I thought about making this post into two separate posts, but I would be a horrible friend if I did that because these two amazing things together =💥❤️😱!!!!
Seriously, though, each of these are epic enough to live life on their own. But the combination of the two is absolutely heavenly! If you’ve never made a quinoa salad before, welcome to my newest obsession! They’ve been around for 100,000,000,000 years, but apparently it’s a new discovery in my little food world. I used to hate salads (back when I ate boring plain lettuce with like 3 veggies and preservative-filled dressing in a bottle), but lately my salad game has grown and I’ve been in LOVE! If you’re skeptical, I have found that the trick is using a good dressing (like olive oil and lemon, or this delicious Vegan Turmeric Ginger Dressing) and making a salad that’s actually creative! Heeeeey delicious Cherry Plum & Goat Cheese Summer Salad. SO good.
And in this case, the pairing of quinoa (—>LOVE this quinoa!), cucumbers, grape tomatoes, red onions, and feta make for one of the best salads on the planet!
Mediterranean Salad Bowls + Lebanese BBQ Meatballs = The BEST easy dinner!
This is actually a really great recipe to make if you’re having people over. It’s easy to multiply and make in bulk! Or you can freeze the meatballs and have them around for later!
Now, I don’t do red meat very often, but about once a week my body just craves it. Like GIMME A BURGER NOW PLEASE AND THANK YOU. Sometimes I cave in for that delicious burger, but today I’m going the Lebanese BBQ Meatballs route!
How do I even begin to describe these delicious little rounds of glory? Think every happy thought ever, and put it into this single food item. AMAZING, y’all!
Here’s the easy recipe for Mediterranean Salad Bowls w/ Lebanese BBQ Meatballs:
Mediterranean Salad Bowls w/ Lebanese BBQ Meatballs
Ingredients
- Salad:
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 2 large cucumbers
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced red onion
- Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 lbs lean (organic, grass-fed beef)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 4 tsp mint
- 4 tsp parsley
- 3 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp allspice
- salt/pepper
Instructions
- Create the meatballs by mixing the meat, all of the spices, and red onion together. Roll the meat into 1" balls and place on skewers that have been soaked in water.
- Place each skewer on a lightly oiled baking pan.
- Broil at 500 degrees (keeping the oven door open about 2") for 5-7 minutes, then rotate each skewer and continue broiling for another 5-7 minutes. Ensure that beef is fully cooked.
- While the meatballs are cooking, cook the quinoa according to directions.
- Slice the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado.
- Toss the vegetables, quinoa, and feta together in a large bowl to create the salad.
- Serve each bowl by adding 1/4th of the salad and topping with meatballs. Enjoy!
Sumner L. says:
These meatballs were excellent. My first batch I decided to fry in a skillet and I don’t recommend doing this! The oven is definitely the way to go. I follow a Low Fodmap diet so I was able to omit onion and they were still great. The meatballs along with the other flavors from the salad are really a wonderful combo of flavors.
Thanks and I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Jeannette Swindler says:
Husband and I made this for dinner tonight. I added garlic salt and fresh lemon juice to the salad before adding meatballs. It was fantastic. Husband commented on Facebook about the great meal when he was only 1/2 done eating!
JoAnn Duckworth says:
Made the meatballs for gluten free,dairy free granddaughter.
Do you dress the vegetables with anything?
Christine McMichael replied:
So glad to hear that! I did not add a dressing as I felt the quinoa, feta, and avocado added enough flavor and texture. However, feel free to play around with adding different dressings!
Dominique says:
Do you recommend using fresh or dried mint and parsley?
Christine McMichael replied:
It is dried, but fresh is always welcome, too!
kristi says:
i have never posted a comment on a recipe i found online, but the seasoning in these meatballs was amazing. It looked so good, i went ahead and made a double recipe and froze the rest for another night! thank you and i will be following your recipes for more awesome stuff!
Christine McMichael replied:
I am so glad to hear that, Kristi! 🙂
Leslie Haasch says:
Those meatballs looks so good – my mouth is watering!
Christine McMichael replied:
Thank you, Leslie!
Matt Kearns says:
Love me some healthy meatballs! These look awesome!
Christine McMichael replied:
Me too! So good!