Hearty, comforting mediterranean lamb meatloaf stuffed with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and feta cheese, then topped with tzatziki, olives and more! A traditional gyro + Greek salad meet meatloaf in this perfect family dinner.
Hiiii! I’m back from New York. And I made you a meatloaf. Here she is, dressed up in all her glory. For those of you that care about that kinda thing, I am totally planning on sharing every single detail of my trip, and especially the marathon. But for those of you who are just here for the food, it’s cool. Let’s chat about meatloaf.
People get very opinionated about lamb. I think one of the rudest comments I ever received on social media was when I posted my Greek Lamb Burgers, and someone called me a “sick f*@$”. I was actually a little hesitant to post an other lamb recipe, but I truly love it, and with over 82,000 family owned sheep operations in the US, lamb is local and available year round. It’s also super tender, and the bold flavor lends itself to so many cuisines. My favorite is Greek / Mediterranean.
This baby is kind of like a gyro + a Greek salad + meatloaf, all wrapped up in one bright, colorful little package. It starts off with ground lamb mixed with caramelized red onion, roasted red pepper, loads of feta cheese, and the normal suspects to hold everything together. Except I don’t use bread crumbs or saltines; instead I use quick oats as a great, healthier, gluten-free (make sure you purchase certified gluten-free if necessary) option.
Then we bake it all up, smother it with tzatziki and top it all off with roasted red pepper, more caramelized onions, black (or kalamata–they’re not my favorite…) olives, fresh parsley and even more feta. This is one filling dinner! It’s not the leanest, but feel free to use a low feta, and you can even make your own tzatziki using nonfat Greek yogurt. It’s packed with real, make-you-feel-full ingredients, and especially great when paired with a huge Greek salad or side of veggies.
Hearty, comforting lamb meatloaf stuffed with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and feta cheese, then topped with tzatziki, olives and more! A traditional gyro + Greek salad meet meatloaf in this perfect family dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/2 cut quick cooking oats*
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (store bought, or make your own!)
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- pinch thyme
- pinch each salt and pepper
- tzatziki
- extra feta
- extra roasted red pepper
- remaining caramelized onion
- olives
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with tin foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large pan, cook garlic and onions in olive oil and balsamic vinegar over medium-low heat until soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together egg whites and almond milk in a large bowl. When onions have finished cooking, remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Add lamb, oats, red peppers, feta, thyme, salt, pepper and half the caramelized onions (reserve the other half for topping) to the egg white mixture. Use your hands to incorporate all ingredients until combined. You don't need to over mix. The mixture may appear liquidy at first, but just keep lightly tossing with your hands, and it will come together.
- Transfer to prepared loaf pan, and cook for 50-60 minutes until cooked throughout. Remove and top with desired toppings. Serve immediately. Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5-7 days.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
