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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Mediterranean Bowl

    Published: Apr 19, 2021 by Krista Stechman · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    close up shot of the cucumbers, mint, garlic herb cheese spread, meatballs and fresh mint in the Mediterranean bowl
    a bowl filled with Mediterranean meatballs, naan, garlic herb cheese spread, cherry pepper hummus, lemon chutney, cucumbers, red onions and fresh herbs
    close up shot of the cherry pepper hummus with fresh oregano on top for the Mediterranean bowl
    a Mediterranean bowl containing meatballs, cherry pepper hummus, garlic herb cheese spread, lemon chutney, cucumbers, red onions, naan, fresh mint and oregano. a close up shot of the cherry pepper hummus in a bowl with fresh oregano leaves on top

    This Mediterranean Bowl is one of those "happened on accident" recipes and I'm not mad about it. This bowl is packed with tons of different flavors and they come together so nicely!

    Try pairing it with this Hummus and Pita recipe for the perfect appetizer!

    2 mediterranean bowls with meatballs, cucumbers, garlic cheese spread, naan, red onion, chutney and mint leaves in a grey and white bow with a bowl of cherry pepper hummus on the side on a dark surface

    I had a whole different plan in my head but that plan was side tracked when I was out of multiple ingredients that I needed. So I starting subbing a couple ingredients here and there and added some more things and voila! Here is the Mediterranean Bowl!

    Mediterranean Cucumber Salad can be subbed in place of cucumbers. It's packed with flavor and goes so well with the rest of this dish.

    Ingredients in this Mediterranean Bowl

    • Ground pork
    • Onion
    • Garlic
    • Kosher salt
    • Black pepper
    • Cumin
    • All spice
    • Coriander
    • Lemon zest
    • Egg
    • Oats
    • Red onion
    • Cucumber
    • Naan
    • Garlic and herb cheese spread (I used Alouette)
    • Fresh mint
    • Fresh oregano
    • Cherry pepper hummus
    • Lemon chutney
    close up of the Mediterranean Bowl with all of the cucumber, garlic cheese spread, meatballs, lemon chutney, cherry pepper hummus and fresh mint and oregano

    Tips for the best Mediterranean Bowl

    • Get a good sear on your meatballs, this adds great flavor and texture
    • Make the hummus and chutney several days ahead of time so you save time the night of dinner
    • Serve your naan nice and hot for the best texture and flavor
    • Invest in a meat thermometer if you don't have one so you can check the temp of your meatballs to make sure you aren't over cooking them. Over cooked meatballs = DRY
    • A little bit of chutney goes a long way. It is extremely delicious but also very strong
    • Season and roll your meatballs a day ahead of time if you can so that the flavors have time to meld and you can save yourself some time the day you're making the bowl
    2 mediterranean bowls with meatballs, cucumbers, garlic cheese spread, naan, red onion, chutney and mint leaves in a grey and white bow with a bowl of cherry pepper hummus on the side on a dark surface

    What is Lemon Chutney?

    Lemon chutney is a very versatile condiment originally from India that has an array of flavors mixed in to make one delicious topping. It is sour, sweet, salty and spicy and that is what makes it SO delicious. Chutney can be used on a wide variety of things such as rice, naan, chicken and other meats, crackers, cheese and many more.

    lemon chutney in a white dish with lemon zest on top and fresh oregano around the outsides of the bowl

    What is in Lemon Chutney?

    • Garlic cloves
    • Raisins
    • Lemons
    • Cider vinegar
    • Fresh ginger (or the tube of ginger in the produce section at the grocery store)
    • Cayenne pepper
    • Red pepper flakes
    • Ground cardamom
    • Kosher salt
    • Ground cinnamon
    • Brown sugar

    How to make lemon chutney

    Mince the garlic and add it to a heavy bottomed pot. Peel the lemons being very careful to only take the yellow skin off then mince the lemon skin and add it to the pot. Carefully take your knife and cut off the white part of the lemon (the pith) leaving only the flesh. Dice the flesh and add it to the pot along with the remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat until you reach a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer the chutney for about 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally until thick.

    a close up shot of the lemon chutney sitting on tp of the cherry pepper hummus with veggies and naan surrounding it

    What is cherry pepper hummus?

