Feta Stuffed Meatballs with Cucumber Salad and Tzatziki

beef meal prep recipes Nov 01, 2023

Feta meatballs with homemade tzatziki is an absolute staple meal in my household! It's so flavorful and holds up really well as a pre-prepped meal that you can have on hand for the week.

Serve the meatballs with cucumber, tomato, onion salad (recipe below), rice pilaf, orzo, cauliflower rice, or squash, or enjoy over mixed greens as a Greek salad.

If you can't tolerate Greek yogurt, check out my Goat Milk Tzatziki recipe.

For the Meatballs

Ingredients

1 pound 90/10 or 93/7 ground beef or bison or lamb (or a combo of your preference)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp Mediterranean Spice Blend (from my book pg. 237) or you can use storebought
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt (I always use Redmond Real Salt - code RGFIT gets you 15% off your order)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces Feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
1 tbsp olive oil (optional - recommended if using 96/4 beef or other leaner meat like ground turkey or chicken)
Fresh dill, chopped (optional)

To Make the Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients (except the feta) and mix until well combined.
At this point, you can either mix the feta in OR add the cubes to the center of the meatballs (see pictures below for both methods).
Form into 8 large (~4 ounces each) or 16 small meatballs (~2 ounces each) and place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the tzatziki and cucumber salad.

For the Tzatziki

Ingredients

½ medium English cucumber, grated
1 cup 0% or 2% Greek Yogurt (I use Fage brand)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed if you don’t have fresh, but fresh is better)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt (I always use Redmond Real Salt - code RGFIT gets you 15% off your order)
¼ teaspoon lemon pepper (or black pepper)

To Make the Tzatziki

In a medium bowl, grate the cucumber using a fine grater.
Add the yogurt, olive oil, dill, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix well.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

2 medium cucumbers, diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes. sliced in half
2-4 ounces feta, crumbled or cubed
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt (I always use Redmond Real Salt - code RGFIT gets you 15% off your order)
½ teaspoon lemon pepper (or black pepper)
fresh dill and/or parsley, chopped
10 kalamata olives, slices and pitted (optional)

To Make the Cucumber Salad

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until we incorporated
Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

Serve meatballs and tzatziki over sautéed rice, orzo, or cauliflower rice cooked with chopped scallions, dill, mint, garlic, and Mediterranean Spice Blend for an extra kick!
Can't tolerate Greek yogurt? Check out this tzatziki recipe made with goat milk yogurt