Readers often send me recipes that they have created, and this one looked so good I had to give it a try! Thank you Staci for sharing such a delicious dish with us, our whole family loved it! Now, I’ll pass it on to all of you.
Yummy Greek Meatballs
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons minced chives
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 egg, room temp
1 tablespoon dried mint (I used fresh)
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 tespoons cumin
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8-10 dried apricots, chopped
8 (or a many as you want) kalamata olives, chopped
Mix all the above ingredients and form into meatballs (I made about 1-2in meatballs). Place on a cooling rack which is on a baking sheet so that they brown all the way around. Bake at 450 about 15 mins, depending on size.
Makes approximately 15 meatballs. Serves 3-4.
Enjoy!
The addition of olives sounds great, not something I ever considered adding in to meatballs!
Cannot wait to try this. Adding the ingredients to my shopping list now!
Yum…these sound delic!! Thank you for sharing
These sound great! Next time I pick up some lamb I will have to try em served over a bed of spaghetti squash.
These sound delicious! You should definitely suggest them to this Ultimate Paleo Super Bowl Party Menu list…meatballs are definitely a great appetizer!
How fortuitous 🙂 I just ordered a local organic grass-fed lamb. It comes on Wednesday. I will definitely try this recipe, but my main challenge will be using the organ meat :
How fortuitous. Just ordered an organic grass-fed lamb with my co-worker 🙂 It comes on Wednesday. I will definitely try this recipe, but my main challenge is to cook the organ meat :
Oops. Posted it twice.
Dried apricots… interesting! Will give them a go.
I’m intrigued by the dried apricot!
Every time I log on here in need of a new recipe, I feel like you have read my mind. Definitely serving this to our non-Paleo friends tomorrow night. As always, THANK YOU!!
I made this with boison and pork, and cherries instead of apricots. I also made a taziki sauce and Greek salad to go with them. Such a simple dinner! If you’re allowing the occasional dairy product, taziki is amazing (seriously, I could just eat it alone) and easy to make.
Blend together:
Plain Greek yogurt – the fattier the better
Peeled cucumber – seeds removed if you like your sauce thicker
Dill and Oregano – Fresh or dried, whatever is on hand
Lemon Juice
Garlic cloves
salt
They don’t have to be in precise measurements. How much or how little of each ingredient depends on your personal tastes. I use a lot of lemon juice in mine, because I like my taziki tangy 🙂
Loops! Autocorrect didn’t catch boison! I meant BISON
Aww, seriously?!?! OOPS, not loops….
They are delicious simmered in a jar of gluten free marinara sauce or better yet an arrabiata sauce. We also served them over julienned and sauteed zucchini which seemed like pasta noodles. Very good.
Any suggestions on where to buy dried appricots that aren’t full of added sugar?
I bought mine at Target.
Really want to make this but my toddler is on an allergy elimination diet. Can I leave out the egg or use something like coconut or rice milk instead? He loves meatballs but eggs are out for now. (I know rice milk is not paleo, but it’s allowed and dairy/eggs/nuts are not.)
Yes, you can simply leave out the egg!
Been making these a long time. Add marjoram, too.
I get dried apricots without any sugar at our local grocery store (Meijer) in the produce section.
you can make meatballs with no egg, with no problem. the stick together just fine. a prson adding egg and breadcrumbs would have a fluffier meat ball. but without either they come out terific, i make mine shaped like tiny hamburgers b/c they fry easier that way. just don’t over do them, you don;t want them to be dry.
How about a little nugget of feta cheese in the middle of the meatball?
Hmmmm…
Great recipe, though!
I like to throw all the ingredients into my electric mixer, changes the consistancy of the meat , so that it binds well with the other ingredients with or without egg. learnt this from the dvd that came with my kitchenaid mixer, now that i am not making cakes with it, i use it for all my risoles and meatballs
These were so tasty, I din’t have any lamb so i used 1 1/2 pounds of beef. The best thing was the non-paleo members of the family used them in a gyro and the paleo members made a salad
Thank you for sharing…I just made these tonight and they were so yummy! I love the apricot, gives it a little sweetness and the olives are a great too which are salty. 🙂
I will be making these again in the future!
This recipe sounds amamzing! What have you served it with??
Grilled asparagus, salad with cucumbers and olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and roasted sweet potatoes!
SUPER YUMTASTIC!
We made an oven full of roasted veggies, these gorgeous meatballs AND that taziki sauce mentioned above and loved every bite of it! Thank you for the amazing recipes on your site and in your book.
xoxo
jul
I am working really hard on limiting my sugars…so I want to omit the apricot. Will it alter the taste dramatically?
Made these tonight, paired it with a fantastic greek salad and tzatziki. So good! My wife absolutely loved it. Was most excited about getting out and finding some lamb at an ethnic grocery store that I’d never visited but will now be a regular. If you’re looking for great Paleo/4HB ingredients head to a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean grocery. Better food, less money.
Thanks for the recipe. I skipped the apricots since I didn’t have them, but these were still awesome.
I made them exactly as listed (except I was a tad liberal with the mint) and they were delicious! I also served it with tzatziki and salad (Tuscan kale with dried cranberries, pinenuts, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and a hint of honey). We generally avoid dairy, but at least yogurt doesn’t have much lactose, and tzatziki is just one of those things you have to make an exception for every now and then. 🙂 And, because it was Valentine’s Day, we concluded with strawberries dipped in very dark chocolate (~85% cocoa).
But I’m jealous that my husband gets the rest of the meatballs for lunch today…
Hi! I made these last night. Actually forgot the mint and the chives, but they were still great! Wasn’t sure how the apricots and olives would be, but they really made the dish. Also made the tzatziki sauce on the side and served with some grilled asparagus. Thanks very much for the simple, tasty recipe!
These were pretty good, but it took quite a bit of time. I find lamb to be such a powerful flavor on its own that you could probably eliminate a bunch of the ingredients and still have a delicious meatball that’s faster and easier to make.
Sarah, hope you don’t mind I shared this on our humble blog. Were starting our first Paleo challenge, and everyone one of us workkout buddies bought your book (looking forward to the next installment)
We wanted some recipes to tied us over till we get them in the mail – and this looked like just the ticket. Let me know if you’d like me to take it off – thanks
we loved these! left out the apricots and used fresh herbs from our garden…we grilled the meatballs too..fabulous!!! definitely making again, thank you!
Just made these tonight! Fabulous! Will definitely make them again.
Yum! Made these tonight, and the kids loved them! Thank you!
I just made these and they are awesome! I overcooked them a little 🙁 but they are still good! I am planning on serving them with zucchini noodles from the spiralizer and homemade tomato sauce. Yummmmm!
dried apricots with no added sulfates (they look dark brown) are available in the nut/dried fruit isle of trader joes. they are a nice addition to almost anything for which you want to add a little sweetness…
Just made these for my book club meeting tonight. I sneaked a taste and they are AmazeBalls!! I added pine nuts, a teeny bit of tomato paste and a teeny bit of anchovy paste, just because I had them and they add great umami to just about everything.
Made these last night and the flavor was amazing! The mint is a MUST. I used fresh mint as we’ll and it was so flavorful. My husband and son loved them