Mediterranean Meatballs (No Bread Crumbs, No Eggs)

I’ve never been quite the talent when it comes to making meatballs, I’m more of a patty person. Mine always end up flat or shapeless. Delicious nevertheless. However, my talented, granted moisturizer-craving, hands gave their best here and these healthy Mediterranean meatballs without bread crumbs or eggs will blow you away. Or at least you’ll really love them.

Let’s address the elephant in the room. I know these meatballs look a little raw, but they’re not. You know what they are? They’re really good. It’s just really hard for me, I guess, to take photos of meatballs and make them look good.

However, once you make them you’ll discover these easy ground beef meatballs go really well in bowls with salads and hummus, in wraps with veggies and tzatziki. They can be made on the stove or baked and are a super tasty healthy meal prep recipe.

I did the baking thing and it was so much easier than guarding the stove for 20 minutes like a hungry dog. So, if you’re looking for an easy Mediterranean meatballs recipe made with lean ground beef and vegetables that are full of flavor, try my formula! The meatballs are amazing. She said as the humble human she is. My meatballs bring all the boys to the yard, and damn right they’re better than yours…I should make this a song.

The entire process is painless and you’ll be enjoying your healthy meatballs without any bread crumbs, eggs, or gluten in around 30 minutes.

As for is red meat okay on a Mediterranean diet? All I have to say is: Lamb. I honestly can’t think of many countries from the Mediterranean region where people don’t eat red meat at least occasionally. It’s just always accompanied by vegetables and not the main star of the dish.

Mediterranean Meatballs Without Eggs or Bread Crumbs

To make these flavorful Mediterranean meatballs without eggs or bread crumbs you need some super simple foods. As you’ll see below, the recipe calls for basically ground meat, herbs, spices and thinly chopped vegetables.

You know what, I actually never knew people put bread crumbs in their meatballs. I just never knew and had never ever put bread into meatballs. Cooked rice? Sometimes. Bread crumbs? Never ever. And these Mediterranean meatballs with lean ground beef and veggies are no exception.

Lately, I’ve been having more and more realizations that I’ve been doing things the non-traditional way. Like for example making a bow. I didn’t realize I’d been doing it “the wrong way” my entire life. Well into my thirties, when I was helping out at my friend’s wedding and ruined some of her decorations because of my tieing style.

But you know what? Just because most people do things a certain way, doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways. I still don’t know how to tie a ribbon bow the right way, but it doesn’t stop me. I’ve been tiening my shoes that way and those skills have served me well enough throughout all these years.

And so have my no bread crumbs no eggs meatball-making skills. So, basically, dare to try doing something a different way! It just might work out and even better than you’d expect it! That’s my motivational speech for today.

Mediterranean Meatballs Ingredients

Now that we’re all hyped up and motivated, let’s see what we need to make the Mediterranean meatballs. Here are the main ingredients you’ll need:

Lean ground beef. You can also use any other type of ground meat you like. Like any type will work, the not lean types as well – they will just yield a more fatty meatballs. Turkey, chicken or even lamb are some examples here.

Vegetables. Using thinly chopped vegetables will result in naturally juicier meatballs. I used thinly chopped cauliflower and scallions, because that’s what I had. Other good choices here would be grated zucchini, thinly chopped spinach, kale or bell peppers.

Spices and herbs. I added fresh basil, paprika, hot paprika, black pepper, cumin and dried mint to add more flavor to the meatballs. Other great choices here would be fresh mint, dill or parsley as well!

How To Make Mediterranean Meatballs

Now. If you think the healthy ingredients for the Mediterranean meatballs are pretty simple, you’ll love how easy it is to make them. Here’s what you need to do:

First, wash and prepare your vegetables. In my case, that means wash the cauliflower and basil, peel and wash the scallions. Chop everything really thinly, so that you can easily incorporate them into the meatballs.

Next add the ground beef or meat of choice, the thinly chopped vegetables and herbs, as well as dried herbs and spices to a bowl. Add salt and pepper and massage well. Listen, I know it’s not pretty, but use your hands here. You want to combine all the ingredients really well.

Now, this is a bit tricky here, but whenever I season ground meat – I do a little lick test. I know it might sound disgusting, but it’s a must-do to adjust for salt. You can’t add salt to the ready meatballs. Plus your tongue is touching the raw meat for just a second. So, once you’ve massaged all ingredients together, grab a small portion of the meat and try it for salt with your tongue. If it’s salty enough – you’re good, if it’s bland – add salt. Do this until you get to the right amount of saltiness.

Next, once you’ve massaged and combined the ingredients together – start shaping the meatballs. You can either make your hands wet or put oil in them to prevent the meat from sticking to your hands.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place meatballs on the baking sheet, leaving space in between.

Bake for 10 minutes, flipping once. Then switch the oven to broiling / grill function and cook for 5-6 more minutes, again flipping once.

Now your Mediterranean meatballs are ready to serve or to store and use in your favorite meal prep recipes!

How To Store And Meal Prep

These Mediterranean meatballs are the perfect meal prep recipe! Make them once and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

How To Serve

These healthy meatballs without bread crumbs or eggs are super versatile. You can probably make a tomato sauce to go along and use them with pasta, but my favorite way to serve them is simply in bowls with salad and hummus or another Mediterranean dip or as a filling for wraps along with fresh herbs and tzatziki sauce. If you’re craving a more filling meal you can even serve these with some cooked rice, avocado, tzatziki and tomato cucumber salad.

More Healthy Mediterranean Recipes

Well, I truly hope you try and love this healthy recipe for Mediterranean meatballs with ground beef and vegetables, made entirely without eggs or bread crumbs. Now if you’re looking for more healthy Mediterranean recipes to try, make sure to give these a go:

• 5-Minute Mediterranean Bowls
• Easy Leftover Chicken Gyro Bowls
• Mediterranean Salmon Salad

Yield: 4

Mediterranean Meatballs

Print

These healthy Mediterranean meatballs without bread crumbs or eggs will blow you away! These healthy ground beef meatballs go really well in Mediterranean bowls with salads and hummus, in wraps with veggies and tzatziki, can be made on the stove or baked and are a super tasty healthy meal prep recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 10oz / 300g ground beef
• 2/3 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp mint
• 1/2 cup thinly chopped cauliflower or cauliflower rice
• 2 very thinly chopped scallions
• 3 tbsp thinly chopped basil
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt and Black pepper

Instructions

1. Wash and chop thinly the scallions, cauliflower and basil.
2. Add all ingredients to a bowl and massage well to combine. To add enough salt make sure to do a tongue test of the meat after combining all ingredients. If it's bland you need to add salt - if it's salty enough - no more salt. Do this until you achieve the right amount of saltiness you like.
3. Make your hands wet or oil them to shape the meatballs - this will help to prevent the meat from sticking to your hands. I did walnut-sized meatballs.
4. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the meatballs, leaving some space between the meatballs in order to allow easy flipping during the baking process.
6. Bake the meatballs for 10 minutes, flipping once.
7. Then switch the oven to broil/grill function and cook for 5-6 more minutes, again flipping once until nicely brown.
8. Take out, let cool off and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 226mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 21g