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Greek Meatball Salad for #SundaySupper

Greek Meatball Salad has beef and lamb meatballs, cucumber, onion, and tomato on romaine lettuce and dressed with tzatziki sauce.

Spring arrived with all its glory. It’s the time when the landscape wakes up and becomes green again. It is also a kick-off for special celebrations. Ah yes, wedding season. This year there is a particular one a bunch of folks are excited about. However it isn’t a real one. The movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 finally happens on the big screen. How to celebrate? With food of course! Greek Meatball Salad was inspired by the movie and what I made for a virtual celebration.

Food and movies go hand in hand. I’ve said it many times before. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a perfect example. It’s impossible for me to think about the movie without lamb, potatoes, fruit, and bundt cake coming to mind. I can’t wait to see what food is highlighted in the sequel (I haven’t seen it yet). The same is true for my fellow Sunday Supper tastemakers. It’s why we are having a virtual movie party.

Greek Meatball Salad | Magnolia Days

What to bring to the party was the question. I bake bundt cakes all the time so I passed on it. Then I thought of Toula and Ian, the main characters in the movie. Toula is a meat eater and Ian is a vegetarian. A Greek Meatball Salad represents the marriage of the two. It’s the best of both worlds combined on one plate.

First there are the meatballs. They are a combination of beef and lamb. Couscous is one of the binders instead of breadcrumbs. Garlic and fresh mint both flavor and enhance the meats. The meatballs are on top of romaine lettuce along with tomatoes, onion, and cucumber. It’s dressed with Tzatziki sauce because it goes superbly with both meat and vegetables.

Greek Meatball Salad | Magnolia Days

What Greek food is your favorite? The one at the top of my list is Spanakopita. A gyro and Greek Meatball Salad are up there too. Scroll down to see what recipes are being shared for this special Sunday Supper virtual movie party. What a tasty celebration indeed! Opa!

Greek Meatball Salad

Greek Meatball Salad has beef and lamb meatballs, cucumber, onion, and tomato on romaine lettuce and dressed with tzatziki sauce.
Course Salad
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Renee Dobbs

Ingredients

For the tzatziki sauce:

  • 1 cucumber
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • 2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

For the meatballs:

  • 1/2 cup cooked couscous at room temperature or chilled
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 pound ground beef round or chuck
  • 1/2 pound ground lamb
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the salad:

  • 6 cups torn or chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cucumber peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
  • 1/2 red onion sliced

Instructions

For the tzatziki sauce:

  1. Peel cucumber and remove seeds. Lay a cheesecloth on a work surface. Grate cucumber onto the cheesecloth.
  2. Pull up edges of cheesecloth and squeeze liquid from cucumber. Place cheesecloth with cucumber in a sieve or strainer over a bowl.
  3. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt over cucumber. Toss to coat. Allow to set for 30 minutes.
  4. Pull up edges of cheesecloth again and squeeze liquid from cucumber. Transfer cucumber to a medium bowl.
  5. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

For the meatballs:

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place a rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
  2. Stir together couscous, egg, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add ground beef and lamb and mix well. Shape into 12 meatballs.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown half of the meatballs, turning to brown evenly. Transfer browned meatballs to rack on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining half of meatballs.
  4. Bake meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes, until cooked through (internal temperature registers 165°F when tested with instant-read thermometer).

For the salad:

  1. Divide romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, and onion equally among 4 plates. Top each with meatballs.
  2. Serve with tzatziki sauce for the dressing.

Recipe Notes

Make the tzatziki sauce a day in advance or allow time for it to chill for at least 1 hour prior to making the salad.

It’s a My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 virtual movie party! Take a look at these Greek recipes by Sunday Supper tastemakers you can make for your celebration:

Greek Breakfast:

Greek Beverages:

Greek Appetizers:

Greek Soups:

Greek Main Dishes:

Greek Side Dishes:

Greek Desserts:

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper family on twitter every Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the conversation. To get more great Sunday Supper recipes, visit the Sunday Supper Movement website or check out our Sunday Supper Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Recipe Rating




sarah

Saturday 2nd of April 2016

That looks incredible! The family will love it too

Sue Lau

Tuesday 29th of March 2016

I would love this. I love gyros and this seems like a gyro salad almost.

Monica

Monday 28th of March 2016

The perfect salad...it has all of my favorite things!!!!

susan @ the wimpy vegetarian

Sunday 27th of March 2016

Food and movies totally go together!!! And I love this meatball salad - I'd love to have some right now!

Liz

Sunday 27th of March 2016

I love meatballs, but have never added lamb! I have a feeling these would hit the spot, too! And what a fun idea to serve them over salad. Perfect lighter meal!