Fast, flavoursome, healthy meals are important to me as a mum of 3 and busy Nutritionist, so having my version of ‘convenience food’ on hand like Cleaver’s Organic Beef Meatballs is a no-brainer. It took that extra step out of this incredibly delicious meal that honestly tasted like a lot more effort had gone into it than it actually had – what a win!
Cleaver’s Organic Beef Meatballs are made with organic ingredients. The beef is 100% certified organic, grass fed and finished in Australia and without added antibiotics, hormones and chemicals. They’re versatile (case in point!) and tasty, the whole family loves them. I buy them at the supermarket.
This combo with the vegetables, orzo and whipped feta was truly amazing.
GREEK INSPIRED MEATBALLS WITH WHIPPED FETA AND HERB ORZO
Serves 4-6
2 packs Cleaver’s Organic Beef Meatballs
1 large (250g) red capsicum, seeds removed, sliced into 2cm wide pieces
1 large (250g) green capsicum, seeds removed, sliced into 2cm wide pieces
2x 200g punnets cherry or solanto tomatoes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra for risoni
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 large red onion, sliced into 6ths
1 cup orzo or risoni
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lemon
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
Whipped Feta:
2x 160g packs Greek Feta
200g Greek Yoghurt
Juice of 1 lemon (approx 4 tbsp juice)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ – 1 clove garlic, minced
Black pepper
Heat oven to 200C. Take Cleaver’s Organic Beef Meatballs out of the fridge and bring them to room temperature whilst preparing and cooking the ingredients for the meal. Add red and green capsicum and cherry tomatoes to a large sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with 3 tsp dried oregano, toss to coat. Add the onion to the pan and gently coat each cut side with olive oil from the pan. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Whilst they are cooking, bring a big pot of water to the boil and cook orzo/risoni until al dente. Drain and set aside to stay warm. Finely slice half the bunch of parsley and set aside. After the vegetable’s initial cooking time, it’s time to add the Cleaver’s Organic Beef Meatballs to the pan. Pop them into the gaps between the vegetables or gently push vegetables aside to make some room for them, drizzle with a touch more oil and sprinkle with remaining 1-2 tsp dried oregano. Lower the heat to 190C and place vegetables and meatballs back into the oven to cook for 12 minutes. Make the whipped feta by adding all ingredients to a food processor and blitzing until smooth and creamy. Take the meatballs and vegetables out of the oven. Add the chopped parsley to the orzo/risoni with some extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, about 1 tsp lemon zest and a big squeeze of lemon juice and toss. Pick the remaining parsley leaves and sprinkle them over the pan with the meatballs and vegetables. Drizzle a touch of red wine vinegar over the tray, add the kalamata olives, then toss all the ingredients gently together. To serve, spoon the whipped feta onto the base of a shallow bowl or plate (a few generous dollops per person is just about perfect), and spread around the plate or bowl. Top with herb orzo/risoni and finish with the vegetables and meatballs. Give the meal another grate of lemon zest over the top and a big squeeze of fresh lemon. Season with black pepper and tuck in!
*This is a partnered post with Cleaver’s Organic Meat, all thoughts and opinions expressed are the author’s own*
