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Greek Meatball Salad | Magnolia Days

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.