Greek Meatballs, Feta Yogurt Sauce and Lemon Couscous
"Yummy, a whole different way to eat meatballs. No Italian sauce, but a creamy Feta sauce and lemon couscous to serve everything over versus pasta. It really is great and honestly doesn't take long. Couscous as you know takes 5 minutes. I make the dressing ahead and you are only left with the meatballs which you can actually make ahead, refrigerate or freeze and then make later. A salad on the side with a lemon vinaigrette and fresh tomatoes and dinner. Can't get much easier. Give it a try, you will love it if you enjoy greek flavors like me."
- Ready In:
- 1hr
- Ingredients:
- 31
- Serves:
-
4-6
ingredients
-
Dressing
- 1⁄2 cup feta cheese
- 1⁄2 cup plain yogurt
- 1⁄8 cup half-and-half
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt (go easy, feta is salty)
- pepper
-
Lemon Couscous
- 3⁄4 cup couscous
- 3⁄4 cup chicken broth
- 1⁄4 cup lemon juice (fresh)
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
-
Meatballs
- 1⁄2 lb ground lamb
- 1⁄2 ground beef
- 1⁄4 cup feta cheese
- 1⁄4 cup milk
- 1⁄4 cup parsley
- 2 scallions, diced fine (white and green parts)
- salt
- pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, to saute
-
Meatball Sauce
- 3⁄4 cup kalamata olive (cut in half)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, just plain no seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
-
Garnish
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 lemon, sliced
directions
- Sauce -- Mix the feta, yogurt, half and half, salt and pepper and lemon juice. Set to the side in a small bowl and refrigerate. Done!
- Couscous -- As I said takes literally 5 minutes to boil, stir in couscous and it's done. Don't worry about that until the dinner is done. Although you can put a pot on the stove with the broth, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and put the couscous in a measuring cup on the side, just so it is all ready.
- Cucumber and Lemon -- Now I use a English (or seedless cucumber and just dice it up and set to the side (it's done). Same with slicing the lemon. One less thing to do at the end of the meal.
- Meatballs -- Simply in a large bowl, add the feta, milk, parsley, scallions, egg, oregano, salt and pepper. I mix everything well and then add the meat last. You don't want to over mix the meat as it can make it tough. Just mix enough to be combined. Roll into golf ball size meatballs.
- Saute -- Just heat up the olive oil in a large saute pan on medium high and cook them until golden brown. Remove to a plate while you make the sauce.
- Sauce -- In the same pan with the drippings from the meatballs, add the olives, garlic and red pepper and cook just a minute. then stir in the tomatoes, oregano and parsley and cook just another minute to heat up. Add the meatballs back in to finish cooking. They will take approximately 5-10 minutes depending on the size. Just keep them on a low simmer.
- Couscous -- As the meatballs finish, cook the couscous. Just bring the broth, lemon, olive oil and seasoning up to a boil. Add the couscous, stir and remove from the heat and cover. Use foil, a lid, saran wrap, a plate, or anything you have will work just fine. Just let it set for 5 minutes and it is done.
- Serve -- Use a fork to fluff the couscous and then just spoon some on your plate. Top with 2-3 of the meatballs and some of the tomato and olive sauce, and now the good part. Finish with a spoon of the yogurt sauce over the meatballs and some diced cucumber and then squeeze the lemon.
- And trust me -- now you have a totally amazing dish.
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Reviews
-
Another very good recipe. I had to use all beef for the meatballs, which I made a day ahead. I wondered how well they'd stay together with no starch and with all the good stuff in them, but that did not turn out to be a problem. I even just dropped my raw meatballs into the simmering sauce without pre-browning, and they still stayed together. You couldn't tell that there was feta in them once they were cooked, but they had a more interesting flavor which probably comes from that. I did not add any salt to my dressing. I subbed millet for the couscous just to have a whole grain (same texture); I cooked it in my rice cooker with the broth and lemon juice and some extra water for the necessary moisture. I sauteed about 5 cloves of garlic in the pan before adding the other sauce ingredients. I got 33 ~1-inch meatballs out of the mix and froze half for the future. We still used almost all of both sauces with just half the meatballs. At the end I sprinkled only a tiny amount of lemon juice over the cukes because I thought there would be enough lemon already in the other sauce. It was a very nice mix of textures, temperatures, and flavors. And it looks intimidating with all the parts, but they are each very easy to make, and much can be made ahead. The biggest challenge is remembering to add all the parts when serving! Thanks.
