Mini Herby Lamb Meatballs are a quick and easy way to bake juicy and tasty meatballs for a family meal! Serve with yogurt and cucumber salad for a refreshing supper or serve with dip at your next get together for a delicious appetizer.
I have been a long time fan of serving lamb to my kids. And likewise, they love lamb in return. These Mini Herby Lamb Meatballs didn’t disappoint mom or kids at dinner time.
I stuffed these mini meatballs with lots of bold and delicious flavours like dill and oregano (also favourites of my kids), as well as hits of lemon for that bright flavour.
Mini size is always a good idea for smaller kids. All my girls are preschool age so I went with mini meatballs to make them easier to eat and enjoy (it’s rough when you’re tiny and want to try to do everything on your own, but mom keeps serving you huge pieces that you can’t through by yourself).
Back to my lamb love though. Lamb has great flavour which often lends itself to being extra tasty for kids. It’s slightly fattier than other proteins (which means it’s usually juicier), and takes on flavours like lemon, garlic, and oregano like crazy (all those flavours are huge hit with kids).
Lamb is also usually way more tender than other red meat, making it a better choice when toddlers have sensitive gums during that dreaded teething stage.
Now the big one. Lamb is SUPER easy to cook. A lot of people get scared of cooking lamb, but I implore you to give it a try. With any food, start early and feed often. We have lamb a couple of times per month just to switch things up and keep meals interesting.
I served these mini meatballs with a savoury lemon yogurt (recipe below in card), a quick cucumber salad, and naan bread that I picked up at a local naan bakery.
We all adored this dish as is, but rice is a great option in lieu of bread, or make the meatballs to serve as an appetizer with the yogurt as a dip. There’s a lot of potential with this dish.
Other lamb-tastic dishes to get dinner going:
- Lamb Salad Flatbread: crazy good wrap using ground lamb as well and is packed with fresh vegetables.
- Iraqi Eggs with Lamb and Tomatoes: a really quick and delicious one pot with lamb, tomatoes, and curry. It’s SO good and quick!
- Easy Lamb Chops (oven recipe): has great tips for buying lamb and what to use to cook it.
- Grilled Lamb Lollipops: ’cause they’re bound to be a great time to munch on with your kids!
Things I’m digging lately:
- Rising Strong by Brene Brown – a non-fiction book on rising out of the muck that life just is sometimes. Life, parenting, and leading are all touched on.
- The Good Old Days by Macklemore and featuring Kesha – this song really hit home for me and made think of my late brother a lot. Macklemore is a talent. My favourite couple of lines are:
“And I ain’t worried about the wrinkles around my smile
I’ve got some scars, I’ve been around
I’ve felt some pain, I’ve seen some things, but I’m here now
Those good old days.” - GLOW on Netflix – if you’re a female of the 80’s this is for you!
Mini Lamb Meatballs are a quick and easy way to bake juicy and tasty meatballs for dinner! Serve with yogurt and cucumber salad for a refreshing supper or serve with a dip for a standout appetizer.
- 1 lbs ground lamb
- 1/4 small red onion, finely chopped (this is approximately 1/3 cup)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp lemon juice (use any remaining juice from a lemon in yogurt)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or mint
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or parsley
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup thick plain Greek yogurt
- 2-4 tsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
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Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick paper or foil (for easy clean up).
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Place all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl and mix (with hands is easiest) until all ingredients are well combined. Alternatively, all ingredients can be pulsed together in a food processor.
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Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, roll one tablespoon of lamb mixture into small balls and place on a baking tray about 1" apart. (Should make 28-32 mini meatballs).
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Bake for 10-12 minutes (the internal temperature should reach 160° F for medium done ground lamb).
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Serve with a savoury yogurt, cucumber*, and toasted pine nuts if desired.
* I sliced cucumber lengthwise on my mandolin slicer (this has been with me for a very long time and I love it!), and tossed in some lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil (my kids dig it this way).Â
Enjoy! xo
School-Safe Mini Muffins 5 Ways
These lamb meatballs look delicious. I love how you plated it with the ribboned cucumber 🙂
Thank you! The entire plate is a quick and easy meal.
We do love our lamb and we enjoy Greek and Mediterranean dishes. Your meatballs would be great as appetizers — I know that sauce wouldn’t last long. We make our own flatbread so this recipe is ideal.
These mini meatballs would be delish o flatbread! Great idea!
Looks wonderful. I can almost smell it. Thank you.
Pleasure! So glad you like it.
I used dill and parsley. They turned out AMAZING! I will definitely be making again. Thanks!
Love the herbs you choose! Sounds delicious 🙂
I have made these meatballs 100 times over the years, they always hit the spot. Sometimes I vary the spices / herbs depending on what I have (like onion powder instead of red onion) and the base recipe is so forgiving. I’ve learned that wetting my hands (lightly) helps keep the meat from sticking to my hands while forming the meatballs.
I usually serve with basmati rice and use store bought tzatziki as a dip. Sometimes I add a roasted vegetable side too.
Thank you for one of my all time favorite recipes <3
That is a great tip on wetting your hands slightly to prevent the meat from sticking while forming the meatballs. I love the sound of having the meatballs with rice, dip and roasted veggies – YUM!! When should I head over?! 🙂 Thank you so much for this truly lovely comment, I read everyone and this means a lot.
Do these freeze well ?
Yes, they do freeze well. I’d freeze for no longer than 3-4 months.
Stellar balls! I added and omitted a few things- but as a newcomer to eating lamb. The only reason I decided on lamb was because I was trying to please my foreign fiance. After botching a lamb shoulder roast, I was pretty nervous. I was planning on adding tomato sauce, but the end result inspired me to plate them on a bed of microgreens, romano cheese, with lemon juice… with strawberries for dessert and blueberry/lavender tea. I used pork rinds instead of breadcrumbs, and a good dose of: mint, parsley, basil, marjoram, and thyme. Thanks for helping me overcome my aversion of lamb! Two emphatic thumbs up! My fiance will be so impressed:)
Sounds like some tasty adjustments. Glad you you’re over the hump 🙂