Juicy Harissa, Feta and Zucchini Meatballs

Meatballs piled on top of smoky red pepper sauce with flowers in the background.

5 from 1 vote

Juicy Harissa, Feta and Zucchini Meatballs

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked meatballs, meatballs

Servings: servings

Calories: 393kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

For the meatballs -

1 pound lean ground beef (500g)
1 large zucchini grated
2 scallions finely chopped
3.5 oz feta crumbled (100g)
2 tablespoons harissa paste
½ cup flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Olive oil for cooking

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
3.5 oz feta (100g)

To serve -

½ a cucumber diced
A handful of chives finely sliced
2 teaspoons red bell pepper flakes

Instructions

Form the meatballs.
Heat your oven to 425℉ (220℃) and line a baking pan with parchment 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 pan, 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).

Cook the meatballs.
Drizzle the meatballs with a little 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 cook them in the air fryer. 12 minutes at 400℉ (200℃) is perfect.

Make the smoky red pepper sauce.
While the meatballs cook, 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!)

Nutrition