One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes

One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes mains These potatoes are super buttery tender cooked in an herby lemony olive oil dressing plus the flavor from the meatballs/beef patties. The biftekia/Greek homemade Meatballs are so tender and so flavourful thanks to the spices and herbs in them Classic Greek Recipes, Greek Potatoes, Greek Meatballs One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes Greek, one pot meals

This one pan or one-pot Greek Meatballs and lemon potatoes dish is literally a family favourites. Greek traditional biftekia me patates/oven roasted lemon potatoes and burgers is one of the most delicious, comforting meals found in every Greek home. The potatoes are super buttery tender cooked in an herby lemony olive oil dressing plus the flavor from the meatballs/beef patties. The biftekia/ Greek homemade Meatballs are so tender and so flavourful thanks to the spices and herbs in them. This dish is a great stand alone meal but even better when served with a side salad - perhaps my Greek Horiatiki Salad or my Classic Greek Lettuce Salad (Maroulosalata). Finish off the dish with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and serve garnished with lemon slices, chopped fresh herbs and crumbled feta and enjoy!

One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes

Why You Will Love This Greek Meatballs and Potatoes Recipe

  • A dish packed with sooo much flavor
  • Soft, buttery and tender potatoes in the middle/inside, juicy meatballs
  • Recipe requires simple pantry ingredients
  • All you need is one dish
  • Easy to make
  • Quick to prepare
  • A family favorite
  • Perfect for entertaining

One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes

One Pan Meatballs and Potatoes Recipe Ingredients

  • GROUND BEEF: I use lean ground beef for this recipe but many love to make this recipe with half beef half pork for even more flavor. Traditionally this baked meatball recipe is made with beef but if you prefer to make them with ground turkey you can.
  • MILK: I recommend using whole milk instead of water to soak the breadcrumbs, as whole milk adds more flavor and rich moisture than using plain water. It also helps keep the beef tender. You can substitute with water or broth though.
  • RED WINE VINEGAR: Adds moisture and flavor to the meatballs.
  • EGGS: 2 eggs help to bind the meat mixture together.
  • SHALLOTS & GARLIC: These add flavor to the meatballs and moisture as well.
  • TOMATO: I like to add a Roma tomato to the beef mixture (my mom always adds it to the mix for extra moisture)
  • FRESH HERBS: I like to use fresh parsley and fresh mint but if you prefer one over the other feel free to use it alone or a combination.
  • BREADCRUMBS: Breadcrumbs help to bind the meatballs together. I like to use regular plain unseasoned breadcrumbs. Feel free to use gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed.
  • POTATOES: I almost always use Yukon gold potatoes or yellow potatoes. I always peel my potatoes but that is technically optional. I use to use russet potatoes which are starchier potatoes for this recipe and you can but I find they can be a bit inconsistent in the way they absorb all the liquids so I stick to medium size Yukon gold potatoes.
  • LEMONS: Fresh lemon juice is the only way to go here for best flavor. You will need 2-3 lemons for this recipe.
  • OLIVE OIL: I use Extra virgin olive oil - Greek if possible. The golden ratio after testing this recipe so many times in ½ cup. If you know Greeks - you know we love our olive oil. If you want to reduce this amount - make sure to replace equal amount with broth or water, but the olive oil not only adds flavour and richness to this dish but makes for an incredible pan sauce so I strongly recommend not skimping out on the olive oil.
  • DRIED HERBS & SPICES: Dried Greek oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, ground cinnamon and red pepper flakes is what I use when it comes to dry herbs and spices for this recipe - including salt and pepper of course. Adjust amounts to taste.
  • BROTH: I usually use chicken broth or chicken stock but you can definitely use water or vegetable stock in it’s place as well
  • MUSTARD: Mustard adds so much flavor. It is optional but I think it adds the perfect tangy savory umami’ish flavor to the braising liquid. I typically use regular prepared yellow mustard but feel free to use dijon mustard for an even stronger kick of flavor. Some recipe call for adding up to ¼ cup of it but I find 1-2 tablespoons enough but feel free to adjust amounts to taste.
  • CHICKEN BOUILLON: Also optional but really and truly this is the ingredient that really gives you that restaurant quality flavor in your potatoes - they use it always in Greek potatoes and also Greek Restaurant rice too. A little goes a long way but I always include it!

