Can I use a different type of ground meat in the meatball bake?

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.

What can I use other than feta in the Greek meatballs?

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.

What can I serve the Greek meatballs with?

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.

Can I make the Greek meatball bake in advance?

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.

I don't like olives - can I use something else in this Greek meatball bake?

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.

Do I need to brown the meatballs first?

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.

One Pan Greek Meatball Bake

Name: One Pan Greek Meatball Bake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: greek
Ingredients: 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; 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; 1 lemon, zested; 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley leaves; 1 tablespoon mint leaves; 1 tablespoon nutty spiced dukkah

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

Scale

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

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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