From Lamb Meatballs to a Complete Dinner
This recipe started with one simple idea: I wanted to do something different with ground lamb. I considered everything from lamb meatloaf to meatballs tucked into warm pita, but I kept coming back to the idea of building a bowl.
A bowl turns the meatballs into a complete meal while still leaving plenty of room to make it your own. Start with whatever rice you enjoy, add crisp vegetables, pile on the warmly spiced lamb meatballs and finish everything with the cool dill yogurt sauce.
I used purple rice because I already had it and love its color and slightly nutty flavor, but this recipe will work just as well with basmati, brown or regular white rice.
What Gives the Lamb Meatballs So Much Flavor
Lamb can stand up to plenty of seasoning, so these meatballs aren’t shy on flavor. Cumin, coriander and paprika provide a savory, earthy base, while cinnamon adds warmth without making the meatballs taste sweet. Cayenne brings a little heat, and you can easily adjust it to suit your taste.
Fresh dill and green onions brighten the mixture and keep the meatballs from feeling too heavy. Grating the yellow onion directly over the breadcrumbs is also important. The breadcrumbs absorb all that onion juice, helping distribute the flavor while keeping the lamb tender and moist.
Mix the lamb only until everything is combined. Overworking ground meat can make meatballs firm and dense, and we want these to remain tender inside with plenty of browning on the outside.
A Cool Dill Yogurt Sauce
The dill yogurt sauce balances the richness and warm spices in the lamb. It is creamy, tangy and filled with fresh dill, but it isn’t tzatziki—there is no grated cucumber in the sauce.
Finely diced pickled red onion adds little bursts of acidity and a touch of sweetness. If you don’t have pickled red onion, use a smaller amount of green onion instead. You can also leave the onion out of the sauce and serve thinly sliced fresh red onion on the finished bowls.
Greek or Greek-style yogurt works best because it is thick enough to cling to the meatballs. If the sauce becomes thicker than you prefer, loosen it with a small amount of lemon juice or water.
Building Your Lamb Meatball Bowls
There really is no single correct way to assemble these bowls. Spoon your favorite warm rice into the bottom, add the lamb meatballs and then bring in something fresh and crisp.
Cucumber and tomato are easy choices, but shredded cabbage, chopped bell pepper or tender lettuce would also work. Add the dill yogurt sauce generously and finish with fresh dill, pickled red onion or a squeeze of lemon.
You can keep the ingredients separated and let everyone build their own bowl. This is especially helpful when people prefer different toppings or levels of sauce.
Spiced Lamb Meatball Bowls with Dill Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground lamb
- ½ small yellow onion finely grated with its juice, about ½ cup
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic finely grated
- 2 green onions finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1½ teaspoons paprika sweet, smoked or a combination
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ –½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil for cooking
Dill Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek or Greek-style yogurt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 small garlic clove finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- White pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely diced pickled red onion or 1 tablespoon finely sliced green onion
For the Bowls all are optional
- 3 cups cooked rice of your choice
- 1 cucumber chopped
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- Pickled red onion or thinly sliced fresh red onion
- Fresh dill
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the rice of your choice according to the package directions and keep it warm while making the meatballs.
- To make the yogurt sauce, stir together the Greek-style yogurt, dill, garlic, lemon juice, kosher salt and white pepper. Fold in the pickled red onion or green onion. Refrigerate the sauce while preparing the meatballs to allow the flavors to develop.
- Place the grated yellow onion and all its juice in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, stir and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes so the breadcrumbs can absorb the onion juice.
- Add the lamb, egg, garlic, green onions, dill, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, kosher salt and black pepper. Mix gently with your hands just until evenly combined.
- Divide the mixture into approximately 16 portions and roll them into meatballs. If the mixture feels particularly soft, refrigerate the shaped meatballs for 20–30 minutes before cooking.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Cook for 8–10 minutes, turning periodically so they brown on all sides, until cooked through and the centers reach 160°F.
- Divide the warm rice among four bowls. Top each bowl with lamb meatballs, cucumber and tomato. Spoon the dill yogurt sauce over the meatballs and finish with pickled or fresh red onion, additional dill and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
- Notes
- Use any rice you enjoy, including white, brown, basmati or purple rice.
- Adjust the cayenne depending on how spicy you want the meatballs.
- Pickled red onion adds a tangy bite, but it isn’t required. Substitute a small amount of green onion in the yogurt sauce and thinly sliced fresh red onion on the bowls, or leave the onion out entirely.
- The meatballs can also be served in warm pita pockets with the vegetables and dill yogurt sauce.