What can I serve the meatballs with?

There are many options here. Serve them with a pile of fluffy flatbreads (try these 2 ingredient dough flatbreads or garlic butter flatbreads ) or soft chilli cheese focaccia , pair them with a couple of colorful salads (this rainbow chopped salad , grilled broccoli salad , Greek quinoa salad or Mediterranean white bean salad are great choices) or you could serve them with steamed rice or pasta (use the smoky red pepper sauce as a quick pasta sauce!)

Can the meatballs be frozen?

They can - you can either freeze the uncooked meatballs or freeze them once they're cooked. You can cook them straight from frozen (just add another 10 minutes to the cooking time).

Juicy Harissa, Feta and Zucchini Meatballs

Name: Juicy Harissa, Feta and Zucchini Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef; 1 large zucchini, grated; 2 scallions, finely chopped; 3.5oz/100g feta, crumbled; 2 tablespoons harissa paste; ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 3 roasted red peppers (from a jar); 2 garlic cloves; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon harissa paste; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup cottage cheese (or Greek yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese); 3.5oz/100g feta; ½ cucumber, diced; A handful of chives, finely sliced; 2 teaspoons red bell pepper flakes

Description

You’re just 30 minutes away from a big pile of juicy meatballs, studded with chunks of feta, harissa paste and grated zucchini to keep them lovely and moist, with no eggs or breadcrumbs. Serve with a smoky red pepper sauce and fresh focaccia or flatbreads on the side for a wonderful quick, easy, family-friendly meal.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the meatballs -

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large zucchini, grated
2 scallions, finely chopped
3.5oz/100g feta, crumbled
2 tablespoons harissa paste
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin

For the smoky red pepper sauce -

3 roasted red peppers (from a jar)
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon harissa paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cottage cheese (or Greek yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese)
3.5oz/100g feta

To serve -

1/2 cucumber, diced
A handful of chives, finely sliced
2 teaspoons red bell pepper flakes

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Instructions

Form the meatballs. Heat your oven to 220C/430F and line an oven tray with baking paper. Add the ground beef to a large mixing bowl, then add the grated zucchini, crumbled feta, 2 tablespoons of harissa paste, crushed garlic, chopped parsley, scallions, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of ground cumin. Use a spoon to mix everything through the beef so it’s well combined and evenly distributed.
Form the meatballs. Scoop up a heaped tablespoon of the meatball mixture, and roll it into a small ball in your hands. Place on the prepared baking tray, and repeat with the rest of the mixture. PRO TIP: Wetting your hands slightly before doing this will make it a little easier (it’ll prevent the mixture from sticking).
Bake the meatballs. Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil, then transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until lovely and golden brown. Remove from the oven. PRO TIP: You can also pop them in the air fryer – 12 minutes at 400F/200C is perfect.
Make the smoky red pepper sauce. While the meatballs are in the oven, add the jarred red peppers, cottage cheese, the remaining feta, 2 garlic cloves,1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of harissa paste and 1 teaspoon of salt to a food processor, food chopper or blender. Blitz to combine into a lovely, smooth, creamy sauce. Taste and season with a little more salt if needed.
Garnish and serve. Spoon about half the smoky red pepper sauce onto the base of a serving platter or bowl, then pile the meatballs on top. Scatter over the diced cucumber, chives and red pepper flakes.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD: You can form the meatballs, then pop them in the fridge for a couple of days before cooking them. You can freeze the meatballs once they’re formed too – freeze until solid on an oven tray or plate, then transfer them to ziplock bags to store. Cook them straight from frozen (just add another 10 minutes to the cooking time).

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Any cooked meatballs will keep well for about 5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze the meatballs once they’re cooked, then defrost in the fridge overnight. Reheat until piping hot in the microwave or in the oven for 10 minutes at 360F/180C.

INGREDIENT NOTES: Harissa paste is a North African red pepper and chili paste – if you can’t find it, use another chili paste instead. You could swap the ground beef for ground lamb, chicken, or turkey or use a plant-based alternative.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: You could pair the meatballs with lovely fluffy flatbreads (these 2 ingredient dough flatbreads or garlic butter flatbreads are great) or chili cheese focaccia. Or serve with a selection of salads (try them with this grilled broccoli salad, smashed potato salad, pesto orzo salad or Greek quinoa salad), or you could serve them on top of steamed rice, or tossed through pasta (use the red pepper sauce as the pasta sauce!)

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Category: meat
Method: oven
Cuisine: american

Nutrition

Serving Size: 350g
Calories: 393
Sugar: 10.9g
Sodium: 2011.2mg
Fat: 16.3g
Saturated Fat: 10g
Unsaturated Fat: 5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 19.5g
Fiber: 3.8g
Protein: 41.1g
Cholesterol: 119.1mg