If you need a delicious idea for a quick and easy weeknight dinner, these healthy Greek-inspired beef meatballs might just be what you are looking for! These meatballs are delicious and easy to make; they pair perfectly with tzatziki sauce for the perfect dipping sauce. Serve these meatballs on a pita, or in a bowl with rice and cucumber salad for a flavorful and nutritious meal. These meatballs are done in half an hour, and also make for a great meal prep!
What you’ll need to make healthy Greek-inspired beef meatballs, and what makes them “healthy” anyway?
- 96/4 extra lean ground beef
- this is the key ingredient used to “lighten up” this recipe
- 96/4 extra lean ground beef is the leanest ground beef sold (if you can’t find it, you can substitute any other ground beef)
- I typically find mine at Target or Trader Joe’s
- using lean ground beef like this drastically cuts down the calories per serving, without compromising the beef flavor of this dish
- egg
- plain breadcrumbs
- I used gluten-free here, but any will do
- lemon
- the lemon zest and juice adds lots of fresh flavor, for no calories
- dried oregano
- dill weed
- dried parsley
- cumin
- nutmeg
- kosher salt
The ingredient list is relatively short, and includes lots of pantry staples, making this a great recipe to have in your rotation of easy weeknight dinners. Additionally, the cooking method for this recipe requires baking the meatballs, which eliminates the need for frying in excess oil.
How to make these Greek-Inspired Beef Meatballs
This recipe couldn’t be easier to make: it’s as easy as combining all ingredients, rolling them into meatballs, and simply baking them in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F, and grab a mixing bowl. Add all of the ingredients to the mixing bowl, along with the zest of a lemon, and the juice from half of the lemon. Mix by hand, and divide into 12 equal sized meatballs. Spray a muffin pan liberally with cooking spray, and place a meatball into each opening.
Bake the meatballs at 350F for about half an hour, or until the beef is cooked through. Remember to get create with serving: either in a pita with all the fixin’s, or in a bowl with rice, cucumber salad, or your favorite toppings.
What to serve these meatballs with
As noted above, you can really serve these Greek-inspired meatballs however you wish: but my recommendations are either in a pita with yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion, or in a bowl with rice, cucumber salad and yogurt sauce on top.
If you are looking for recipes for a healthy cucumber salad and tzatziki sauce, check out this blog post:
Greek Turkey Burgers with Cucumber Salad and Yogurt Sauce – Sweet Savory and Steph
Healthy Greek-Inspired Beef Meatballs
Equipment
- muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb 96/4 extra lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs, I used Gluten Free
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 lemon, zested, 1/2 lemon juiced
- tzatziki sauce for dipping/topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Zest the lemon, and add the juice from 1/2 the lemon to the mixture.
- Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Form 12 equal sized meatballs and place them in the muffin pan openings.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the beef is cooked through.
- Serve with tzatziki for dipping/topping, in a bowl or on a pita with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, etc.
Notes
Nutrition
You might enjoy these recipes with similar flavor profiles:
Healthy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables
Greek Chicken and Rice Skillet
Related Posts
I had ground chicken on hand so I used that and they turned out AMAZING!! They were cooked in 20 minutes instead of 30. These are so so so good and very easy to throw together. Husband was impressed we were having homemade meatballs. Will definitely make these again!
Another delicious and easy recipe!
These are sooo good, I paired them with roasted broccoli and rice, I didn’t even need the sauce with them
I made these for the first time today, and all i can say is WOW! They came together so quickly and were packed with so much flavor! I will definitely be making these again!
So delicious!!! Used balsamic instead of red wine since I didn’t have red and it was delicious. Also de-seeded cucumbers and cut them into half moons and it was PERFECT!
These meatballs were delicious and really easy to put together! I added a handful of chopped spinach into the mixing bowl because I like to sneak in greens wherever I can. I served with brown rice, cucumber/red onion/tomato salad and tzatziki sauce as suggested for dinner. Next time, I’ll make them for lunch in a pita with all the fixings!
Made this recipe for my out of town guests…….. everyone absolutely loved it!
These look so good. Could I use ground turkey or chicken breast?
Amazing dish. Will definitely be on repeat.