These One Pan Greek Meatballs with Lemon Feta Orzo are so good! A one pan dinner makes for smooth cooking and less dishes. Meatballs don’t always have a good reputation because people think they’re bland. These greek meatballs are anything but bland. I love meatballs because you can add in so many different herbs and spices to create amazing flavour! If you’re an orzo lover, check out my White Wine Chicken and Orzo with Sun-dried Tomatoes, it’s SO good. For another greek inspired dinner, check out my One Pan Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes!
Why you’ll love this greek meatball recipe!
With grocery prices rising, having a good ground meat recipe is a must. These one pan greek meatballs and lemon feta orzo can be made with turkey, chicken, pork or beef. I used turkey in my recipe and they turned out great. This recipe is easily customized with whatever herbs you have on hand. Once the prep is done, this dish comes together quickly and tastes delicious!
Ingredients needed for this Meatball and Orzo Recipe!
- Ground Meat – I used ground turkey, but use what you like.
- Orzo – Easy to find and super delicious!
- Large Egg – Used for binding the meatball ingredients.
- Fresh Bread Crumbs – 1 cup is needed. Just rip up small pieces of bread to create them.
- Feta – Use in the meatballs and to top the orzo.
- Onion – Diced onion is used in the meatballs and the orzo.
- Garlic – 5 garlic cloves minced are needed.
- Oregano – Used for flavour.
- Parsley – Used for flavour.
- Chicken Stock – The orzo is cooked in this.
- Olive Oil – To cook the meatballs in.
- Butter – To toast the orzo in.
- Lemons – The lemon juice and zest is used in the orzo recipe.
- Salt and Pepper – Used for flavour!
How to make this easy One Pan Greek Meatball and Lemon Feta Orzo Dish!
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Start with making the meatballs. Combined the ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and feta in a bowl and mix really well. You want all the ingredients to be sticking together. Using a cookie scoop if you have one, scoop out the meatballs. They should be about 1-2 tablespoons in size. If you want to avoid the meat mixture from sticking to your hands, rub olive oil on your hands.
Roll each meatball and set aside. Assemble all the meatballs before you start to cook them.
Heat a large cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then add in all the meatballs. Cook the meatballs until golden on each side. It takes about 4 minutes per side. Remove the meatballs from the frying pan and set them aside.
For the orzo!
Add the butter and orzo to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes, then add in the garlic and oregano and continue to cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock, and then add in the lemon zest and juice. Bring the orzo to a low boil. Then add the meatballs back in. Transfer carefully to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the meatballs are cooked all the way through. They should be.
Remove the lemon orzo and meatballs from the oven and sprinkle with feta cheese for serving! Enjoy!
Substitutions for this easy greek meatball and orzo recipe!
If you don’t want to make meatballs, you could easily cook up some chicken thighs or breasts as well. Season the chicken with the same herbs and cook until browned on both sides. If using chicken thighs, baking will be enough to finish cooking them. If you use chicken breasts, cook them for longer prior to adding them to the orzo.
You can leave out the lemon if you aren’t a fan.
One Pan Greek Meatballs with Lemon Feta Orzo
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
The Greek Meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Lemon Feta Orzo
- 1 cup dry orzo
- 2 1/4 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp oregano
- 3 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
For the meatballs!
- In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, herbs, salt, feta cheese, and garlic. Mix until the mixture starts to stick together. Then roll the mixture into meatballs about 1.5-2 tablespoons in size. Set aside on a plate.
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Once the pan is hot, add the meatballs. Cook the meatballs for 3-4 minutes on two sides, or until nice and golden. Remove the meatballs from the pan. They will finish cooking in the oven.
- Add the butter, onion and orzo to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, and then add in the garlic, oregano and salt. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add in the chicken stock, lemon juice and zest. Bring to a boil, and then stir everything well. Add the meatballs back in carefully. Then transfer the skillet to the oven and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and make sure the meatballs are cooked. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve immediately.
Notes
Absolutely delicious. I did increase the broth to 2&1/2 cups- and used 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in place of the zest! A great balance of flavor😊. My family loved it- thank you!!!!