This is a recipe we just came up with without much planning, and it worked like a charm. This goat cheese meatball is stuffed with flavor, and is very similar in taste to a Greek or Moroccan meatball dish called a kofta. Kofta is also popular throughout Asia and the Middle-East, and while this recipe with goat cheese is a bit of a departure, it’s one that can be combined with all kind of different sauces depending on what you want.
In this stuffed meatball recipe, we’ve created a yogurt-based goat cheese sauce to drizzle over the meatballs once they’re cooked. You can also add saffron rice, cucumber salad, or a host of different Eastern European or Middle-Eastern sides to pair with this goat cheese meatball dish.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
1/2 pound of ground lamb
1/2 pound of ground beef
1 egg
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp yellow curry
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp turmeric
For the goat cheese stuffing
1/2 cup goat cheese
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dill
Pinch garlic powder
For the sauce
1/2 plain greek yogurt (full fat)
1/2 cup goat cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp dill
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup of peeled and finely diced cucumber
Instructions
Combine the ground beef, ground lamb, and all ingredients for the meatball in a bowl and mix thoroughly
Cover meatball mixture and place in the refrigerator for a half-hour
Combine mixture for the sauce in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Make sure to mash the goat cheese to a smooth consistency, so that the sauce mixture coats the back of a spoon. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a half-hour
Combine ingredients for the goat cheese stuffing, cover and place in the refrigerator for a half-hour
(***You can chill all 3 combinations for longer, but don’t go over two hours because the salt in the meatball mixture will dry out the meat and cause them to taste too salty)
After all 3 combinations have chilled, remove them and start forming the meatballs by rolling into balls, roughly the size of a golf ball.
Once formed flatten the rolled meatball using your hand until flat. The flattened meat should be 2 to 3 inches in diameter.
Fill center of flattened meatball with the goat cheese stuffing. The goat cheese mixture should not take up more than a nickle-sized space in the center of the meatball.
Roll the meatball by folding over the outside over the goat cheese stuffing and toward the middle. Gentle roll the meatball in your hand, taking care not to leave the goat cheese stuffing uncovered.
Repeat until meat mixture is completely rolled out, with each meatball completely covering the goat cheese filling
Bake for 35 minutes on 350 degrees fahrenheit
Plate, and drizzle sauce over the meatball
Pair with cucumber salad and yellow/saffron rice
