Lamb Meatballs with Buttery Lemon Orzo
These Lamb Meatballs with Buttery Lemon Orzo served with homemade Tzatziki Sauce will turn you into a lamb lover — and more so if you’re already on board. Tender, oven-baked lamb meatballs loaded with fresh rosemary, Parmesan cheese, and other spices are joined with buttery and lemony orzo pasta for a complete meal idea anytime.
If you enjoy lamb, make sure to check out my other lamb recipes including my Instant Pot Curry Australian Lamb Shanks, Greek Lamb Burger with Tzatziki Sauce, Roasted Rack of Lamb, and Red Wine Braised Leg of Lamb.
Any meal you typically enjoy with ground beef can be easily swapped with ground lamb, and that was exactly my idea when I was creating this recipe.
Herbs, lemon, and Mediterranean flavors really shine in this dish, and lamb is the perfect foundation. Australian ground lamb holds moisture and flavors very well, making every bite in this tender meatball a culinary experience.
Baked lamb meatball are awesome for any occasion or day of the week. Enjoy them solo as an appetizer and serve the Tzatziki dipping sauce on the side (very popular in Greece and neighboring countries) or turn them into a full meal, as I’ve done in this recipe.
Ingredients you’ll need to make lamb meatballs with pasta:
- Australian pasture-raised lamb enhances your lamb experience with robust flavors that are not “gamey” whatsoever. Not only will you be pleasantly surprised by the taste, but you will also reap the benefits of the amount of protein it packs. The ground lamb is the main attraction of this dish, boasting flavors of minced garlic, grated Parmesan cheese, onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, black pepper. Plus an egg which adds to the moisture and tenderness of the meatball.
- The orzo pasta looks like rice but has the texture of pasta. It’s an ingredient I am using more and more. The orzo is cooked with chicken stock then blended with melted butter, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and of course, garlic. It’s great all by itself.
- The tzatziki sauce will add some freshness to the entire dish. It combines chopped cucumber, Greek yogurt, fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, garlic, fresh parsley, salt, black pepper, and ground cinnamon.
How to make lamb meatballs with pasta:
When it’s time to create this dish, you will begin by breaking down the ground lamb and placing it inside a large bowl. Season the lamb with onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, Himalayan Pink Salt, black pepper, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, and fold in your egg.
Mix everything well with your hands, then form them into palm-sized meatballs.
Place the meatballs onto a baking sheet (paid link). Bake these meatballs at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and remove them from the oven. Note: To brown them a little more, you can broil the meatballs back in the oven for an additional 1-2 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, add your chicken stock to a cooking pot and bring it to a boil. Add in your orzo pasta and cook as instructed.
Add 1/2 cup parsley and 1/4 cup of butter to a cooking pan. Once the butter melts, add your minced garlic and stir until combined.
When the Orzo is finished cooking, zest one lemon into the pot and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice over the orzo. Add your chopped parsley and melted butter mixture over the cooked orzo and stir together.
For the Tzatziki sauce, remove the skin from the cucumber, then chop into small pieces. Using a paper towel, squeeze the cucumber to remove any excess moisture. Place the cucumber in a bowl. Chop 1 tsp. of fresh dill and add to the bowl. Add your Greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped dill, parsley, ground cinnamon, Himalayan Pink Salt, and black pepper to the bowl and mix.
When you take these tender meatballs out of the oven and add soft buttery orzo on your plate with fresh and bright tzatziki sauce, you know you’re going to have a fantastic meal!
If you love lamb, this lamb meatball recipe is the perfect option. The combination of lemon-buttered Orzo and tender and flavorful lamb meatballs served with homemade Tzatziki sauce is a complete meal idea that everyone will enjoy.
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Lamb Meatballs with Buttery Lemon Orzo
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Tender, baked lamb meatballs paired with a lemon butter orzo pasta and homemade tzatziki sauce for a complete meal idea anytime.
Ingredients
Lamb Meatballs:
- 24 oz ground Lamb
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Buttery Lemon Orzo:
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sea salt
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 5 oz Greek yogurt
- 1 cucumber
- 1 tsp fresh dill
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Break the ground lamb into pieces and place it into a large bowl.
- Mix grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, egg, oregano, sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder in the same bowl.
- Form the mixture into palm-sized meatballs before placing them onto a baking sheet (paid link).
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then broil for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until browned.
- For the Buttery Lemon Orzo, add chicken stock to a cooking pot and bring to a boil. Cook the orzo pasta as instructed. Add minced garlic, melted butter, chopped parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to the same pot as the cooked orzo. Mix.
