Greek Meatballs Sheet Pan Dinner

This Greek Meatballs Sheet Pan Dinner recipe is an easy, healthy weeknight meal made with juicy chicken meatballs and Greek-style roasted veggies. It’s a super simple, protein-packed dinner that’s ready in 45 minutes and made all on one pan!

 

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Sheet Pan Dinners are some of our family’s favourite meals for our busy lifestyle. With kids in school, busy work schedules, and endless activities and other commitments, we’re always after dinner ideas that are quick to make, don’t create a lot of dishes, and tasty enough for picky eaters. This Greek Meatballs Sheet Pan Dinner is one of our favourite dinners because of how flavourful it is, and because it just checks all the boxes. If you’re looking for a simple but flavour packed meal idea, we know you’re going to love it as much as we do!

A sheet pan dinner is a complete meal cooked on a single baking sheet, usually in the oven, with proteins, vegetables, and starches all roasting together. The appeal of a sheet pan dinner is simple: minimal prep, minimal cleanup, and BIG flavour. Sheet pan dinners rely on high heat to roast ingredients quickly and evenly, creating deep flavour without you needing to stand over the stove. They’re ideal for busy weeknights because everything cooks hands-off once it’s in the oven, and they’re endlessly flexible depending on what ingredients you have on hand.

One common frustration with sheet pan dinners is that not all ingredients cook at the same rate, which can lead to overcooked vegetables or undercooked protein or starch. That’s why well-designed sheet pan meals rely on staggered cooking times, adding ingredients to the pan in stages so everything finishes cooking at the same time.

And if the idea of a one pan meal sounds great to you, my Sheet Pan Dinner Guide goes even deeper, breaking down cooking times for dozens and dozens of ingredients so you can confidently build your own perfectly cooked sheet pan meals without any guesswork. If you want to make sheet pan dinners part of your regular rotation and actually have them work every time, the guide is the easiest place to start, and you can grab a copy below!

There are SO many reasons why we love this easy sheet pan dinner. Here are just a few:

1. It comes together on ONE PAN: with minimal effort and cleanup, you’ll have dinner on the table in no time.
2. It’s LIGHT AND VIBRANT: everything is brought together by the zesty-ness of the lemon and the salty flavour of the feta.
3. It’s NUTRITIOUS: with the meatballs, potatoes, and zucchini you get fibre, carbs, and protein all on one pan.
4. It’s MEAL PREP FRIENDLY: this dinner keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days and is easy to reheat.
5. It’s EASY to make: ready in 45 minutes with minimal hands on cooking.

If you’re looking for a simple side dish to serve alongside this Greek-style one pan dinner, here are some of our favourites we think you’ll love:

1. Greek Chickpea Salad
2. Quick and Easy Greek Salad
3. Easy Homemade Tzatziki
4. Halloumi Salad
5. Olive Garden Salad
6. Cottage Cheese Flatbread

If you want to make this Greek-style sheet pan dinner the BEST sheet pan dinner you’ve ever made, here’s all our favourite PRO tips and tricks!

For the lightest and freshest meatballs, use fresh herbs instead of dry. Try a mix of parsley, oregano, and dill. If you don’t have fresh, dried herbs will work just fine, but fresh herbs add so much extra flavour.

The lemon zest is one of the ingredients that gives this dish the signature Mediterranean brightness. Don’t skip it!

This ensures easier manipulation and helps the meatballs hold their shape as they bake.

To make sure the meatball mixture doesn’t stick to your hands as you shape it, keep a bowl of warm water close by and dip your hands in it constantly as you roll the meatballs. This will also help the outside of the meatballs stay nice and smooth as they bake.

To achieve even browning leave some space around each meatball. Don’t be afraid to size up your pan to fit all the meatballs and veggies your family needs.

Use an instant read thermometer to make sure you only bake your meatballs until they reach 165°F (74°C) internal temperature. This will ensure you get the juiciest meatballs.

For an easy dinner that future you will be thankful for, double the meatball mixture and put half of them in the freezer after you shape them. This will make your next sheet pan dinner even easier!

Follow our troubleshooting tips if you run into any trouble with this recipe!

Make sure you’re not over-baking them by using an instant read thermometer. You can also increase the amount of olive oil in the mixture if the meat is very lean.

Flip your veggies halfway through the baking time and check the temperature of your oven. If your oven runs hot, decrease the temperature by 10-15 degrees.

Make sure you make all your meatballs the same size. Use a cookie scoop or a scale. This will ensure they all bake at the same time. You can also rotate the pan half way through the baking time,

Feel free to line your pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easier clean-up.

Make sure when you zest the lemons you do it gently, only zesting the yellow part. The white part under the lemon peel is bitter and can give a bitter taste.

Here’s everything you’ll need to have on hand in the kitchen to make this easy sheet pan dinner recipe (paid links):

• large knife
• Cutting Board
• large sheet pan
• Microplane Zester
• Tongs
• Garlic Press
• large mixing bowl
• cookie scoop
• Instant Read Thermometer

Here’s the list of ingredients you’ll need to make this sheet pan dinner recipe (paid links):

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound lean ground chicken meat or turkey
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs chopped we love a mix of parsley, oregano, and basil; sometimes event mint
• 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil depending how fat your mince is
• 1 lemon juice and zest

For the sides:

• 4 potatoes
• 2 zucchini
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lemon juice and zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For serving:

• extra feta cheese
• fresh herbs
• olives

1. Lemon herb yogurt sauce: whisk together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, spices, and herbs for a creamy and easy drizzle sauce.
2. Goat cheese: swap out the feta for goat cheese for an even creamier texture.
3. Spicy: add a tablespoon of harissa paste or sriracha into the meatball mixture and a sprinkle of chili flakes over the veggies before they roast.
4. Extra vegetables: add more cherry tomatoes and red onion for extra sweetness and colour.
5. Roasted vegetables: swap out the veggies for eggplant, red bell pepper, carrots, or any of your favourite veggies.
6. Protein swap: instead of chicken use ground turkey, ground beef, pork, or a mix of both. Alternatively you can make ground lamb meatballs.

We hope you love this Greek-inspired sheet pan dinner with meatballs as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your go-to easy family meal for busy weeknights? We’d love to know!