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Herby Meatballs with Roasted Garlic Whipped Feta

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These herby meatballs with roasted garlic whipped feta, and olives are a total showstopper. Briny, savory, layered with flavor, and all served on the creamiest feta spread you’ve ever had!

  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Roasting Garlic: 60 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 22-24 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven + Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

Units Scale

ROASTED GARLIC + HERBY FETA

  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon + 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 8 ounce block feta cheese
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (parsley, dill, chives, mint)
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper

HERBY MEATBALLS

  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 pound ground beef (85/15)
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (dill, parsley, chives, mint)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

CAPER + OLIVE TOPPING

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3.5 ounce jar capers, drained (drain brine into a bowl to use)
  • 1 cup pitted, sliced Castelvetrano olives
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper

SERVE WITH

  • fresh chopped herbs
  • crispy baked French fries

Instructions

  1. ROAST GARLIC: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice head of garlic in half. Place inside a piece of foil and drizzle the cut sides with a teaspoon of olive oil. Ball up the foil to seal the garlic inside. Roast for 60 minutes. Set aside to cool until you can handle it. Leave the oven on and bake your fries now if you like!
  2. PREPARE CREAMY FETA: Squeeze roasted garlic from its skin into a food processor or high-speed blender. Crumble the block of feta cheese in along with the sour cream, fresh herbs, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil as you blend. Continue blending until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and refrigerate.
  3. MAKE THE PANADE: Combine breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl until they form a paste. Stir in the beaten egg. Let sit for 5 minutes. This is called a “panade”.
  4. FORM THE MEATBALLS: Add ground beef, garlic, fresh herbs, dried oregano, rubbed sage, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the panade. Use your hands to mix everything together until just combined. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to form golf ball-sized meatballs.
  5. COOK MEATBALLS: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook on all sides until a golden-brown crust forms on the outside and the meatballs are almost cooked through. Work in batches if needed. Transfer to a baking sheet and pop the meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees to finish cooking and stay warm.
  6. MAKE THE TOPPING: Turn heat to medium. Without wiping out the pan, add olive oil. Heat for a minute, then add capers, olives, lemon zest, and a small pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until warmed through and fragrant. Add a splash of caper brine to deglaze the pan and scrape all the yummy bits off the bottom. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. PLATE IT: Spread creamy feta in a beautiful layer on a serving platter. Arrange cooked meatballs on top. Then spoon the caper + olive topping over the meatballs. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with crispy fries. Enjoy!
  8. LEAVE A REVIEW: If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Notes

  • Use a block of feta, not crumbles. Pre-crumbled feta is much drier and it won’t blend as well or get quite as smooth.

  • Don’t skip the panade. It sounds fussy, but that paste is what separates a truly tender meatball from one you could use as a doorstop.

  • Save your caper juice. A splash of it to deglaze picks up all the caramelized bits and adds this bright, briny punch to the topping that you can’t get any other way.

  • Work in batches when searing. Crowding the pan drops the temperature, and you’ll end up steaming the meatballs instead of getting that golden crust.

  • The whipped feta gets better as it sits. Make it first (or even the night before!) and let it hang out in the fridge while you do everything else. The garlic flavor deepens, and the texture gets even creamier.

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/herby-meatballs/