Spicy Lamb Meatballs With Cucumber-Mint Tzatziki
30m prep 20m cook 50m ready
Spiced lamb meatballs with harissa are served with a cool cucumber-mint tzatziki and warm pitas. Perfect for summer gatherings, they can be enjoyed as a main dish or appetizer.
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground lamb
- 1/4 cup yellow onion grated
- 2 clove garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 0.5 English cucumber
- 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 6 thick pitas halved crosswise
- 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 1/4 cup harissa
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 10 of 19 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 162 mg
- Iron: 4.28 mg
- Magnesium: 61.9 mg
- Phosphorus: 324 mg
- Potassium: 655 mg
- Zinc: 5.93 mg
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Set a large rimmed baking sheet near your prep station.
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Step 2.
In a large bowl, using your hands, gently mix the ground lamb, grated yellow onion, minced garlic, chopped mint, chopped cilantro, harissa (or red pepper flakes), ground cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper until well combined.
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Step 3.
Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of the lamb mixture at a time and gently roll into meatballs about 1½ inches in diameter. Transfer the meatballs to the baking sheet as you finish forming them; you should have about 26 meatballs. Set aside.
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Step 4.
Preheat the oven to 225°F. Place a clean rimmed baking sheet in the oven to warm.
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Step 5.
To make the tzatziki, shred the English cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Press out as much liquid as possible from the shredded cucumber using paper towels. Transfer to a medium bowl along with the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, chopped mint, and ground cumin. Stir until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
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Step 6.
In a large cast-iron pan over medium heat, working in batches, toast the pita halves on both sides until lightly browned. Wrap the toasted pitas in aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven.
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Step 7.
Increase the heat under the cast-iron pan to medium-high and add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add half of the meatballs and cook, turning a few times as the bottoms become richly browned, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked meatballs to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm.
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Step 8.
Add a little more oil to the pan if it gets dry, then cook the remaining meatballs in the same way, transferring them to the oven to keep warm.
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Step 9.
Arrange the meatballs and warm pitas on a platter. Scatter the chopped mint and cilantro over the meatballs. Serve with bowls of tzatziki and harissa alongside. To assemble, split a pita half, stuff it with 2 or 3 meatballs and some herbs, then top with tzatziki and harissa.
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