Lamb Meatballs
Lamb meatballs are flavorful, tender, and great for loading onto a gyro, or eating as an appetizer. Savor the exotic flavors of the Mediterranean with these perfectly seasoned meatballs. They are bursting with savory spices, juicy, tender and pair perfectly with this creamy and refreshing yogurt dipping sauce.
Each bite is a journey of flavor! Pair these with Homemade Hummus, Tzatziki, and Greek Cucumber Salad for an amazing meal.
When I think of lamb I immediately think of time spent in the Mediterranean. My husband and I have been very lucky to visit a great deal of the Mediterranean, and noticed that lamb was a staple in many of the areas we visited. We had it in Greece and Israel, prepared different ways, and it was always good.
I got to visit Israel recently with Vibe Israel, and got to eat lamb with Tabbouleh and Couscous Salad! It was an amazing meal.
Here in the US, I do not see lamb as often, and sometimes forget about it as an option for feeding my family. If you are anything like me, you probably do not buy lamb as much as you should, and that is a shame because it is so flavorful!
But did you know in the US there are more than 82,000 family-owned sheep operations, with sheep in nearly every state? It’s true! You can find local American lamb year round that has great quality, flavor, and tenderness. So now is the time to add it to your dinner rotation.
And what is better is that it can give you global flavors without ever having to leave home. I love being able to introduce my kids to flavors from Latin America, the Mediterranean, Asia, and even Middle Eastern cultures, right at our dinner table. It is far cheaper than taking them to those places…haha, although I hope to take them to see them!
So while lamb is great in kabobs, gyros, bulgogi and stews, I wanted to show you an amazing Mediterranean Lamb Meatball with a Yogurt dipping sauce that will have you licking your chops (lamb chops!!! Haha).
These lamb meatballs with a yogurt dipping sauce will knock your socks off. And they are really easy to make. They can even be made a day in advance and refrigerated to be cooked the day you want them, making them a fast week night option, or fun appetizer for company. And the yogurt sauce is amazing on day one, but the flavors can really meld overnight, making it another great make-ahead option!
If you want global flavor with local lamb, that will have wanting to book a flight right to the Eastern Mediterranean, try this recipe.
And an extra bonus! This recipe makes a great freezer meal! Just prepare the meatballs, and freeze before cooking. Then defrost and cook according to directions day of!
Do you like lamb? What is your favorite way to prepare it? Leave me a comment letting me know!!
Other Recipes You Should Try
- Slow Cooker Roast Lamb with Lemon, Rosemary and Garlic
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Classic Mediterranean Marinade
- Porcupine Meatballs
- The Ultimate Guide to Meatballs
- Swedish Meatballs
Mediterranean Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion make it really fine
- 1 Tbs finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 Tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbs finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 Tbs cilantro chopped fine
- 1/2 Tbs mint chopped fine
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp coriander
- salt and pepper optional
- zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Mix together meatball mixture with hands, and form balls (between 20-30 depending on size)
- Let sit overnight or for a few minutes
- Preheat oven to 375
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through
- Mix together all yogurt sauce ingredients, salt and pepper to taste
- Serve meatballs on skewers or with toothpicks, and with yogurt dipping sauce
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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dishofdailylife says
Those look fabulous! My husband is Lebanese and we cook Mediterranean and Arabic all the time! I just pinned your recipe and I would so love it if you could stop by on Thursday night or Friday morning for Foodie Fridays and share it with us!
Shelby says
I was never a huge fan of Lamb, then I tried it at an Indian resturaunt and loved it! These sound super flavorful and look amazing!
Renee's Kitchen Adventures says
These look great. I’m not a fan of lamb, but I do like ground lamb just fine. I love the flavors in this!
Valerie Brunmeier (@ValeriesKitchn) says
I love little dipping appetizers…especially meatballs! The sauce sounds so good – a little different than the typical tzatziki. Lovely!
Sheena @ Hot Eats and Cool Reads says
I never think to use lamb! I know I would love this! Thanks for sharing!
Mary Ellen says
These look so tasty. I love lamb and don’t cook with it enough. We’d love these….
Chichi says
I love Mediterranean food. Went to Mediterranean restaurant over the weekend and had some very delicious lamb dishes. Your lamb meatballs look so delicious and flavourful
Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama says
This looks delicious! And I am not even a huge fan of lamb in general. 🙂
Kristin @ Dizzy Busy and Hungry! says
We love lamb! Definitely must try these!
occasionalcooker says
I have never tried lamb. However, these look fabulous. I’m going to have to try them sometime.
Marion@Life Tastes Good says
Your meatballs sound so flavorful and the dipping sauce looks great! I don’t think to buy lamb either, but am happy to have a delicious recipe to give me a good reason!
Jen says
What a fun spin on lamb and the traditional meatball! I have never had lamb meatballs but I can’t wait to try these – such a fun appetizer too!
Gail @ 2Create in Color says
Looks delicious — we’ll be trying these at my house! Love the twist in the recipe, using pumpkin pie spice. Clever!
Kate says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I had not had eaten lamb before or ever cooked lamb. Wow, was I in for a shock, this was so good made a big hit with my sons family! Then we went on to have leg of lamb for Easter dinner during family reunion. Another hit with everyone. I really like the great blind of spices in this recipe. I’m going to try this with some goat meat.
Rachael says
Thank you Kate! I am so glad you liked it.
Alice O’Neill says
Did you grind the Coriander?
Rachael says
Yes, thank you!
Courtney says
Fantastic recipe, I added some harris to making them spicy. my entire family loved the,….even the picky youngest child!
Kate says
Dear Rachel,
We got our annual lamb from our neighbour yesterday, and this was the first recipe we tried! Fabulous,! The pumpkin pie spice is a winner! Our lamb was trained to follow with grain, so it has a high fat content…I put the meatballs on a rack over a cookies sheet to bake, and they came out perfectly! Moist, tender, not swimming in grease. This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you!
Kate and Dory
Rachael says
I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!