Greek Meatballs and Orzo Skillet is the perfect easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love. Hearty, healthy and full of fresh Greek flavors!
Thanks to my friends at Pacific Foods for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own.
If you love Greek food and are a fan of meals that cook in one skillet, then you’ll love this Greek Meatballs and Orzo Skillet! This recipe checks the boxes for three of my favorite foods. Greek food is my favorite cuisine and I’ve got plenty of recipes on the blog to prove it. You should definitely check out this Greek Orzo Salad and these Greek Chicken Tacos.
Meatballs are another food that I’m fond of. They’re so comforting and there’s endless ways to flavor and serve them. These Greek meatballs use the same ingredients as my recipe for Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce, with the exception that I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. Orzo is the third favorite of mine. I love its shape, texture and that it doesn’t feel as heavy compared to eating a plate of spaghetti.
Ingredients Needed to Make Greek Meatballs and Orzo Skillet
- Ground turkey
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Fresh flat leaf parsley and Dill
- Onion and garlic
- Lemon
- Egg
- Dried oregano, coriander, cumin, cinnamon
- Feta cheese
- Orzo
- Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- Roasted red peppers
- Kalamata olives
How to Make Greek Meatballs and Orzo Skillet
- Start by mixing all of the meatball ingredients together in a mixing bowl. I like to use my hands so that everything gets combined without over mixing them. Over mixing results in tough meatballs. Scoop the mixture out with a cookie scoop or tablespoon and roll it into a ball. Place the meatballs onto a plate.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat along with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook them for approximately 8-10 minutes turning them often for even browning. While the meatballs cook wash the plate. Place the cooked meatballs back onto the plate and cover with a piece of foil to keep them warm.
- Wipe out the skillet if needed then add in a little more olive oil, garlic and the orzo. Stir and toast the orzo for about a minute and then add in the chicken broth, roasted red peppers and lemon juice. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat and continue to cook until the orzo is tender. You’ll want to stir often to keep the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
- When the orzo is cooked, stir in the kalamata olives and fresh herbs. Place the meatballs on top of the orzo and sprinkle in feta and extra herbs.
Do I Need to Drain the Orzo When It’s Finished Cooking?
The best part about this skillet recipe is that you don’t have to cook the orzo in a separate pot, drain it and put it back in another pan. The amount of Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth used in this recipe is just enough so that the orzo absorbs all of it during the cooking process. I chose to use chicken broth because it adds a lot more flavor then if you were to just use water.
I went with low sodium because I like to control the amount of salt being used in my recipes. Since the addition of kalamata olives and feta cheese will add even more salt to the dish, this was especially important.
Do I Have to Use Ground Turkey for the Meatballs?
No. Ground chicken, beef or even lamb can be used in place of ground turkey. I’ve made these meatballs successfully with ground chicken, beef and turkey. I do recommend that if you’re using ground turkey or chicken that you not use the 99% lean ground meat. Meatballs taste and have the best texture when there’s some fat in them. I usually use 93% lean for turkey and chicken and 90% lean for beef.
Greek Meatballs and Orzo Skillet
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons grated onion
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- Zest of a lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Orzo
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 2 1/2 cups Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- Extra feta cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Add all of the meatball ingredients to a mixing bowl and use your hands to combine the ingredients being careful not to over mix. Coat your hands with a bit of oil and scoop out approximately a tablespoon size amount of the meat and roll it into a ball. Place the meatballs onto a plate.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat along with a tablespoon of olive oil. When the skillet is hot swirl the oil to coat the bottom of it. Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook them for approximately 8-10 minutes turning them often for even browning. While the meatballs cook wash the plate. Place the cooked meatballs back onto the plate and cover with a piece of foil to keep them warm.
- Wipe out the skillet if needed, then over medium heat add in 2 teaspoons of olive oil, garlic and the orzo. Stir together and toast the orzo for about a minute. Pour in the chicken broth, roasted red peppers and lemon juice. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil.
- Cook until the orzo is tender, about 7-8 minutes. Stir the orzo often to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. When the orzo is tender, stir in the kalamata olives and fresh herbs. Place the meatballs on top of the orzo and sprinkle in feta and extra herbs.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
5Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 455Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 310mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 42g
Would they turn out okay if I omit the feta in the meatballs? If not, are there any substitutions that aren’t cheese? Thank you in advance.
Absolutely perfect! Used ground chicken breast and they came out well. Loved the melding of all the flavors. Will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’ve made this several times now and it’s a hit every time! I bake the meatballs because I’m lazy 😂 and they’re still delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
can you make this ahead and reheat
Absolutely!
OMG insanely good!!!! Huge win and in the dinner rotation!
Absolutely delicious! My meatballs completely fell apart so it was more of a ground beef skillet but the flavor profile was out of this world!
Wow!!! This was so good! AND one pot?! You just can’t beat that! I’ve never made anything like this before. My meatballs were very fragile and I had a hard time flipping them, but they were still delicious. I topped this with some cherry tomatoes and a little tzatziki because why not?! I will most definitely be making this dish again and again. Thank you!!
This is so delicious! I threw in several handfuls of spinach too as I’m trying to eat more vegetables. So good. Your recipes are awesome. So glad I found you.
Can you use ground beef for the meatballs?
Absolutely!
Wow! I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this recipe was. I didn’t add the olives because I don’t like them, but otherwise I followed the exact recipe. Loved how quick and easy it was to make. Definitely adding it to my rotation!
Happy to read that it made it into your dinner rotation!
Can you bake the meatballs?
Absolutely. Just add them in with the cooked orzo after baking.
My meatballs did not stick together so it was ground turkey. And 2.5 cups and lemon juice was so much liquid I had to drain the orzo. Not sure what happened
It sounds like you need your pans hotter. A hotter meatball pan will allow the meatballs to form a crust to stick together. A hotter orzo pan will allow the liquid to boil down. Just make sure to keep stirring to avoid the orzo from sticking to the bottom.
This dish was delicious! I will definitely make again!
I’m glad you liked it Jayne!
Hi I have made this before and it is FABULOUS! My entire family loved it! I am planning to make it again for dinner tonight, but I have to do some things ahead of time. Will the meatball mixture be okay mixed and fridgerated for a couple of hour before putting it in the oven? Thank you!
Yes, you can definitely make the meatball mixture a couple hours in advance and refrigerate it.
This was the best recipe I have eaten in ages. I would never substitute store meatballs it would sacrifice all the blend of herbs and flavors. The only thing I might do differently is air fry the meatballs.
I’m so glad you liked the meatballs Kathy! Thanks for much for trying the recipe.
This dish was so good! My husband and I both loved it! I made tzatziki sauce to have with it and mini pitas, to scoop up bits of everything! Will definitely make again!
I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband liked it Laurie. Thanks for trying it out!