Here’s a gorgeous pasta lunch salad for you to try out soon! You will adore my Greek pasta salad with juicy lamb meatballs, fresh dill and cucumber! What a delicious spring and summer lunch pasta salad!
I love cooking with minced lamb meat.
How about you?
Lamb Mince
One of my favorite lamb mince recipes is a true classic. A Greek moussaka oven bake! That’s a family favorite here. Spiced lamb mince with soft and smooth eggplants and potatoes. Covered uner a layer of bechamel white sauce.
Excellent.
Another thing I like to make with minced lamb meat are kofta meatballs. With some mediterranean to middle eastern flavors such as harissa and cilantro. I usually serve koftas with fluffy couscous.
OK so back to this pasta salad then.
You can serve this greek pasta salad hot or cold, whatever you prefer.
Cold Pasta Salad
To be honest this pasta salad actually contains some leftovers. I love cooking with leftover and turn them into another great meal!
So I prepared the lamb and feta meatballs as an appetizer the day before for a fun little tapas potluck party. And because there were still a couple of lamb meatballs left, well I thought that they would look great in a light and healthy lunch salad!
And so it was.
Easy Greek Pasta Salad with Lamb Meatballs
You should definitely try out these meatballs.
That feta cheese that you knead into the minced lamb meat makes it so juicy and savory! And if you are not a fan of olives, you can leave them out of course.
Can you easily find Greek pasta where you live?
Orzo (it also goes by the name of risoni) is a rice shaped type of pasta that you can find very often in Greek cuisine. Check out another Greek recipe with orzo in it: giouvetsi, or oven baked Greek meat stew with tomato sauce and orzo pasta!
Delicious.
Enjoy!
Easy Greek Pasta Salad with Lamb Meatballs Recipe
Here's a gorgeous pasta lunch salad for you to try out: my Greek pasta salad with juicy lamb meatballs, fresh dill and cucumber.
- 12,5 oz Greek pasta (orzo) (350 g)
- 1 small fresh cucumber
- 10,5 oz lamb mince (300 g)
- 3 oz feta cheese (85 g), crumbled
- 2,5 oz black olives (70 g), chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano chopped
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp lemon zest grated
- a handful fresh dill chopped
- ½ small red onion chopped
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
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Add the lamb mince, crumbled feta cheese and chopped olives to a mixing bowl.
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Knead the lamb well. Then stir in the dried oregano, cinnamon and half of the lemon zest. Season with some pepper and salt. Knead well. Divide the mince into even portions and make meatballs. Mine were about 1 oz (30 g). Place the meatballs on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
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Then bake them for about 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) until cooked. In the meantime fill a medium pan with water and add some salt. Place the pan over high heat until boiling. Then add the orzo.
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Cook the orzo until tender and strain it. Transfer the cooked pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped onion, fresh dill and remaining lemon zest. Slice the cucumber in half, remove the softer inside with a teaspoon and chop the cucumber finely. Also add this to the pasta.
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Stir well. Then season with pepper and salt. Drizzle with olive oil. Remove the cooked meatballs from the oven and add them to the pasta.
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Stir well. Then check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste. Divide the salad over plates and serve.