Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Orzo Recipe

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These Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Orzo taste like if Spaghetti Night wasn’t a desperate cry for more time in your life. Time to play with spices. Time to gussy up your red sauce. Time to pick out the perfect wine. ChatGPT, tell me when humanity’s sense of purpose will actually benefit from innovation. It’s been like 115 years since the first Model T and somehow we all have less time and less direction. No, I didn’t ask you what a mid-life crisis is. I’m just saying the 40-hour workweek is antiquated. Productivity has skyrocketed. Can’t we have a little bit of that time back to ourselves? ChatGPT, write a song about Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Orzo. “In the heart of the kitchen, where flavors ignite, / We’re cooking up a feast, a savory delight, / With lamb meatballs that sizzle, and orzo so divine, / A culinary masterpiece, we’re gonna make it shine.” ChatGPT, you have the entire internet to scrape inspiration from and that’s the best you can do? Well, I guess won’t be able to quit my job as a jingle writer for Golden Corral anytime soon.

PREP TIME

20 mins

COOK TIME

1 hr

SERVINGS

4-5

Ingredients

  • 6 red bell peppers
  • 5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 onion, minced & divided
  • 1 head garlic, finely minced & divided
  • 30 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken broth (add more if needed)
  • 1 Tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp sumac
  • 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • Feta cheese, crumbled for garnish
  • Parsley, chopped for garnish

Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Orzo on a black plate with red bell peppers in the background

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Orzo

  1. Set oven to broil on high. Arrange bell peppers on foil-lined baking sheet. Broil for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until each is well-charred.
  2. Remove from oven and place in covered bowl for at least 30 mins.
  3. Deseed peppers and set aside.
  4. Add 1 Tbsp oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute). Remove mixture from pan and divide in half, 1/2 for the meatballs and 1/2 for the roasted red pepper sauce.
  5. Add 1/2 of onion/garlic mixture, red pepper, and tomatoes to blender. Blend until smooth.
  6. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add 2 Tbsp oil, pepper/tomato mixture, broth, oregano, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer. Add orzo. Bring back to simmer. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes or until orzo is fully cooked.
  7. While orzo is cooking: In a large bowl, add other 1/2 of onion/garlic mixture, lamb, cumin, sumac, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, egg, and milk. Using your hand mix ingredients until well-combined. Be sure not to overwork the meat, as you’ll end up with a tougher meatball (not tender and juicy). Working one at a time, roll mixture into balls that are a little smaller than a golf ball. Set aside.
  8. In a large pan over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp oil. Working in batches without overcrowding the pan, brown meatballs on all sides. About 4-5 minutes.
  9. To serve, add orzo/sauce to plate, top with meatballs, then garnish with feta and parsley. Enjoy!

PAIRINGS:
Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Orzo

Syrah

Doppelbock

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