"Something Keeps Calling Me" Lamb Meatballs {Recipe}

Baked lamb meatballs are an easy way to get dinner on the table quick on a weeknight. This lamb meatball recipe is made even better by pairing it with a collard greens pesto.

Most lamb meatball recipes call for a yogurt sauce, especially if we're talking Greek or Mediterranean cuisine. I went with a green sauce that still has that same Mediterranean vibe. The twist is in using collard greens in the pesto.

Meatballs are meant to be and should be no fuss. But no one wants dry, chewy meatballs so using the proper technique will be necessary. Follow the detailed recipe steps and related recipe notes to see how tender, moist lamb meatballs are achieved.

Beats and Eats

I developed this lamb meatball recipe as an appetizer, but they are so tasty you just might eat enough to make it a main dish. The flavor and tenderness are amazing. They are a mood! Raphael Saadiq's album Jimmy Lee is a serious album, both in terms of the quality of the music and the subject matter. And only Saadiq can take serious content yet still make palatable music.

The song and related video for "Something Keeps Callin" tackles addiction from two perspectives - the addict and the family. Having grown up in a house with multiple addicts I can definitely relate, which is why I'm always annoyed when people brag about their recipes comparing them to crack. I won't describe these meatballs to crack or any other drug, but they are serious business, complex, and delightful.

Lamb Meatballs Ingredients

For The Meatballs

• Ground lamb
• Egg
• Breadcrumbs
• Fresh Parsley
• Fresh Thyme
• Allspice
• Paprika
• Black Pepper
• Kosher Salt

For the Pesto

• Collard Greens
• Olive oil
• Cashews
• Garlic Cloves
• Grated Parmesan or Cotija Cheese
• Lemon juice
• Cilantro
• Parsley

How To Make Lamb Meatballs

The flavor is easy to achieve, but the effort is in achieving tender meatballs. This is still fairly simple as well, but you'll just need to be a mindful of a few steps.

Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees F.

Allow the ground lamb to reach room temperature. Finely chop your herbs.

Add the spices, fresh herbs, bread crumbs, and beaten eggs to the ground lamb. Mix slowly with your hands, being careful not to over mix the meatballs with heavy hands. This recipe is based on golf ball sized meatballs, which if you're using a pound of ground lamb you should net 20 meatballs give a take a few.

Place the meatballs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. I actually prefer to use a wire rack inserted inside the prepared baking sheet. Bake the meatballs in the oven for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of your meatballs.

While the meatballs are cooking you can prepare the pesto. The full recipe for the pesto can be found via this link.

Lamb Meatballs Recipe Notes

Shaping ground lamb into meatballs can be a sticky affair. My hack to create non-stick hands is to use cooking spray. After mixing the ground lamb with the other ingredients spray your hands and then start shaping the meatballs.

Tough, chewy meatballs are typically the result of the combination of heavy hands and over mixing. We're not making sausage here, you won't somewhat loose meatballs. The key is to gently shape the meatballs. Don't keep shaping/handling them trying to get the perfect rounded shape. Also, don't apply too much pressure with your hands. Note: you can mix all your dry ingredients together ahead of time to reduce the amount of mixing needed.

Breadcrumbs are great for maintaining the moisture in the meatballs. Do not skip this ingredient! They are essential because they absorb the juices from the meat as it cooks, trapping them within the meatball to ensure a moist final product.

The downside of baking is it's a bit more difficult to get that beautiful brown color. The fix is to cook at at least 400 degrees to get that nice browning which not only adds color but flavor as well. Stay south of 425 degrees though because you near drying out temperatures when you go up to too high temps.

If you want to make these as a main dish item, then just make bigger meatballs. You'll also need to adjust your cooking time for a longer cook.

I used fresh parsley and thyme in this recipe since I had both readily available. But I've also used fresh mint or even cilantro before.

To intensify the flavor you can grate fresh onion or garlic into the meatballs. If using onions, I prefer the sweeter red onion for this step.

If using the collard greens pesto recipe feel free to make ahead. Whenever I make the pesto I make a lot of it and then use it in a few other different recipes.