    Cherry pepper hummus is a hummus blend including jarred mild sweet cherry peppers, garlic, coriander, cumin, cayenne, lemon juice, salt, garbanzo beans and olive oil. Typically I don't add tahini to my hummus because I just never have it on hand. I do love it and if I could find a small amount I would put it in. There's no sense in it going to waste when I don't use it up but this recipe would be just fine if you wanted to add some in. I would add about ¼ cup.

    cherry peppers, herbs, garbanzo beans and all of the ingredients for cherry pepper hummus sitting in a food processor before blending

    How to make cherry pepper hummus

    Cherry pepper hummus is super easy to make! Take the seeds out of the cherry peppers and add all the ingredients into the food processor. Puree until smooth. Just that simple!

    cherry pepper hummus in a bowl topped with olive oil and fresh oregano

    Making the Mediterranean Bowl

    First you'll want to make the lemon chutney and the cherry pepper hummus a few days ahead of time so you can give the flavors time to meld and save time the night of dinner.

    Making the Meatballs

    Next you can start the meatballs. Spray a parchment paper lined baking tray with non stick cooking spray and set to the side. Add the ground pork, grated onion, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, allspice, coriander, lemon zest, egg and oats into a medium sized bowl. Mix until combined evenly. Roll the pork into 1.5oz balls. If you have a kitchen scale, that works great for measuring the meatballs. You can also use a 1oz cookie scoop and just go a little heavy with it. Add the meatballs to your baking tray as you go. These can also be done 1 day ahead of time if you'd like.

    seared meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet with a little fresh oregano on them

    Preheat the oven to 425°F. If you mix the meatballs a day ahead of time, take them out of the refrigerator about an hour before cooking to bring them back to room temp. Using a heavy bottomed skillet and high heat, get the skillet nice and hot. Add a drizzle of olive oil and swirl it around the pan, wait about 10 seconds for the oil to become hot as well. This is very important to have a hot pan and hot oil for a nice sear.

    Add the meatballs to the pan and flip after about 1 minute or when the meat is a nice medium brown with a crust. Do the same thing to the other side of the meatballs. Remove the meatballs from the pan and place them onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Use a meat thermometer check the temperature of a couple meatballs making sure the temperature is 160°F. It will rise about another 5° after coming out of the oven.

    close up shot of seared meatballs sitting on a tray with parchment paper underneath them and some fresh oregano

    Get the remaining ingredients ready for the bowl

    While the meatballs are in the oven, slice the red onion and cucumber into thin slices. Rip the mint leaves off the stems and do the same with the fresh oregano. For this particular recipe I like to keep the mint and oregano leaves whole and just place them on top at the end of the dish.

    You'll want to warm your naan right before the meatballs are coming out of the oven so it stays nice and warm for you to eat, the texture and taste of naan is amazing when it's hot. Place a small drizzle of oil in a hot skillet and warm each side of the naan. Mince a little bit of fresh mint and oregano to top the naan with if you'd like and cut each piece into quarters.

    naan cut up into quarters on a sheet of parchment paper topped with fresh mint and oregano

    Build your bowl!

    Now its time to build the bowl! You can build it however you like but I take each ingredient and put it in its own section in the bowl. Place the meatballs in one section, spoon some of the garlic and herb cheese spread into the middle of the bowl and add some hummus next to the cheese. Top the meatballs and hummus with lemon chutney ( a little goes a long way) and add a small handful of cucumbers and a few pieces of red onion. Garnish with the mint and oregano leaves and set the cut pieces of naan on the side of the bowl. Enjoy!

    2 mediterranean bowls with meatballs, cucumbers, garlic cheese spread, naan, red onion, chutney and mint leaves in a grey and white bow with a bowl of cherry pepper hummus on the side on a dark surface

    Check out more Dinner recipes!

    2 mediterranean bowls with meatballs, cucumbers, garlic cheese spread, naan, red onion, chutney and mint leaves in a grey and white bow with a bowl of cherry pepper hummus on the side on a dark surface

    Mediterranean Bowl

    Krista Stechman
    This Mediterranean Bowl is packed with tons of flavor! It has Mediterranean meatballs, cherry pepper hummus, lemon chutney, cucumber, red onion, naan and a garlic herb cheese spread. A really fresh and tasty dinner for any night of the week!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
    Course dinner, lunch
    Cuisine mediterranean
    Servings 5 people
    Calories 1591 kcal

    Equipment

    • food processor
    • stove top

    Ingredients
      

    Lemon Chutney

    • 7 lemons
    • 2 cups brown sugar
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • ½ cup raisins
    • ½ cup cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon cardamom
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

    Cherry Pepper Hummus

    • 16 oz mild cherry peppers drained, seeded
    • 15.5 oz garbanzo beans drained
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon coriander
    • ¼ teaspoon cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
    • ¾ cup olive oil

    Meatballs

    • 1.5 lbs ground pork
    • ⅓ cup old fashioned oats
    • ½ small onion grated
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 1.25 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon coriander
    • ⅛ tsp all spice