- For the Tzatziki Sauce, peel the skin from the cucumber and chop it into small pieces. Drain the juices by squeezing them in a paper towel. Place in a small bowl. Add fresh dill, lemon juice, minced garlic, parsley, black pepper, ground cinnamon, and sea salt. Whisk together until smooth. Service alongside lamb meatballs and orzo.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Comfort Food
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Calories: 466
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 970mg
- Fat: 21.5g
- Carbohydrates: 23.8g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 43g
- Cholesterol: 163mg
Delicious recipe
Thanks for the great feedback, Janet!
These are the best meatballs ever! Seriously they taste like something from a restaurant. I think the secret is in the pile of fresh garlic added to the mix. Like a previous commenter stated: You might get the bubble guts from all that yummy garlic but it’s worth it to have such a quick, easy, healthy, and delicious dinner!
Thanks, Leah! Garlic is definitely a must for this recipe.
Made this last night and it was so good. Added some spinach to the orzo for veggies. Delicious! Will definitely make again, thank you so much for the recipe.
Hello, Jennifer! So glad you enjoyed it, and love that you added spinach!
Restaurant grade meatballs. Pile that garlic in! My stomach couldn’t handle all that garlic but my mouth and brain were happy for quite awhile. 😋
Love to hear it! Glad you enjoyed the meatballs, Spillsy!
This is just simply goooood.
The meatballs is perfectly married to the flavor of the Orzo, with the two going equally well with the Tzatziki sauce that always present with Lamb.
If you have run across this recipe, seriously, look no more.
This is the one
I’m making this recipe for the 2nd time! It is absolutely delicious! I put the meatballs, orzo and tzatziki in a bowl and sprinkled some feta on top. So good both times!
That’s awesome Cheryl! So glad you are enjoying that dish!!
I’ve made these many times and they’re always a hit!
Excellent meal! I substituted arborio rice for the orzo (that’s what we had), and added onions to the tzatziki and meatballs (because I add onions to just about everything). Looking forward to trying your other lamb recipes.
Nice! Thanks for trying the recipe, Brian!
For the nutrition facts listed. Is it 23.8 carbs for a single serving or for the whole recipe? Thanks.
Thanks Lori! The nutrition facts are based on the full meal per person. Let me know if that helps.
This is my new go-to quick meatball. These were delicious. Quick, easy and delicious!
Thanks, Bill! So glad you enjoyed them!
Made the lamb meatballs last night for dinner. Doubled the recipe for my hungry crew of boys and to have an easy meal to reheat later in the week. I loved the ease of the recipe and it certainly was delicious! I used a container of pre shredded 4 cheese blend which made it super quick! I served them with cauliflower mash and creamed collards. Great meal for a rainy winter evening!
That sounds like a wonderful meal, Lisa! Happy the crew enjoyed it!
This recipe was FANTASTIC! The meatballs were very tender and flavorful…. I used half parm and half feta.
Thanks, Jennifer! This is a household favorite!
Liked the meatballs and orzo, but didn’t like the tzatziki sauce recipe.
Hi Susan. Glad you enjoyed the meatballs and orzo. 🙂
I made this and my husband (a French-trained chef) loved it. I put the meatballs on a bed of arugula dressed with lemon/olive oil dressing.
Hi, Jo! Thanks for stopping now. Nice! We love it when a trained chef approves! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
delicious and very easy to make!
I substituted sour cream for the yogurt bc I only had vanilla yogurt on hand and I substituted acini de pepe for the orzo, yummmm
This is awesome Maria! Glad you enjoyed it!!
I made this last night for some friends. Turned out great (although I admit we required nearly double the orzo) and some even went back for thirds! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Tess! Glad you were able to make the adjustments and glad it came out great! Awesome!
Eric, you call for rosemary in the description but not on the recipe itself, I missed it.
Hi John! That was a typo in the description. This recipe has no rosemary. We have updated that verbiage. Please follow the recipe card as this is correct. Thanks!
could you substitute feta for parm?
Hi, Kendra! Feta is a good substitute for parmesan because of its saltiness and sharp, tangy flavor. I have never used it in this recipe, so I can’t comment on the result.
I’ve made these three times in less than a month. They are so easy and so delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
Awesome! So glad you enjoy it!
You call it both Buttery Lemon Orzo and Lemon Parmesan Orzo. But the orzo recipe ingredients show no parmesan! So which is it? Thanks!
Hi Felix! The recipe card should state, “Buttery Lemon Orzo.” This typo has been corrected.
This was so delicious. Big hit with my family. The meatballs were so easy and tasty. Nice trick doing them in the oven, too— no mess. The buttery orzo is a perfect side. This dish makes great lunch leftovers, too (though I had to fight to make sure we had any. Everyone devoured this dish). My kids packed up meatball and pitas for school lunches.
Thank you so much, Maggie! It’s always a win when the kiddos love it!