Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic Italian dish. Ree adds her own twist by adding Greek feta to the meatballs as a delicious alternative.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons panko or regular breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 large egg
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 8-ounce block feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Olive oil, for the skillet
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- One 24-ounce jar good marinara
- Red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound thick long pasta, such as bucatini or spaghetti
- Crumbled feta cheese, for garnish
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- For the meatballs. Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and add the milk, ground lamb, oregano, garlic, egg, shallot and some salt and pepper. Gently mix until everything is combined, then form into golf ball-size spheres. Take a cube of the feta and push it into a meatball, wrapping the meat mixture around the cheese to completely encase it. Continue with the remaining meatballs and feta cubes. Refrigerate the meatballs for 30 minutes if you have time.
- When you are ready to cook the meatballs, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs and brown them on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove them from the skillet and set aside.
- For the sauce. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium, then add the onion and cook, stirring and adding an additional tablespoon or two of oil if needed, until softened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the marinara, red pepper flakes if using and olives and return the meatballs to the skillet. Cook for another 10 minutes to make sure the meatballs are cooked.
- For serving: Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the package directions, then drain.
- Serve the meatballs and sauce over the pasta, then garnish with crumbled feta and chopped parsley.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 672 |
| Total Fat | 32 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 64 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 121 mg |
| Sodium | 567 mg |
Reviews
These meatballs were excellent!! I baked them at 350 for about 23 minutes. Fantastic!
I didn’t have time to do meat balls so i just cooked the lamb as directed and added the tomato sauce. Family liked it.
A bit time-consuming to prepare, but definitely worth the effort. I rarely eat lamb, but this was so delicious.
Delicious! My husband and 11 year old son loved it, too! I would definitely make this again!
Used beef instead of lamb. Delicious!
Excellent flavor, fun twist to spaghetti/meatballs. A definite keeper.
Made it for dinner. Took 90 minutes since we chilled the meatballs for 30 minutes. Also used ground beef since didn’t have lamb. It was a HIT! Loads of flavor!
Fast and fantastic❤️
Today Feb.19th I try this recipe and turned out great and was so delicious, my family was very pleased and satisfied Thank you.