Lamb and Feta Meatballs, lemon rice in one pot
One pot cooking is back with this delicious Lamb meatballs with lemon rice. Everyone loves this one. We serve it with a Greek salad and sometimes with tzatziki or even a tomato salad
Ingredients
Lamb meatballs
- 500 gm lamb mince
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest very finely grated
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon oregano, dried
- 100 gm bread crumbs panko preferred, 1 cup
- 1 whole egg
- 150 gm Danish feta crumbled
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic crushed
Lemon Rice
- 380 gm Jasmin rice 2 cups (Aust)
- 200 gm onion, chopped
- 60 ml olive oil
- 350 ml chicken stock
- 100 ml lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon oregano dried
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 100 gm olives whole or seedless, green or black
Instructions
- You will need an oven proof pot for this recipe. A frypan with high sides or a classic baker. You could also use a baking tray that is about 28 x 13cm (12 inches x 7 inches). Cover with a lid or foil. Preheat the oven to 180C or 350 F.
- In a medium sized bowl mix the lamb mince crushed garlic, egg, spices, breadcrumbs and 3/4 of the crumbled feta and a pinch of salt and mix thourghly with your hands till combined .
- Crumble the remaining feta over the top and gently combine (This is so that some small lumps remain when the balls are rolled)
- Roll the balls into walnut sized balls. You should get about 36 total
- Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the oven pot and add the meatballs about 10 at a time. Turn them over getting some colour on them. They don't need to be cooked through just with some nice colours. Set them aside while you prepare the rice
Lemon rice
- Finely dice the onion and crush the garlic
- Wipe out the pot with some kitchen paper if it has a lot of burnt bits. I tend to keep the bits and pieces because they add flavour. If your mince is particularly fatty though you might want to get rid of some fat.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook till softened then add the herbs, olives and *washed rice rice along with the stock and juice. Stir then bring up to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add all of the meatballs.
- Put the lid on the pot and put into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Open the oven and take off the lid. Cook a further 10 minutes.
- Serve with salad or vegetables. This is also great with Tzatziki
Notes
I use Jasmine rice because that is the rice I usually have in the cupboard.
**Wash the rice before using it to get rid of some of the starch. Put it into a bowl and cover with cold water stir a little then drain in a strainer or put into a colander and run cold water over it. This reduces the stickiness of the rice when cooked
There is no need to stir the rice at all and the meatballs will finish cooking in the steam from the rice
Crumble extra feta over the rice and meatballs when finished if you like.
Use creamy Danish feta as it combines into the meatballs well. Greek style feta will not melt into the meatballs
Find a Tzatziki recipe here
The liquid measurement works perfectly for Jasmine rice. Basmati rice isn't suitable here as it is a very dry rice