Two things that screen springtime to me are lamb and dill and they just happen to be delicious together. Simple oven-baked lamb meatballs get served on top of a vibrant dill yogurt sauce for a simple, meaty main that pairs so well with the Roasted Artichoke and Potato Salad or any hearty salad or starchy side.
Ingredient highlight
Lamb! Is a very underrated protein that also happens to be extremely nutrient-dense. It’s loaded with vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, iron, and healthy omega-3 fats.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 large egg
- 1 lb ground lamb*
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
For the dill yogurt:
- 1 ½ cups loosely packed fresh dill
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Toppings:
- Chopped herbs (dill, parsley, chives, and/or scallions)
- Chopped walnuts
- *You could also make these with ground beef.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 425F convection. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the egg and whisk it up. Add the lamb, nuts, salt, pepper, and garlic. Use your hands to thoroughly mix it together. Form into 8 large meatballs and transfer to the baking sheet.
- Drizzle the meatballs lightly with olive oil, then use your hands to roll them around in the oil to coat. Spread out evenly and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and deeply browned on the bottoms.
- To make the dill yogurt, add all ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and bright green.
- Spoon most of the sauce onto a large plate or serving platter (use your judgment with how much, it’s nice to have some leftover to serve for drizzling). Place the warm meatballs on top. Sprinkle with chopped herbs, walnuts, and pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Finely chop ½ cup walnuts
- Mix and form the meatballs
- Make the yogurt sauce
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, replace the meatballs with pan fried tofu, vegetarian sausage, or make these Sundried Tomato Lentil Patties or Beetballs instead. Turn it into a vegetable main buy roasted cauliflower until deeply charred and browned and scattering that over the sauce.
- To make vegan, see above + use a vegan yogurt alternative.
- To make nut-free, replace the finely chopped walnuts with a pumpkin seed meal (ground up pumpkin seeds).
- Use ground lamb or ground beef. You could try with ground chicken/turkey as well, they will just be a bit more dry.
- You could use a mix of herbs or choose any herb: dill, mint, parsley, cilantro, basil, etc…
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Meatballs: up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Yogurt sauce: up to 5 days in the fridge.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover meatballs in the microwave or a covered skillet with a bit of oil until warmed through.
- Leftover meatballs can be added to bowls, put on top of salads, or chopped up and turned into a lamb taco. They’re also just a great high-protein snack.
- Leftover dill yogurt sauce can be drizzled over bowls, roasted veggies, any meat, and even scrambled eggs. Use it as a sauce for lamb tacos.
