Lemon-Dill Meatballs With Orzo

Name: Lemon-Dill Meatballs With Orzo
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups loosely packed chopped dill (about 3 ounces), plus more for serving; 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt; 1 large garlic clove, finely grated; 1 lemon, zested and halved; 1 pound ground turkey or chicken; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional); Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 cup orzo; 3 anchovy fillets; 4 cups chopped escarole, spinach, mustard greens or baby kale (about 3 ounces)

By Ali Slagle

Published April 20, 2023

Lemon-Dill Meatballs With Orzo — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist; Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgepeth.

Total Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 4(1,806)
Comments: Read comments

With nutty orzo, tender meatballs, bitter greens and spoonfuls of herby yogurt, this Mediterranean-inspired skillet dinner is hearty yet light. There’s an incredible amount of dill, but don’t bother plucking fronds from the stems. Instead, chop the whole plant until you hit the roots; the stems are crunchy and flavorful. While the fennel seeds are optional, their anise flavor is reminiscent of tarragon, so alongside the orzo’s anchovies and the herb yogurt, you might be reminded of green goddess dressing. Instead of orzo, try rice or pearl couscous, and add liquid as needed until tender.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1½cups loosely packed chopped dill (about 3 ounces), plus more for serving
1cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1large garlic clove, finely grated
1lemon, zested and halved
1pound ground turkey or chicken
1teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
2tablespoons unsalted butter
1cup orzo
3anchovy fillets
4cups chopped escarole, spinach, mustard greens or baby kale (about 3 ounces)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a medium bowl, stir together the dill, yogurt, garlic and lemon zest. Transfer ½ cup of the yogurt to a large bowl, along with the ground turkey, fennel seeds (if using) and 1 teaspoon salt; mix lightly with your hands to combine. Roll into 12 meatballs about 3 tablespoons each and refrigerate until Step 3. (You can also make the meatballs ahead and refrigerate for up to an hour ahead.)
Step 2
To the remaining yogurt in the medium bowl, squeeze in the juice from the lemon, then season to taste with salt until flavorful and slightly puckery. Set aside.
Step 3
In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium. Add the orzo, anchovies and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper; stir until the orzo is golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Add 2½ cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to a simmer over medium-low, then add the meatballs in a single layer. Cover and cook without stirring until the orzo is tender and the meatballs are cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes.
Step 4
Turn off the heat, add the escarole on top and season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and let sit until the greens are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste the orzo and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a spoonful of the yogurt, plus more dill and black pepper.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,806 user ratings

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Comments

KW2 years ago

I used lamb instead of turkey because ground turkey has no taste. I think next time I’ll add some breadcrumbs to hold in moisture. With just yogurt and meat, the balls ended up rather dry. I might brown the balls first and then toast the orzo in lamb fat. I also ended up with a bunch of liquid leftover even after the orzo was tender, so I strained the liquid off and put it back in the pan alone to reduce into a delicious, syrupy lamb glaze and stirred the balls and orzo back in.

Colleen2 years ago

Made using the modifications read in the comments. Added 1/2 c. Panko to meatballs, cut water back to 1 3/4 cups. It turned out well, and the whole family gave it 5 stars.

Yana2 years ago

This had such an interesting mix of flavors. I modified the dish a bit. I cooked the orzo separately from the meatballs. I seared the meatballs to give them a nice crust. After meatballs and orzo were done, I combined them and added another squeezed lemon because the dish needed more acid. To give it color, I seared cherry tomatoes separately and added them to the mix. Overall, the dish had a nice herbal lemony salty fishy vibe with flavors I wouldn't find together in such pronounced ways.

Jo4 days ago

Panko etc to meatballs. I used homemade bread crumbs from a loaf of bread I made. Used 2% plain yogurt. Brown meatballs in evoo. Put in oven to finish. Cook orzo as instructed in same skillet but use chicken broth, pref homemade. Orzo needed more salt. Maybe not quite that much dill overall. Delicious!

LT6 days ago

Didn’t have enough dill so used a mix of dill and cilantro. Delicious. Fennel seeds are a must.

Es1 month ago

Very tasty. I used labne so perhaps it's a bit thicker than yogurt but certainly not by much. When you go to roll out the meatballs wet your hands with cold water. Do it as often as you need to in the course of making 12 balls. I put them on a plastic cutting board and put the board into the refrigerator, for about 3 hours. The rest was easy. They cooked through in the broth, didn't need browning, and really were delicious. The sauce is good but not necessary. A lovely dinner with a light salad.

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