh herbs and add them to the breadcrumb mixture.
Steps 5 & 6:
Using a large cookie scoop or spoon, form the meatballs, but don’t roll them yet.
With your finger, make an indentation and add some feta cheese to the center of the meatball.
Steps 7 & 8:
Close the meatballs up and gently roll them. Lightly brush or spray them with olive oil or avocado oil and then bake them for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, make the lemony-yogurt sauce by combining plain yogurt, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and mix well.
Steps 9 & 10:
Remove the meatballs from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes.
Serve them with yogurt sauce at the base of the plate, couscous and a simple tomato cucumber salad.
Chef Notes & Tips
- Make sure to GRATE the onion and NOT CHOP the onion! The beauty of this recipe is how quickly the meatballs cook. If you add chopped onion, the onion will not cook through by the time the meatballs are done.
- Avoid tough meatballs by handling the meatball mixture as little as possible. When mixing everything together, use your hands to mix and only mix just until everything has come together.
- Do not skip the step of combining all of the meatball flavorings together first BEFORE adding to the lamb. This will cut down on how long you need to work the mixture to get everything combined.
- When working with leaner meats, never skip the step of lightly brushing (or spraying) the rolled meatballs with olive oil or avocado oil. This makes for a more caramelized and juicy exterior.
Storage & Reheating
STORAGE: Store the meatballs on their own in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the yogurt sauce separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
REHEATING: To reheat the meatballs, put them in an oven proof pan with a splash of water and cover with foil. Bake in the oven or a toaster oven at 350 until warmed through. Alternatively, you can do the same thing on the stove top over medium-low heat or in a microwave, uncovered, in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
FREEZING: You can easily freeze the cooked meatballs in a ziploc freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Alternatively, you can form the meatballs, place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan and into the freezer until they are hard. Then, transfer them from the sheet pan to a ziploc freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake them off, defrost them over night in the refrigerator, then bake according to recipe directions.
Additions & Substitutions
ADDITIONS:
Lemon zest – Add some lemon zest to the meatball mixture to add a pop of brightness.
Fresh oregano – Add 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano to the meatball mixture for a classic Greek flavor profile.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Fresh oregano – Substitute fresh oregano for any of the fresh herbs in the meatball mixture.
Beef – You can substitute beef for lamb if you don’t have lamb or prefer not to use it. The recipe will work exactly the same.
Yogurt – You can use Greek yogurt or regular yogurt – they just need to be non-flavored plain yogurt. Greek yogurt will have a slightly more tangy flavor and a thicker consistency. You can adjust your flavorings and consistency as desired. This sauce is meant to be a base for the plate, not something to be drizzled on top.
Breadcrumbs – If you don’t have panko breadcrumbs, you can substitute the same amount of regular breadcrumbs.
FAQs
I hope you love these SHEET PAN GREEK LAMB MEATBALLS WITH LEMONY-YOGURT SAUCE! If you make them, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!
Sheet Pan Greek Lamb Meatballs with Lemony-Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 onion (small to medium, grated)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 3 cloves garlic (grated or finely minced)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp mint (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp dill (finely chopped)
- 4 oz feta cheese
Lemony-Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
- 1 lemon (zest of whole, juice of half)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Using a box grater, grate the onion over a large bowl.
- To the grated onion, add the egg, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, grated or finely minced garlic, cumin, coriander, red chili flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, and panko breadcrumbs and mix well with a fork.
- Next add the lamb and the parsley, mint and dill to the onion mixture and mix with your hands, just until the mixture comes together. Be careful not to over mix, otherwise the meatballs can become tough.
- Using a large cookie scoop or a large spoon, scoop the meatballs and place them onto a sheet pan – don’t roll them yet!
- Pick up each meatball and and make an indentation with your finger and place some feta inside. Cover up the feta and roll the meatball and then place it back on the sheet pan. Repeat this process with the rest of the meatballs.
- Using the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, carefully brush the outside of the meatballs.
- Roast the meatballs in the oven for 15 minutes. *If you scooped larger meatballs, they will require a longer bake time.
- While the meatballs are roasting, add the yogurt to a small bowl and add the zest of the whole lemon and the juice of only half of the lemon, salt and pepper, and mix well. If the sauce is really thick, you can thin with water as you wish.
Nutrition
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