It doesn’t get much easier than this lovely one pan Greek-inspired meatball bake. Ten minutes of prep, then the oven takes over. Mix a quick tomato sauce, roll your meatballs, pop them into the sauce, and bake until bubbling and gorgeous. Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something delicious, with zero effort.
Why this Meatball Bake Works
This is exactly the kind of dinner I turn to on a busy weeknight when I want something genuinely delicious but don’t have the energy for lots of steps or washing up. It’s the ultimate ‘dump-and-go’ meal.
Most meatball recipes call for them to be browned in a pan first, and a sauce made separately on the stovetop. This version skips all the extra work. Just mix canned tomatoes with jarred olives and sundried tomatoes, roll your meatballs, then nestle them in the sauce. Then they go into the oven, and you can forget about them for a bit!
And another bonus? All the lovely cooking juices from the meatballs ooze into the sauce, boosting the flavor even more. It’s a win-win scenario.
You can also really play around with the ingredients in this one, so it’s very flexible:
- I love adding a can of chickpeas (garbanzos), butter beans, or white beans to the sauce for extra protein.
- Not an olive fan? Leave them out or use more sundried tomatoes.
- You can even swap the feta for mozzarella, sharp cheddar, Boursin, torn halloumi, or creamy blue cheese.
The meatballs are lovely served with soft garlic flatbreads, two-ingredient cheese naan, or no-knead chili cheese focaccia for mopping up all the lovely sauce. Or, spoon them over steamed or loaded baked rice (as I show in the photos below). A drizzle of tahini yogurt sauce, herby green tahini sauce, creamy tzatziki sauce, or just a dollop of thick Greek yogurt is the perfect finishing touch.
“This was so quick and easy to get together and in the oven. I made them with ground chicken and reduced fat feta crumbles. I also added a can of chickpeas into the sauce. I had one right out of the oven and it was so yummy.
I meal prepped this for this week’s lunch with some white rice. Today, I had this for lunch and it tasted even better than yesterday. I think next time I make this, I’m going to double the sauce because it was really that good. Thanks so much for such a yummy meal!!”
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground lamb. You could use beef, chicken, pork, turkey, or a plant-based alternative in place of the lamb here, as it can be tricky to find – or use a mix! Just try to make sure that whatever you use isn’t too lean – you need the fat to create a juicy meatball.
- Canned tomatoes. Whatever you have in your cupboard will do – crushed, whole, cherry tomatoes, or passata.
- Feta. Go for creamy feta for the best flavor. Or switch it out for mozzarella, cheddar, blue cheese, or chunks of halloumi.
- Olives. If you’re not an olive fan, use more sundried tomatoes or leave them out. Jarred artichoke hearts are also great here.
- Mint. Use flat-leaf parsley, basil, cilantro, or dried herbs if you’d prefer.
How to Make the Meatball Bake
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the meatballs – the full, detailed recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Mix the canned tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, olives, garlic, and a little salt and pepper in a large oven-proof dish or skillet, then set aside.
- Mix your meatball mixture – it’s easiest to do with your hands to ensure it’s all combined well. If you don’t want to touch the raw meat, use disposable gloves, or you can use a spatula or spoon, just make sure to mash it all together well.
- Roll heaped tablespoons of the meatball mixture into balls, about the size of golf balls.
- Nestle the rolled meatballs directly into your tomato sauce.
- Bake until the meatballs are starting to brown on top.
- Remove the dish from the oven, then scatter the feta on top. Pop it back in the oven for another few minutes. PRO TIP: If you want the meatballs super charred, place the dish under the broiler (grill) at the highest temperature for a few minutes, keeping an eye on it.
- Remove the dish (carefully) from the oven, then scatter over the remaining herbs and dukkah if you’re using it.
- Serve the meatballs while hot, however you’d like. I’ve spooned them on top of loaded baked rice here, with tahini yogurt sauce on the side.
Watch How to Make Baked Meatballs
Greek Meatball Bake FAQs
Yes! Ground lamb is my favorite swap as it gives the meatballs a more traditional, rich flavor. But ground chicken, turkey, pork, or a plant-based alternative works too.
A mixture is great too – beef and lamb work particularly well together.
Swap feta for your favorite cheese – most will work. Mozzarella, sharp cheddar, or Gruyere are great, as are Boursin, creamy blue cheese, or torn pieces of halloumi.
They’re great served on top of creamy, super smooth hummus with soft garlic flatbreads on the side, or you could go for garlic butter potatoes, orzo, loaded baked rice, and a dollop of tahini yogurt sauce or tzatziki sauce.
Or pair them with a chopped salad, steamed greens, and soft no-knead focaccia to mop up all the sauce.
This is a great one to make ahead of time! The cooked meatballs will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container, and reheat well.
If you want to prepare it in advance to cook later, assemble the bake in the dish up to 24 hours ahead of time, and store it in the fridge, covered in foil. Then just pop it into the oven to bake when you’re ready.
