HARISSA MEATBALLS WITH WHIPPED FETA

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Let me tell you all about it.
I first saw this whole recipe pop up on Pinch of Yum and I knew I had to make it ASAP.

A few things that immediately caught my eye… frozen meatballs (yes), hummus (something I don’t have to make but is so delicious and “healthy”), roasted peppers (I don’t love a lot of veggies but I do love soft sweet roasted mini peppers!) and a whipped garlic feta that is literally three ingredients (how could I say no?!).

It doesn’t get any easier than a freezer meal these days.
And that’s just the truth when you have an 8 month baby who eats all day long and barely naps!

But when you get to inject flavor into that freezer meal and pair it with a homemade dip, it’s no longer just.a.freezer.meal. You’ve basically leveled up your night and made something gourmet!

Pat yourself on the back girlfriend (or boyfriend!) because dinner is served.

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Slightly spicy lemony juicy baked meatballs with soft sweet roasted peppers paired with hummus, whipped garlic feta on toasted pita drizzled with olive oil and a fresh lemon wedge all wrapped up in one big bowl!

And mostly made on one pan!! Let’s all clap for this recipe!

Another great thing about this recipe is that it makes enough for leftovers.

Let me tell you a quick story…

I used to absolutely hate leftovers and refuse to eat them, ever. Then I became a Mom. And LOLZ that changed real quickly. Now I meal plan and only make things that have leftovers because time is a luxury and at the end of the day I don’t have energy to make something new every single night.

And the BEST PART about these leftovers is they don’t taste like leftovers. It’s like a magic trick. Just reheat the meatballs and peppers and everything else is like new- hummus, whipped garlic feta, and toasted pita. SIGN ME UP!

HARISSA MEATBALLS WITH WHIPPED GARLIC FETA

Print Recipe

Course Main Course

Ingredients

MEATBALLS/BOWL

• 2.5 TABLESPOONS HARISSA PASTE TRADER JOE'S
• 2.5 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL EXTRA VIRGIN
• 1 TABLESPOON FRESH LEMON JUICE
• 32 OUNCES FROZEN ORIGINAL MEATBALLS ALDI
• 8 MINI MIXED SWEET BELL PEPPERS OR 2 REGULAR SIZED PEPPERS, THINLY SLICED
• 1/2 TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER
• TRADITIONAL FLAVORED HUMMUS
• OLIVE OIL FOR GARNISH
• FRESH LEMON WEDGES FOR GARNISH
• DRIED PARSLEY FOR GARNISH
• MEDITERRANEAN PITAS

WHIPPED GARLIC FETA

• 6 OZ FETA BLOCK NOT CRUMBLED FETA
• 1 LARGE GARLIC CLOVE
• 2 OUNCES CREAM CHEESE SOFTENED

Instructions

• PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES F.
• ON A LARGE BAKING SHEET PLACE SLICED PEPPERS ON 1/3 OF THE TRAY. DRIZZLE WITH SOME OLIVE OIL & SALT TO TASTE. TOSS UNTIL COATED AND PLACE BACK IN ONE LAYER ON 1/3 OF THE TRAY.
• COMBINE HARISSA PASTE, OLIVE OIL, LEMON JUICE, AND GARLIC POWDER IN A LARGE BOWL. TOSS IN FROZEN MEATBALLS UNTIL WELL COATED.
• PLACE MEATBALLS ON 2/3 OF THE SAME TRAY AS THE PEPPERS IN A SINGLE LAYER. BAKE FOR 25 MINUTES. BROIL 3 MINUTES BUT WATCH THEY DON'T BURN.
• WHILE BAKING THE SHEET TRAY MAKE THE GARLIC WHIPPED FETA.

GARLIC WHIPPED FETA:

• IN A BLENDER OR FOOD PROCESSOR COMBINE FETA, CREAM CHEESE, AND GARLIC CLOVE.
• BLEND UNTIL COMPLETELY SMOOTH AND "WHIPPED".
• PLATE HUMMUS, GARLIC WHIPPED FETA, MEATBALLS, PITA WEDGES, AND ROASTED PEPPERS.
• TO GARNISH DRIZZLE WITH OLIVE OIL AND A LEMON WEDGE. SPRINKLE WITH DRIED PARSLEY.

Notes

AUTHOR: PINCH OF YUM

Oh and try not to eat the whipped garlic feta by the spoonful, it’s superb on every thing and has the most wonderful texture.

Much love,