    Garnishes

    • 5 oz garlic herb cheese spread alouette
    • 1 English cucumber sliced thin
    • ¼ red onion thin julienne
    • 3 pieces naan cut into quarters
    • ½ cup fresh mint pulled off the stems
    • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano pulled off the stems

    Instructions
     

    Making the lemon chutney

    • Peel the lemons being very careful to only take off the yellow skin, leaving the white pith on the lemon. Mince the yellow lemon skin. Peel the pith off the lemon and discard. Chop the remaining flesh left from the lemon and transfer the flesh, juice and yellow skin to a heavy bottomed sauce pan
    • Add all the rest of the chutney ingredients to the sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the chutney reaches a boil turn the heat down to low and simmer for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chutney is thick. Remove from the heat and let cool

    Making the cherry pepper hummus

    • Drain and remove the seeds and stems from the cherry peppers and place them in the food processor
    • Add the remaining hummus ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth. Set the hummus aside

    Making the meatballs

    • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with a non stick cooking spray
    • Place the ground pork and oatmeal into a medium size mixing bowl
    • Grate the onion with a cheese grater over the top of the pork
    • Add the remaining meatball ingredients and mix well
    • Either weigh each meatball with a kitchen scale to 1.5oz or use an overflowing 1oz cookie scoop to measure out the meatballs. Roll them into balls and place them on the baking sheet
    • When all meatballs are rolled and ready to go heat a heavy bottomed skillet on medium - high heat until the pan is nice and hot. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and swirl around, leave the oil in the pan for about 10 more seconds to make sure it's nice and hot for your sear
    • Place the meatballs in the pan about a half an inch apart making sure not to crowd the pan. Sear for 1 min until there is a nice brown crust on the meatball. Turn the meatballs over and do the same on the other side
    • Place the meatballs back on the baking sheet and into the oven for 20 min. Check the temperature to make sure they've reached 160°F and set them on a plate

    Preparing the garnishes

    • While the meatballs cook, slice the cucumber and red onion into thin slices
    • Pick the fresh mint and fresh oregano leaves off the stems and set to the side
    • In a hot skillet lightly drizzled with olive oil warm the naan. After taking the naan out of the skillet cut each piece of naan into quarters

    Building the bowl

    • Place 4-5 meatballs in a bowl in one spot
    • Add the garlic herb cheese spread to the middle of the bowl
    • Add the hummus to the side of the meatballs. Top the hummus and the meatballs with lemon chutney ( a little goes a long way)
    • Add the onion and cucumber to the bowl and top with the mint and oregano leaves
    • Add 3-4 pieces of the cut naan to the bowl
    • Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1591kcalCarbohydrates: 185gProtein: 42gFat: 80gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 2994mgPotassium: 1317mgFiber: 15gSugar: 98gVitamin A: 448IUVitamin C: 91mgCalcium: 280mgIron: 7mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    close up shot of the cucumbers, mint, garlic herb cheese spread, meatballs and fresh mint in the Mediterranean bowl
    a bowl filled with Mediterranean meatballs, naan, garlic herb cheese spread, cherry pepper hummus, lemon chutney, cucumbers, red onions and fresh herbs
    close up shot of the cherry pepper hummus with fresh oregano on top for the Mediterranean bowl
    a Mediterranean bowl containing meatballs, cherry pepper hummus, garlic herb cheese spread, lemon chutney, cucumbers, red onions, naan, fresh mint and oregano. a close up shot of the cherry pepper hummus in a bowl with fresh oregano leaves on top
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    Welcome to In Krista's Kitchen where you'll find delicious dinners and desserts with restaurant flavor that you can make in the comfort of your home. You can find dinners, desserts, sides, brunch recipes and breakfast recipes for any occasion. I'm here to help you create meals and desserts packed with flavor! These recipes range from easy to slightly more experienced home cooks. I'll give tips and tricks and am always available through email to answer any cooking questions you have!

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    close up shot of the cucumbers, mint, garlic herb cheese spread, meatballs and fresh mint in the Mediterranean bowl
    a bowl filled with Mediterranean meatballs, naan, garlic herb cheese spread, cherry pepper hummus, lemon chutney, cucumbers, red onions and fresh herbs
    close up shot of the cherry pepper hummus with fresh oregano on top for the Mediterranean bowl
    a Mediterranean bowl containing meatballs, cherry pepper hummus, garlic herb cheese spread, lemon chutney, cucumbers, red onions, naan, fresh mint and oregano. a close up shot of the cherry pepper hummus in a bowl with fresh oregano leaves on top

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