This dish is SUPER customizable based on what you have to hand. Skip the olives if you’re not a fan, or use more sundried tomatoes.
No! That’s the beauty of this recipe. And, because the meatballs cook directly in the sauce, all their lovely flavor oozes into it, making it even more delicious.
Like this recipe? Here are more quick weeknight ideas you might enjoy
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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One Pan Greek Meatball Bake
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
It doesn’t get much easier than this lovely one pan Greek-inspired meatball bake. Ten minutes of prep, then the oven takes over. Mix a quick tomato sauce, roll your meatballs, pop them into the sauce, and bake until bubbling and gorgeous. Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something delicious, with zero effort.
Ingredients
For the meatballs –
- 1 lb (500g) ground beef (or use ground lamb, chicken, turkey, pork, or a mixture)
- ½ cup mint leaves, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small onion, very finely diced or grated (white, yellow, or red is fine, as is a shallot)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 3.5oz (100g) feta, crumbled
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- Black pepper
For the sauce –
- 2 x 14oz (400g) cans chopped tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
- ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3.5oz (100g) feta
To serve –
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon nutty spiced dukkah
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients. Start by heating your oven to 400°F (200°C fan) and preparing an oven-proof dish or skillet. Add the canned tomatoes, garlic, olives, sundried tomatoes, salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a good grind of black pepper to the dish. Give the sauce a mix to combine.
- Mix the meatballs. Add the ground beef, crushed garlic cloves, grated or diced onion, chopped mint, ground cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, salt, panko breadcrumbs, egg, and feta to a large mixing bowl. Mix to evenly disperse the ingredients through the ground beef. The easiest way to do this is to go in with your (clean) hands and kind of squeeze the mixture together. But you can use a spatula or a spoon too.
- Roll the meatballs and bake. Scoop a heaped tablespoon of the meatball mixture into your hands, and roll it into a ball. Place directly into the tomato sauce in the dish, then repeat with the rest of the meatballs. You should get (roughly) 18 meatballs from the mixture. Try to keep the meatballs on one layer if possible so that they cook evenly, and get a lovely crispy crust going at the end. Drizzle over another tablespoon of olive oil, then pop into the oven for 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs are brown.
- Add the feta. Carefully remove the dish from the oven, crumble the feta all over, then pop it back into the oven for another 10 minutes until the feta is oozy and charred and the meatballs look golden brown. You can pop the dish under the broiler (grill) for a couple of minutes if you like a super charred top. Remove from the oven.
- Garnish and serve. Scatter over the lemon zest, mint leaves, parsley leaves, and the dukkah, then serve.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: You can play around with the ingredients in this one – I love adding a can of chickpeas (garbanzos), butter beans, or white beans to the sauce for a protein hit and to bulk it out. You can skip the olives if you don’t like them, or switch out the feta for halloumi, mozzarella, or cheddar.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I love serving the meatballs piled on top of creamy, super smooth hummus with soft garlic flatbreads on the side, with garlic butter potatoes, orzo, steamed rice, a chopped salad, steamed greens, or even piled into soft bread rolls. A drizzle of tahini yogurt sauce, herby green tahini, or creamy tzatziki sauce is great too.
STORAGE: This is a great dish for meal prep. It’ll last for 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and as mentioned above, you can use it in lots of different ways throughout the week. It also scales easily.
PREP AHEAD: If you want to get ahead, assemble the bake in the dish up to a day in advance and store it in the fridge, covered in foil. Then just pop it into the oven to bake when you’re ready.
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERY SUNSHINE RICE: This, along with loaded baked rice, is my favorite thing to serve with the meatballs. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a high-sided pot or pan you have a lid for, then add 1 teaspoon each of ground turmeric and cumin and cook for a few minutes. Add 1.5 cups of long-grain rice, stir, then add 2.5 cups of hot chicken stock, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a grind of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat right down, pop the lid on, and leave to cook for 15 minutes. After this, remove the pot from the heat but keep the lid on for another 10 minutes to finish cooking.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: weeknight
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 350g
- Calories: 549
- Sugar: 4.4g
- Fat: 42.2g
- Saturated Fat: 13.5g
- Carbohydrates: 7.6g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: 36.3g
- Cholesterol: 135mg
Yum! Tastes like holidays ♥️
I made flatbreads to go with it and tzatziki – what a feast! Totally doable for a weeknight meal and super satisfying
That sounds like such a tasty combo!! So happy you enjoyed 🙂 xx
This was so quick and easy to get together and in the oven. I made them with ground chicken and reduced fat feta crumbles. I also added a can of chickpeas into the sauce. I had one right out of the oven and it was so yummy. I meal prepped this for this week’s lunch with some white rice. Today, I had this for lunch and it tasted even better than yesterday. I think next time I make this, I’m going to double the sauce because it was really that good. Thanks so much for such a yummy meal!!