Greek Vegetarian Meatballs with Feta

These Greek Vegetarian Meatballs with Feta are made with plant based meatballs, black olives, cucumbers, dill, and served on a delicious feta whip.

These juicy Greek meatballs are always a must and are flavored with all their traditional ingredients. These meatballs are cooked extremely crispy and pairs brilliantly with this homemade feta whip. It can be eaten as is or with a pita bread. To be honest, there is no such thing as too many meatballs. These Greek meatballs are a step up from what a basic meatball recipe. The combination of the meatballs, cucumber, olives, dill and feta whip is to die for. Once you pop all of this into a plate, you can mix it all together.

If you are not plant based, feel free to try my Lamb Meatballs and my Sausage Pita.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Greek Vegetarian Meatballs with Feta
• Food safety

Ingredients

I have been seeing a way bigger trend in plant based meals as the world has been shifting to vegan and vegetarian options. I am a carnivore myself, but have been trying to eat less meat. It wasn’t until I came across Crave House plant based meats that I finally found a delicious compromise. Their meatballs are a delicious alternative to beef id you are like me and need a hearty protein-filled meal. It is amazing to see the creations of plant-based meats that are out on the market now, and I have tasted my fair share. These meatballs are healthier, easy to cook, and fill me up. Thanks to pea-protein, a serving of these meatballs contains about 17g of protein. These meatballs come frozen and thaw quickly. They can be cooked frozen or thawed. I love cooking them in the oven or in the skillet, until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

• A Box crave house meatballs
• Olive oil
• Black Olives
• Cucumbers
• Dill
• Feta Cheese
• Greek Yogurt
• Olive oil
• Pita bread

See recipe card for Greek Vegetarian Meatballs with Feta quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large cast iron or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, add the meatballs and drizzle with olive oil over them. Bake in the oven for about 18-24 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the feta whip. In a food processor or blender, add the feta cheese, Greek yogurt, and olive oil. Blend until smooth.

Spread the feta whip onto a plate. Toss in the cucumbers and olives onto the plate and drizzle with olive oil. When the meatballs are ready, add the meatballs onto the plate and garnish with the chopped dill. Feel free to eat as is, dipping the vegetables and meatballs into the feta as you wish, or mix everything all up. Serve with pita bread.

Hint:

• Oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a baking sheet or cast iron lined with parchment paper with olive oil or avocado oil spray. Place the meatballs and bake for 18-24 minutes.
• Skillet: Add cooking oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 9-12 minutes, continuously flipping the meatballs until evenly cooked.
• Air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and place the meatballs inside so they do not touch. Air fry for 12-15 minutes, until fully cooked.

Substitutions

Below are some substitutes if you wish to need any.

• Meatballs: I love using plant based meatballs for this recipe, especially Crave House. If you truly do not want to use plant based meatballs, you can use frozen regular meatballs from the store and cook it according to package instructions.
• Olive oil: I love using olive oil since this is a Greek style recipe. Other alternatives can be avocado oil, vegetable oil or sunflower oil.
• Black olives: I love using kalamata olives, although you can use green olives for this as well.
• Cucumbers: Cucumbers are an amazing contribution and you may add iceberg lettuce and tomatoes as well.
• Dill: Dill is fantastic garnish and fresh tarragon or parsley are a great substitute as well.

If you love this recipe, you should check out my Greek Lamb Chops and Sausage Pita.

Variations

Cooking is a great time for you to get creative! Feel free to adjust anything as needed.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or banana peppers
• Deluxe - Feel free to use this tzatziki dip in place of the feta whip.
• Kid friendly - Add everything into a fresh warm pita to make this kid friendly.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

If you wish to air fry the recipe, I love using the Ninja air fryer to do this.

Storage

Store the wet ingredients (meatballs, cucumber and olives) separately from the dry ingredients (pita bread) in the fridge, and recombine when ready. Good for 2-3 days.

These Greek Vegetarian Meatballs with Feta ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Don't overcook the meatballs. Feel free to use a meat temperature to check until it reaches 165°F. Sear the outside and cook to a minimum internal temperature, but they should still be juicy for best results.

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Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.