If you don't have breadcrumbs, make your own by grinding bread in a food processor.

Frequently Asked Questions For Making Lamb Meatballs

Why Do You Prefer To Bake Your Meatballs?

All the different methods (frying, baking/broiling, braising) of cooking have their unique pros and cons. For me baking offers three things I like:

1. Little cleanup
2. Hands free/worry free cooking
3. Easy browning

Can I use ground beef instead of lamb?

You can definitely use alternative meat to ground lamb. The key is choosing one that has an ample amount of fat, otherwise the meatballs will end up dry. Both pork and beef are both good options as well as a combination of the two. Veal also makes for a good meatballs.

How Do You Keep Meatballs Moist?

As outlined in the recipe notes, moist lamb meatballs are achieved easily by not overmixing the meat and using breadcrumbs in the recipe.

How Can You Tell When The Meatballs Are Fully Cooked?

You want them cooked through. You can always test one, but generally speaking they should be browned on the outside and at about 160 degrees in terms of internal temperature. If you have a meat thermometer then definitely use it.

Can You Make Lamb Meatballs Ahead Of Time?

Definitely you can, and meatballs are one of those foods that keep well once you've made them. Just store them in an airtight container if refrigerating. You can also freeze them, then let them thaw and reheat when you're ready. 20% fat is the goal in your chose ground meat.

How Do You Freeze Meatballs?

Spread them out on a baking sheet ensuring that they don't touch each other. Place the tray into the freezer and keep them inside for 30-45 minutes. Once semi-hard you can bag them up in a freeze safe ziplock bag. Pre-freezing before bagging ensures the meatballs don't stick together.

When you're ready to cook them, thaw them out first. Note if you have an air fryer you can go from freezer directly to air fryer without thawing.

What Other Ways Can I Add Flavor To Meatballs?

Any combination of fresh herbs and spices work well. Onions cooked or not are always welcomed as well as freshly grated garlic. Goat or crumbled feta cheese also make great additions

Can You Make Lamb Meatballs In An Air Fryer?

An Air Fryer is basically a convection oven despite having "fryer" in the title. So yes, you can absolutely make lamb meatballs in an air fryer. To do so I recommend small to medium-sized meatballs. You'll also want to spray the meatballs with cooking spray.

You'll want to pre-heat the air fryer to 400 degrees F and then cook the meatballs for 10-12 minutes. The key is to space the meatballs out well so they brown and cook evenly. Air Fryer is also a great way to reheat pre-made frozen meatballs.

Can You Cook Lamb Meatballs In An Instant Pot?

I don't make meatballs in my instant often, mainly because for such an easy recipe, I don't find Instant Pots a real value add above traditional approaches. However, if you plan on using yours for this lamb meatballs recipe, you'll need to use the insert tray since this recipe does not call for braising in a sauce. For moisture, you'll also need to add water to the pot.

How do you serve meatballs?

The options with lamb meatballs are endless. Here are a few suggestions:

• As an appetizer served with your dipping sauce of choice. If you don't like the pesto idea, then try with harissa sauce, bbq sauce, tahini sauce, roasted red pepper sauce, or yogurt sauce.
• These could easily work in a traditional pasta dish like spaghetti with pasta sauce or a twist like zoodles (zucchini noodles).
• I also like mine old school served over mashed potatoes with gravy
• These meatballs are great with other appetizers like air fryer pork belly bites, lemon pepper chicken wings, grilled jerk shrimp, beef suya skewers, or blistered shishito peppers.
• If these are served as a main dish then sides like air fryer broccolini, braised cabbage, microwave corn on the cob, or air fryer Brussels sprouts.

For similar recipes try these:

Afro-Caribbean Flavored Instant Pot Meatballs

Smoked Lamb Ribs

Coffee Rubbed Broiled Lamb Chops

Sous Vide Lamb Chops w/ Chocolate Curry Sauce

Making This Lamb Meatballs Recipe

If you make these delicious and tender lamb meatballs please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.

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