READER REVIEWS
Cat: "this was amazing! Easy, tasty and my 2 and 4 year olds wanted seconds of the meatballs, couscous and cucumber sauce! Definitely a winner in our house!"Isabel on Pinterest: This was a beautiful and healthy dinner, it made plenty of meat balls!
Amy L. on Pinterest: This was delicious! Made extras for lunch the next day.
I will walk you through each step and show you how to make it, as well as when to make each component, to help make it as easy and efficient as possible.
WHAT IS TZATZIKI SAUCE
Tzatziki (zäd-ˈzē-kē) is a refreshing, creamy Greek yogurt sauce with cucumbers, fresh garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and dill or sometimes mint or parsley. Tzatziki is a versatile sauce perfect for topping many Mediterranean dishes such as my Greek Pita Pizza, Gyros Salad with Chicken, and even Greek Style Pork Chops!It also makes a tasty dip with warm pita bread, vegetables, or just about anything you can think of that will get the Tzatziki sauce in your mouth!
HOW TO MAKE TZATZIKI SAUCE
- Combine 1 cup Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup grated cucumber, 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh dill, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and stir to combine. Give it a taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
TIPS:
- For best results, I recommend preparing Tzatziki sauce early in the day or the day before.
- Additionally, I prefer to use an English cucumber which is sometimes called hothouse cucumber or seedless cucumber.
HOW TO MAKE MEDITERRANEAN MEATBALLS
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Combine 1/4 cup crushed pork rinds with 1 egg. I like using pork rinds because they are low in carbs and add so much moisture to the meatballs, but you can use leftover bread torn into small pieces if you prefer.
- To the egg mixture add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper and mix to combine.
- Add 1 pound ground chuck and stir with a wooden spoon (or use your hands) to distribute the seasoned pork rind mixture throughout the beef
- Form into meatballs. I use a medium size scoop for uniform size and then roll into a ball. Place seasoned meatballs on a lightly greased baking tray. Alternatively, use a greased rack set inside a baking sheet. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatballs. Rest meatballs 5-10 minutes before serving.
HOW TO MAKE CUCUMBER TOMATO SALAD
- While the meatballs are cooking, dice 1 cup cucumbers, 1 cup tomatoes, 1/2 cup red onion, and a tablespoon of flat leaf parsley. Combine in a serving dish. Salt & pepper to taste.
TIP: For best results, I recommend using an English cucumber which is sometimes called hothouse cucumber or seedless cucumber.
HOW TO MAKE COUSCOUS
Couscous is very quick and easy to make. In fact, I wait until the meatballs are out of the oven and resting before I start the couscous. It's that quick!- While the meatballs are resting, bring 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon butter, & 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup couscous, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 4 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon into the couscous. Give it a taste and adjust the salt & pepper to your liking.
GREEK BOWL ASSEMBLY
Now that all of the components for the Greek bowl are made, all that's left to do is assemble the Greek bowl, serve, and enjoy! You can, of course, put the different components on the table to let everyone help themselves or serve the Greek Bowls already assembled. I like to assemble before serving to ensure each bowl has the proper ratio of ingredients.- To assemble the Greek Bowls, spoon 1/2 cup couscous into each of 4 serving bowls. Top with about a 1/4 cup of the tomato cucumber salad and 4 meatballs. Sprinkle on a tablespoon of Feta cheese (or as much as you like) and drizzle with Tzatziki sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!
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Greek Bowl with Meatballs
ingredients:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup grated English cucumber
- 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup pork rinds, crushed (see note #2)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 cup finely diced English cucumber
- 1 cup finely diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup couscous
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- salt & pepper to taste
- Feta cheese
- Freshly chopped parsley for garnish
instructions:
How to cook Greek Bowl with Meatballs
- Combine 1 cup Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup grated cucumber, 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh dill, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and stir to combine. Give it a taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Combine 1/4 cup crushed pork rinds with 1 egg and mix well
- To the egg mixture, add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper and mix to combine.
- Add 1 pound ground chuck and stir with a wooden spoon (or use your hands) to distribute the seasoned pork rind mixture throughout the beef
- Form into meatballs (see note #3). Place seasoned meatballs on a lightly greased baking tray. Alternatively, use a greased rack set inside a baking sheet. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatballs. Rest meatballs 5-10 minutes before serving.
- While the meatballs are cooking, dice 1 cup cucumbers, 1 cup tomatoes, 1/2 cup red onions, and a tablespoon of flat leaf parsley and combine in a serving dish. Salt & pepper to taste.
- While the meatballs are resting, bring 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon butter, & 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup couscous, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 4 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon into the couscous and adjust the salt & pepper to your liking.
- Spoon 1/2 cup couscous into each of 4 serving bowls. Top with about a 1/4 cup of the tomato cucumber salad and 4 meatballs. Sprinkle on a tablespoon of Feta cheese (or as much as you like) and drizzle with Tzatziki sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!
NOTES:
1. For best results, I recommend preparing Tzatziki sauce early in the day or the day before.
2. Crushed pork rinds add flavor and help to keep the meatballs tender and juicy, so I highly recommend giving them a try, however, if you prefer you may substitute 1/4 cup fresh bread torn into very small pieces. It's a great way to use up leftover garlic bread if you have any!
3. To form meatballs I use a medium size scoop for uniform size and then roll into a ball.
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I want to make this. We're having a Greek themed Saturday, spanakopita is on the menu so far, this would be a nice addition. This recipe really helped me on my menu ideas. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this refreshing and yummy recipe. My family loves it!!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely delicious dinner! I love mediterranean food so much! Can't wait to make this again! I don't add dill to my tzatziki and I added oil and vinegar to the salad. I served this with hummus and pita bread!
ReplyDeleteCris, I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe!! It is definitely one of my faves. Serving with hummus and pita bread is perfection!! Thanks for stopping by and putting a smile on my face 😊 Have a super week ~Marion
DeleteLooks delicious...is there a way to print it for future use.
ReplyDeleteMichele, I'm sorry for the delayed response. I'm happy to send a printable version via email. Please contact me at life_tastes_good@yahoo(dot)com and I will email you a printable version. Thanks!
DeleteUMMMM!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious! I'm definitely adding it to my menu. Have you ever tried freezing the cooked meatballs? I'd love to try that for a quick dinner.
ReplyDeleteLindsay, I don't normally like to freeze meatballs, but you absolutely can. They will be a little drier than fresh out of the oven, but that will be a good excuse for adding more tzatziki sauce on top :) I hope that helps! Thanks and have a great week! ~Marion
DeleteJust finished dinner - this was amazing! Easy, tasty and my 2 and 4 year olds wanted seconds of the meatballs, couscous and cucumber sauce! Definitely a winner in our house
ReplyDeleteYAY! So glad everyone enjoyed it, Cat! Thanks for stopping by :) Have a great week ~Marion
DeleteI made this for dinner last night, and i'm so excited that I have leftovers for lunch today! This was quick, easy, healthy and so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis was amazing!!!!!! Thanks for the recipe-everyone loved it.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, I'm so glad you love the recipe :) Thanks so much for letting me know! Have a safe and wonderful week ~Marion
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