Quick And Easy Greek Salad With Lamb Meatballs

Topped with lamb meatballs, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and pickled peppers, this greek salad is perfect for a quick and healthy meal.

Anyone with kids knows how busy life can get especially in the afternoons. This can can often leave little time for dinner prep. As a busy mom, I have learned that doesn’t mean that we have to compromise when it comes to eating nutritious meals. That’s why I love making a big batch of greek lamb meatballs to store in the freezer that I can use in a variety of quick and easy meals.

This greek salad with lamb meatballs is one of my favorite ways to use frozen lamb meatballs. Not only is it a quick and easy meal, but it is also good for my family. By the time I heat up the meatballs, I can have the rest of the salad ready to go.

If you are looking for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner idea to add to your regular meal rotation, this greek salad with lamb meatballs just might be it.

I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!

Ideas For Serving

This recipe is my go to basic greek salad recipe when I am trying to get dinner on the table in minutes. However, there are a ton of ways to take it to the next level with a little extra time. If you have a few extra minutes, try some of the following ideas below for serving.

• Top with avocado
• Top with fresh air fried french fries
• Add crumbled feta
• Roast seasoned zucchini or eggplant to add to the salad
• Add some roasted red peppers
• Add plain quinoa or quinoa mixed with basil or mint pesto to help bulk up the meal
• Use cooked chickpeas for more protein

Is Store Bought Or Homemade Salad Dressing Best?

I love eating salads not only because I find them to be delicious, but they are also a great way to get a ton of nutritious veggies and greens into my diet. Salads are also often an easy go to for people that want to start making better choices when it comes to their diet. That’s why I get a bit annoyed with many dressing companies because they know people are consuming salads for their health yet they put a ton of ingredients in store bought salad dressings that are not good for us.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients found in your average store bought salad dressing? If not, you may be surprised at what is lurking inside. Aside from the the oils commonly used which not only contain GMOs but are also known to cause inflammation like canola and soybean oil, there are also a ton of other ingredients most of us don’t want to be consuming.

When researching a basic greek vinaigrette by a popular brand that someone might use for this salad, I wasn’t shocked when I saw a long list of unsavory ingredients.

The list of ingredients included:

• potassium sorbate
• sodium benzoate
• monosodium glutamate
• disodium inosinate
• disodium guanylate
• corn starch (which likely contains GMOs)
• EDTA

When consuming anything, the general rule of thumb should be that if it contains ingredients that you either can’t pronounce or know what it is then it is probably best to avoid consuming it. This dressing is full of ingredients that most people likely could not identify.

On the flip side, the few brands out there that actually contain solid ingredients are typically pretty pricey. That’s why our family stopped buying store bought salad dressing years ago and instead we stick with simple homemade dressings.

If you haven’t tried making your own, I hope you give it a try. Homemade dressing only takes a minute to make, it’s delicious, and best of all it doesn’t contain any questionable ingredients.

Ingredients

• large bowl of salad greens I love using a mix of salad greens fresh from the garden. If you don’t grow your own, check out a local farmer’s market for fresh salad greens.
• premade greek lamb meatballs These are so easy to make and freeze ahead to use in a variety of quick and easy meals.
• kalamata or spanish olives
• chopped tomatoes
• chopped cucumber
• pickled banana peppers Making your own pickled banana peppers is quick, easy, and fun to do. Check out the Pepper Geek for an easy recipe.
• red onion thinly sliced
• vinaigrette of choice I like to use a basic balsamic or a vinaigrette made with fresh lemon juice for this salad. For a basic balsamic vinaigrette mix 6 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey or pure maple syrup, salt and pepper, and fresh or dried herbs of your choice. For a basic lemon vinaigrette, use the same recipe but swap out the balsamic vinegar for fresh lemon juice.

How To Make

1. Fill a large bowl with a variety of salad greens.
2. Top with warm, greek lamb meatballs, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, pickled banana peppers, and spanish or kalamata olives.
3. Mix up a batch of homemade vinaigrette and drizzle on top.