One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes

One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes

How To Make One Pan Greek Meatballs and Potatoes

It doesn’t not get easier than this - that is why I love this recipe! Here are the basic steps - full instructions below in recipe card:

  1. PREPARE MARINADE/SAUCE: Whisk together the marinade ingredients to combine
  2. PREPARE POTATOES: Peel and slice potatoes into wedges, place into roasting pan and toss with broth and ¾ of the sauce. (reserve remaining sauce to drizzle over meatballs)
  3. ROAST POTATOES: The potatoes take a lot longer to cook so we bake those off while we make the meatballs - they get a head start in the oven uncovered.
  4. PREPARE MEATBALLS: Chop up the fresh herbs with onion, garlic and tomato (I like to use a mini chopper), in a large mixing bowl make panade (breadcrumbs moistened with the milk and red wine vinegar) then add the beef, whisked eggs, herb mixture and remaining dry herbs and spices. Use hands to mix/ stir really well. Shape in to 8 large meatballs.
  5. ROAST MEATBALLS WITH POTATOES: Carefully remove potatoes from oven and place meatballs over or nestled between potatoes. Drizzle or brush remaining marinade over them. Return to oven and continue to bake until golden brown and cooked through.
  6. SERVE: Let rest a few minutes then serve with extra lemon juice, sprinkle with extra chopped fresh herbs and crumbled feta cheese

One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes

Can I Make Any Of This Recipe Ahead of Time?

Yes I would say the meatball or ground beef mixture can be made ahead of time. Here is the breakdown:

  • Refrigerate RAW meatball mixture: You can refrigerate raw meatball mixture overnight in an airtight container and shape meatballs and cook the next day.
  • Freeze RAW meatball mixture: You can freeze the raw mixture for up to 3 months. To do this, form the meatballs and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Flash freeze the meatballs until they are firm. Then, transfer the frozen meatballs to an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature then use in the recipe.

One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes

More Recipes You Will Love:

Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15-20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 35 mins

Ingredients

For the Potatoes

  • 3 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes washed, peeled cut in half lengthwise and then sliced into wedges
  • ¼ cup broth or water

For the Marinade

  • ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅓ cup of lemon juice (approx juice from two lemons)
  • 1 tablespoon dry oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1-1½ teaspoons of sea salt (add more to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon of mustard (Dijon or yellow prepared mustard)
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

For the Meatballs/Biftekia

  • 2 lb lean ground Beef or mixed Beef and Pork
  • ½ cup whole milk (broth or water)
  • ½ cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 Roma tomato, rough chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 shallots, peeled and rough chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and rough chopped
  • 2 large Eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup mixed fresh herbs (I always use parsley and mint), chopped
  • 1½-2 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F
  2. In a measuring cup or small bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.
  3. In a large baking dish toss potatoes with ¾ of the marinade plus ¼ cup of broth.
  4. Transfer baking dish to preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes
  5. In the meantime prepare the meatballs/biftekia. In a food processor or mini chopper blend the chopped herbs, shallots, garlic, tomato, until finely chopped (alternatively you can use a knife to finely mince everything).
  6. In a large bowl toss the bread crumbs with milk (broth or water), and red wine vinegar and let it soak. To this mixture, add the ground beef, eggs, herb mixture, and the remaining dried herbs and spices. Mix very well with your hands until all of the ingredients are completely combined and the mixture is smooth. (At this point you can cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour or even overnight if making ahead)
  7. Portion out large portions (8 in total) roll into meatballs then press the sides into oblong shaped meatballs that taper in at the ends or leave them as round larger thicker patties like I did.
  8. After 40 minutes remove pan from oven carefully with oven gloves and shake it a little to loosen and toss the potatoes.
  9. Place the meatballs over the potatoes or nestled in between them carefully. Drizzle or brush remaining marinade over the meatballs.
  10. Return pan back to oven and continue to roast for another 30-40 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through - feel free to flip them half way or broil them for the last couple of minutes. (I usually don’t flip them)

Recipe Notes

  • Meatballs can leave residue when baked due to excess fat and moisture being released during cooking. This is totally normal and you may get some of it transferred to your potatoes or pan - just like you would if you were to bake them on a sheet pan. I am not bothered by this at all but if you are prefer you can heat a little olive oil into a large skillet and quickly pan sear the meatballs just until seared on the outside, not cooked through. This will help draw out a lot of the excess fat. Keep in mind that you may not need to roast them for as long so tack on 5-10 minutes extra on the potatoes before adding the meatballs to pan. I usually avoid doing this just because I’m usually rushing and want a quick one pan version. But I leave that up to your taste.
  • Some like to add a tiny knob of butter over each meatball after drizzling over the remaining marinade - to add flair but to help the meatballs stay tender and make them golden in colour. I usually don’t cause I think there is enough oil in this dish and these meatballs stay really nice and moist without it.
  • For my tomato sauce based biftekia or Greek Soutzoukakia check out this recipe. I am working on the red sauce biftekia with potatoes recipe and will be sharing it shortly too.

One Pan Greek Meatballs and Lemon Potatoes