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Prep time
quarter-hour -
Cook time
forty five minutes -
Serves
4-6
Author Notes
It took me a whereas to treasure the smartly to set, nearly grassy taste of lamb, but cooking with ground lamb is a style out. Don’t be intimidated! It moderately noteworthy behaves correct love beef. These meatballs have a taste each and each deep and incandescent, but also with a number of zip from current lemon zest and crumbled feta. Our accurate Dutch oven lets us cook dinner each and each the meatballs and the orzo straight away, and the resulting dish is creamy, meaty, and richly kindly. —Molly Gilbert
Ingredients
1 1/2 kilos
ground lamb
9 oz
frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2
medium purple onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup
feta cheese, plus extra for topping
1
egg, crushed
1/2 cup
Italian-style bread crumbs
2
cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1 teaspoon
grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
1 teaspoon
ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups
orzo
3 cups
low-sodium rooster broth
2 tablespoons
chopped current mint
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack within the guts save.
- In a astronomical bowl, gently combine the lamb, spinach, onion, feta cheese, egg, bread crumbs, garlic, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the salt, and pepper till smartly mixed. Make the mixture into 1½-coast meatballs, being careful no longer to squeeze the mixture too vigorously (working gently ensures gentle meatballs).
- Warmth the final 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium (5- to 6-quart) Dutch oven over medium-excessive warmth. When the oil is vivid, add the meatballs and cook dinner, turning, till browned all the diagram in which thru, about 10 minutes. Clutch and save apart on a plate to leisure.
- Add the orzo to the Dutch oven and scurry to coat with the oils within the pan. Hump within the broth, then return the meatballs to the pan.
- Duvet the pot and bake till the orzo has absorbed most of the liquid and a thermometer inserted into basically the most spirited meatball reads 160°F, about Half-hour. Affirm and proceed baking till the orzo is fully gentle, about 10 minutes. If it doesn’t design love the liquid is totally absorbed but the orzo is smartly achieved, give the pot a delicate scurry to incorporate the liquid.
- Reduction warmth, topped with some feta and the mint.
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FUN HACK! MEATBALL SHORTCUT
I’ve incorporated instructions to brown the meatballs first, sooner than collectively with the orzo, because I love the darkish coloration and caramelized taste it imparts, but at the same time as you’re short on time (or persistence), that you would possibly per chance well per chance certainly skip this step—correct add the uncooked meatballs to the orzo without delay after collectively with the rooster broth, then proceed with the recipe as written.
