Mediterranean meatball bowls are a choose-your-own-adventure type of meal that work with any combination of grain + sauce + toppings you have on hand. This particular version pairs juicy chicken meatballs with orzo, cucumber tzatziki, and a slew of fresh toppings like olives, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber.
This Meatball Bowl Is Easy to Customize with Your Favorite Mediterranean Ingredients
Moist and juicy ground chicken meatballs loaded with fresh dill, mint, and crumbled feta play the starring role in the meal prep masterpiece that is this Mediterranean meatball bowl.
The meatballs can be pan-fried or oven-baked depending on your mood, and from there this is a choose-your-own-adventure type of bowl that works with any grain or veg of your choice. If you were eating in my kitchen (you’re welcome any time!), you’d find me piling these meatballs into bowls with either orzo or lemony rice, cool tzatziki, and whatever Mediterranean veggies I have hanging out in my fridge. And Kalamata olives, I can’t forget those!
Meal prep-friendly, Mediterranean Diet-approved, and easy to eat all week long without getting bored, this is the type of meal that makes it look like you’ve got your life together.
If only they knew!
Enjoy!
The 4 Key Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
Meatballs
I used my favorite Mediterranean chicken meatballs in these grain bowls. Even though they’re made with lean ground chicken, they stay super succulent and juicy after cooking thanks to the feta, panko, and egg in the meatball mixture.
Grain of Choice
Orzo, everyone’s favorite mini-pasta, or fragrant lemon rice, are two options for the Mediterranean-inspired base for the meatballs, but you can use any grain you’d like. I’ve also made these chicken meatball bowls with quinoa (here’s how I cook it so it doesn’t turn out mushy).
Tzatziki
You can save some time by buying a container of tzatziki at the store, but I love to make mine from scratch when possible. Homemade tzatziki uses just 5 basic ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to throw together, not to mention it tastes so much fresher than the pre-made kind.
The tzatziki can be swapped with hummus, too.
Toppings
The sky’s the limit when it comes to selecting your toppings, and to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever made these bowls the same way twice!
Chopped romaine, tomato, and cucumber almost always feature in my bowls, and from there I’ll add some combination of avocado, roasted chickpeas, marinated chickpeas, sliced artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, roasted red bell pepper, chopped pistachios or almonds, and extra fresh herbs.
How to Make Mediterranean Meatball Bowls
- Make the meatball mixture, then chill. The ground chicken mixture needs to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to soften the breadcrumbs, so I knock out this task first before moving onto the rice.
- Cook the orzo or lemon rice. By the time the water boils, orzo or lemon rice takes about the same time to cook, so if you get either one cooking right after you pop the uncooked meatballs into the fridge, your starch will be ready to eat just after the meatballs are done cooking.
- Prep all of the toppings. Go ahead and make the tzatziki first since it tastes better after it’s had time to chill in the fridge for a bit. Then, chop, dice, or shred whatever Mediterranean veggies you want on your bowls.
- Roll the meat mixture into balls. I use a small cookie scoop to speed up this process so I can whack the meatballs into the oven ASAP.
- Bake or pan fry, your choice! If you’re busy prepping all of the toppings still, go ahead and bake the meatballs for hands-off ease. Otherwise, you can pan-fry them in about the same amount of time (they just need to be flipped over once or twice!).
- Assemble the bowls. Add your starch to the bottom of the bowl, add some crunchy greens, a few meatballs, and your favorite Mediterranean veggie accents. A dollop of tzatziki and a generous helping of chopped herbs finish this dish off with style.
Meal Prep Tips
This is one of my favorite Mediterranean-Diet approved meal prep recipes, both because it tastes delicious and because it reheats well even days after prepping the ingredients.
For best results, store the chicken feta meatballs and your grain of choice in their own containers and the fresh toppings and sauces in their own. Reheat the meatballs and grain for 30-second intervals in the microwave until warm, then add the tzatzki and your toppings of choice.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Mediterranean Meatball Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken Feta Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, about 2 ounces
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, if pan-frying
- 1 tablespoon butter, if pan-frying
Bowls
- 3 cups lemon rice, (or use orzo or quinoa)
- ½ cup tzatziki (or cucumber dill sauce or hummus)
- your favorite Mediterranean-style vegetables* (see suggestions below)
Instructions
- Combine the meatball mixture. In a large bowl, combine 1 pound ground chicken, ½ cup panko, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, 1 lightly beaten egg, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons chopped red onion, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Dampen your hands with water and gently knead the ingredients together until blended. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 15 minutes for the breadcrumbs to soften, or up to overnight.
- Form the meatballs. Use a small scoop (4 cm) to form meatballs into 1 ½-inch balls and place on a cutting board. Dampen your hands and lightly shape and roll the meatballs between your palms and place on a baking sheet or cutting board. If baking the meatballs, evenly space them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.
- Fry or bake the meatballs. To fry the meatballs, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium until the butter melts. Place half of the meatballs in the skillet and cook, gently turning the meatballs every 1 ½ – 2 minutes so they slowly brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total. To bake the meatballs, preheat the oven to 425°F. Spritz the meatballs with cooking spray or olive oil to encourage browning. Bake until no longer pink inside, about 15 minutes, then broil on high for another 5 minutes for a deliciously crispy crust. Remove from the oven.
- Plate the meatballs with your favorite Mediterranean accents. These choose-your-own-adventure bowls can be made with any combination of your favorite Mediterranean toppings like those suggested in the ingredient list above. To each bowl, add 6 meatballs, ¾ cup orzo, lemon rice, or quinoa, with 2 tablespoons tzatziki, cucumber dill sauce, or hummus, and your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
More Poultry Meatball Recipes
- Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatball Subs
- Baked Thai Turkey Meatballs
- Baked Turkey Meatballs with Polenta
More Chicken and Grain Bowl Recipes
- Orange Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowls
- Pick-Your-Protein Buddha Bowls
- Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowls
- Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
- Orange Chicken Bowls
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