Indulge in these Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta for a quick and satisfying SOS meal! A bowl filled with store-bought meatballs, bell peppers, zucchini, harissa, and creamy whipped feta. Delicious!
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Prepare to be amazed.
You’re in for a treat with a generous bowl featuring store-bought delights like hummus, olives, and pita bread, topped with flavorful meatballs coated in a speedy harissa, lemon, and olive oil mixture, roasted peppers and zucchini, and a tangy whipped garlicky feta to add a creamy kick to every bite.
It may sound fancy on paper, and trust me, every mouthful truly is a burst of flavors and deliciousness. But the reality is, almost everything can be store-bought, leaving you with just two tasks: roasting a sheet pan of meatballs and veggies, and whipping up a block of feta.
Everything You Need For This Bowl
Ingredients You Need To Make This Happen
Here’s a shortcut-friendly list of ingredients:
- meatballs
- harissa paste (usually found in jars in the “global foods” section of many grocery stores)
- bell peppers
- zucchini
- hummus
- pita
- feta
Assuming you have olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic…this bowl of goodness is all yours.
How To Put This Bowl Together
Essentially, the meatballs, peppers, and zucchini are roasted on one pan.
I know, ideally each veggie should be cooked to perfection on its own. If you’re particular about your zucchini, feel free to give it its own pan for optimal roasting. However, I found it most efficient (and absolutely delicious) to add the zucchini on the same pan – not for the entire time, but just for the final few minutes of roasting. If there’s an easy way to achieve the same delicious results, count me in. And in this case, everything-on-one-pan is the way to go.
Don’t Skip the Whipped Feta
The only other “active” cooking step here is blending a block of feta cheese in a food processor or mini chopper (I recommend this one) until it transforms into a creamy, spreadable delight that you might want to add to everything from now on.
This recipe, this blend of flavors, this textural delight? This is for those who enjoy bold flavors. Lots of color, a tangy kick, a salty touch, and a bit of heat from that harissa paste…more of everything, please.
When it comes to enjoying this dish, you can use a fork and knife, OR you can dive in with your soft pita, scoop up some hummus, top it with a meatball and veggies, and finish with a final dunk into that whipped feta to elevate your day. (I highly recommend it.)
Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta: Frequently Asked Questions
Any kind! I’ve tried pork, beef, chicken, and turkey meatballs – and I think veggie meatballs would also work really well as a vegetarian option! This recipe is very forgiving – it can work with meatballs that are pre-cooked, and I’ve also enjoyed this recipe with the pre-made, UNCOOKED meatballs that you can often buy in the meat department. For a specific brand, I really enjoyed these with the ALDI pre-made uncooked Italian style meatballs (I know, wrong flavor profile, but it worked just fine and the meatballs were amazing). I just brushed them with the harissa sauce before baking.
Sure can! These baked chicken meatballs are perfect in this recipe, and major bonus – they’re freezer-friendly if you wanted to prep these ahead of time. Doubling the recipe is not a bad idea!
It’s not terribly spicy, but harissa paste does pack some heat. I would rate it as mild+ or medium- level heat. I left a few meatballs un-sauced for my toddler just to make sure it wasn’t too spicy for her.
Chili oil or even sriracha could work here instead! Just adjust the amounts as necessary so that you don’t make it too spicy.
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Click here to watch step-by-step stories for how to make this recipe!
Source Notes: Harissa paste is “a Tunisian hot chili pepper paste, the main ingredients of which are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers, spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil to carry the oil-soluble flavors.” (definition from Wiki!) It reminds me a little bit of curry paste – it’s packed with flavor and vibrantly red in color. In the US, you can find it at many grocery stores that have a solidly stocked “global foods” section. It’s usually is sold in small jars. If you want to dabble with making your own (and I am actually tempted to after reading Suzy’s description), here is a recipe for homemade harissa paste.
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