Greek meatballs with Orzo

Meatballs are sort of the perfect food. Full of flavor, browned, tender on the inside, and can be reinvented in marinara, BBQ sauce, Swedish style and, in this case, Greek. Paired with some orzo, this is the perfect Friday meal.

Ingredients:

1 egg

16 ounces tomato sauce

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/4 cup seasoned panko

1/4 cup grated parm

10 ounces ground beef

1 bunch scallions, sliced and separated light and dark greens

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup orzo

1 1/2 ounces crumbled feta

oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Method:

Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. Finely chop half of the sliced scallion whites and light greens (leave the remaining sliced).

Add orzo to boiling water; cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain and return orzo to saucepan; toss with 1 teaspoon oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine beef, chopped scallions, panko, parm, half the garlic, ½ teaspoon oregano, 1 large egg, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Shape into 10 meatballs.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add meatballs, in batches if necessary, turning occasionally, until browned all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside until step 5; reserve oil in skillet.

Return same skillet to medium-high heat. Add sliced scallion whites and light greens and remaining chopped garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add all of the tomato sauce, reserved cooking water, oregano, a few grinds of pepper, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt.

Return meatballs to skillet. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring, until sauce is slightly reduced and meatballs are cooked through. Stir half of the sliced scallion dark greens and feta into cooked orzo. Serve orzo topped with Greek meatballs, tomato sauce, and remaining sliced scallion dark greens. Enjoy!

Comments

Peek-a-boo Squares

My grandma, Mimi, taught me this recipe. I used to make this with her and my mother as a child. It is my very favorite dessert. It is incredibly easy to make, and even easier to eat. My favorite part of making this as a child was dusting every bar generously with snowy white powdered sugar. My favorite version of this dessert uses canned blueberry pie filling; I vastly prefer Libby brand over the store brand. You can make blueberry pie filling from scratch with sugar, cornstarch, bleberries, etc. but using the canned stuff is easy in a pinch and is much for nostalgic for me. Plus, I don’t notice a vast improvement over my homemade blueberry pie filling and the Libby brand; it just takes me longer to put this dessert together. I have been known to whip up a pan of these Friday night and have them disappear by Saturday afternoon. Be warned, these things are addictive! Ingredients: 3 cups of all-purpose flour 2 cups of granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 ...

Samosas with Yogurt Sauce

I love exploring many kinds of cuisine in my kitchen because I can control the spice level, and in the case of this recipe, the use of cilantro. Cilantro lovers out there- sub it info the parsley here. I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, which limits my ability to enjoy some dishes in restaurants, but is easily rectified in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients: 3 russet potatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 5 ounces peas Six 8 inch flour tortillas 4 ounces Greek yogurt Oil, salt, pepper, vinegar 4 tablespoons butter Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high; uncover and cook until tenderDrain potatoes and transfer to a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in reserved saucepan over medium. Add chopped garl...

Deluxe BLT- with avocado, Emmental cheese, and asiago bread

I don't normally feature sandwiches on this blog, but I simply cannot ignore this one. It's too good! The method is dead simple, but perhaps I can include a tip or two you may not have thought of to elevate your BLT to the next level! Ingredients: Bacon, best quality but thinly sliced Tomatoes (ideally fresh from your garden) Romaine lettuce Mayo Emmental cheese Asiago bread salt, pepper, butter Method: In a large sheet pan with a wire rack, lay your bacon out. In a preheated 400 degree F oven, bake for 15 minutes or until the bacon is crispy. Slice your tomatoes and salt and pepper them. The salt is non-negotiable despite the saltiness from the bacon- the salt brings the flavor out of the tomato. Do not skip! Slice avocados. Rip lettuce to desired sizes for bread. Freshly slice bread and butter one side. In a large pan over medium high head, toast the buttered side of each bread slice. Lay a slice of Emmental cheese on one of the bread slices, and allow to melt. Time to con...

Watership Down Kitchen

Search This Blog