Hi friends!! Happy Tuesday <3
I recently made this wonderful Mediterranean-inspired plate and the flavors here are chef’s kiss. Tender feta meatballs are piled on top of a really comforting brown rice pilaf filled with warm flavors and spices. This meal is incredibly nutrient dense, high protein, and packed with fiber from whole grains; truly an ideal weeknight meal, or perfect for meal prep!
I served the plates with homemade tzatziki, a creamy harissa sauce for a kick, pickled onions, and some roasted cauliflower for extra nutrients. Feel free to customize your plate however you’d like: a Greek village salad, hummus, and/or some crispy chickpeas would be wonderful!
While the meatball recipe does call for chicken, you can also use beef, lamb, or turkey for a different variation. Personally, I think lamb would be absolutely delicious paired with my tzatziki or a yogurt/labneh sauce! If you’re not a brown rice fan, feel free to use long grain white rice instead.. but, make sure to subtract time from cooking, as brown rice takes much longer.
Full recipes below for the feta meatballs + brown rice pilaf! I’ve also made a list of delicious accompaniments to pair with the mains, scroll down to see those as well. I can’t wait for you to try these out, enjoy!! <3
Feta Meatballs (adapted from NYT Cooking)
½ cup finely crumbled feta
¼ cup packed cup fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used a mix of mint, parsley, and dill; basil would be lovely too!)
¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (sub 2tb coconut flour, this is the binding agent)
1-2 tablespoons plain thick yogurt (such as labneh) or Greek yogurt (full-fat)
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
½ to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 tsp fine sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 pound ground chicken (preferably a dark meat blend, can also use beef, lamb, or turkey)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh lemon juice, for finishing
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, mix feta with chopped herbs, plus the oats, yogurt, oregano, thyme, lemon zest, red-pepper flakes, salt, and a few cracks of black pepper, breaking up any lingering feta chunks with your hands. Add the chicken, gently combining until it's lightly speckled with green dots. Do not over-mix.
Step 2
Drizzle the oil on a sheet pan and use your hands to spread it around. Use your oiled palms to shape the chicken into 1-1 ½ inch loosely firm but not compact balls; lightly roll them in the oil on the sheet pan when shaping to coat them and prevent them from sticking. The key is to not over-mix/over-pack them, so they remain tender. Once the meatballs have all been rolled out, gently spread them out evenly on the sheet pan.
Step 3
Cook meatballs in oven until the bottoms are browned and the centers are no longer pink, 15 to 18 minutes.
Step 4
Once meatballs are cooked through, squeeze about 1 tbsp of lemon juice over the entire pan of meatballs. Using a spatula, gently roll the meatballs around in the lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits on the pan as well.
Brown Rice Pilaf
1 cup dry brown rice (rinsed, drained, and dried)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
one small bunch chard leaves (or use spinach)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 3/4 cup-2 cups low-sodium broth of choice, I recommend chicken or vegetable
freshly chopped parsley, mint, and/or dill, for finishing
fresh lemon juice, for finishing
Step 1
Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add in olive oil. Once hot, add chopped onion and sauté for a few minutes until softened and golden.
Step 2
Add in garlic and chopped chard/spinach, and sauté until garlic is fragrant and chard is wilted. Add in spices (cumin, turmeric, paprika), tomato paste, and brown rice. Stir and sauté until spices and rice are toasted + fragrant, and tomato paste has deepened in color. Add in your salt, pepper, and broth, and stir again to combine
Step 3
Turn heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow to cook for 45 minutes undisturbed (or according to your rice’s package instructions), then turn off the heat (keep the lid on) and steam for an additional 10 minutes.
Step 4
After fully cooked, remove the lid and use a fork to fluff the rice. Stir in fresh herbs, the juice of half a lemon, and additional salt/pepper, to taste!!
Pairing and Serving Ideas + Suggestions
Greek village salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, herbs, lemon, etc.)
Roasted vegetables of choice (I roasted cauliflower with a Za’atar seasoning and it was great. Just season some vegetables and add them to the same pan with the meatballs before putting in the oven! If you’re using a heartier vegetable, such as potato or squash, par-bake the vegetables first before adding the meatballs to the pan with 15-20 minutes of roasting time remaining!)
Extra crumbled feta + lemon juice
Harissa or roasted red pepper feta sauce
Hummus
Pickled onions
Labneh
Extra chopped or torn fresh herbs (mint, parsley, and/or basil)
Avocado
Choose your own adventure!! This is a perfect idea for high protein and balanced meal prep too <3
I hope you love these recipes, let me know if you try them out + what you think!!
Have a wonderful Wednesday and make sure to do something you love today :)
With love,
Abigail