Tweaks
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Another very good recipe. I had to use all beef for the meatballs, which I made a day ahead. I wondered how well they'd stay together with no starch and with all the good stuff in them, but that did not turn out to be a problem. I even just dropped my raw meatballs into the simmering sauce without pre-browning, and they still stayed together. You couldn't tell that there was feta in them once they were cooked, but they had a more interesting flavor which probably comes from that. I did not add any salt to my dressing. I subbed millet for the couscous just to have a whole grain (same texture); I cooked it in my rice cooker with the broth and lemon juice and some extra water for the necessary moisture. I sauteed about 5 cloves of garlic in the pan before adding the other sauce ingredients. I got 33 ~1-inch meatballs out of the mix and froze half for the future. We still used almost all of both sauces with just half the meatballs. At the end I sprinkled only a tiny amount of lemon juice over the cukes because I thought there would be enough lemon already in the other sauce. It was a very nice mix of textures, temperatures, and flavors. And it looks intimidating with all the parts, but they are each very easy to make, and much can be made ahead. The biggest challenge is remembering to add all the parts when serving! Thanks.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
SarasotaCook
Sarasota, Florida
<p>Growing up in Michigan, I spent my summers at my cottage in the Northern part up by Traverscity. On a lake, big garden which had all the vegetables you could imagine. My mom taught school, so summers were our vacation time. Gramps and I fished all the time so fresh fish was always on the menu, perch, blue gill, walleye and small and large mouth bass. At age 5 I learned how to clean my own fish and by 10 I was making dinner, canning vegetables and fruits, making pies and fresh breads. Apples fresh picked every fall, strawberries in June and July, Cherries at the Cherry Festival in Traverscity. So fresh foods always were a big part. Mom worked as a teacher during the year so dinner was more traditional with pot roasts, meatloaf, etc, but it seemed we always had fresh fruits and vegetables as part of the meal. Mom also didn't use as many spices as I do, but times were different back then. <br /> <br />So ... My motto is ... There is NO Right and NO Wrong with cooking. So many people thing they have to follow a recipe. But NO ... a recipe is a method and directions to help and teach someone. Cooking is about personal tastes and flavors. I love garlic ... and another person may not. I like heat ... but you may not. Recipes are building blocks, NOT text ground in stone. Use them to make and build on. Even my recipes I don't follow most times --They are a base. That is what cooking is to me. A base of layer upon layer of flavors. <br /> <br />I still dislike using canned soups or packaged gravies/seasoning ... but I admit, I do use them. I have a few recipes that use them. But I try to strive to teach people to use fresh ingredients, they are first ... so much healthier for you ... and second, in the end less expensive. But we all have our moments including me. <br /> <br />So, lets see ... In the past, I have worked as a hostess, bartender, waitress, then a short order cook, salad girl in the kitchen, sort of assistant chef, head chef, co owner of a restaurant ... now a consultant to a catering company/restaurant, I cater myself and I'm a personal chef for a elderly lady. I work doing data entry during the day, and now and then try to have fun which is not very often due to my job(s). <br /> <br />I have a 21 year old who at times is going on 12, aren't they all. Was married and now single and just trying to enjoy life one day at a time. I'm writing a cookbook ... name is still in the works but it is dedicated to those people who never learned, to cook. Single Moms, Dads, or Just Busy Parents. Those individuals that think you can't make a great dinner for not a lot of money. You can entertain on a budget and I want people to know that gourmet tasting food doesn't have to be from a can of soup or a box, and healthy food doesn't come from a drive through. There are some really good meals that people can make which are healthy and will save money but taste amazing. So I guess that is my current goal. We all take short cuts and I have no problem with that - I do it too. I volunteer and make food for the homeless every couple of months, donating my time and money. I usually make soup for them and many times get donations from a local grocery stores, Sams Club, Walmart etc, with broth, and vegetables. It makes my cost very little and well worth every minute I spend. Like anyone, life is always trying to figure things out and do the best we can and have fun some how along the way.</p>
