Herby Meatball Bowls with Avocado Tzatziki
When spring arrives, I start craving meals that feel lighter but still satisfying. Bowls like this are perfect for that in-between season when you want something fresh and vegetable loaded, but you still want a proper meal at the center. These pork meatballs are packed with herbs, served over grains, and finished with a creamy tzatziki. It’s the kind of flexible meal where you can mix and match ingredients depending on what you already have in the fridge.
To keep things simple, I only used ground pork for the meatballs. Pork stays juicy and flavorful without needing much else. In the video I pan fried them, but you can also bake them in the oven. If you bake them, I recommend placing the meatballs on a cooling rack set over a sheet pan. That allows air to circulate and prevents the coagulated proteins (called albumen) from pooling under the meatballs.
Fresh herbs are the backbone of the flavor here. I used mint, parsley, and dill, and they show up in multiple parts of the bowl: in the meatballs, in the tzatziki, and as toppings. Using the same herbs across the components helps tie the whole bowl together.
For the tzatziki, I added smashed avocado along with the Greek yogurt. Classic tzatziki is already creamy from yogurt, but avocado softens the sharpness of the garlic and lemon and adds a mild richness that pairs really nicely with the pork meatballs. When you’re building a grain bowl like this, that extra body in the sauce helps it coat everything instead of just sitting on top. You can skip avocado but if you have overly soft avocado, definitely add it in!
For the grains, I used cooked barley because it has a nice chewy texture that holds up well under the toppings. But any grain will work here. Brown rice, farro, quinoa, or even leftover rice from the fridge would be great.
The rest of the bowl is very flexible. Chickpeas add extra protein and texture, and cucumbers and lettuce keep everything crisp and refreshing. Tomatoes, bell peppers, or feta cheese would also be great additions. Think of this as a clean out the fridge kind of bowl.
This recipe is inspired by Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce from All The Healthy Things
Herby Meatball Bowls with
Avocado Tzatziki
Prep time 15 min
Total time 45 min
Serves 4
Ingredients
For Herby Meatballs
1 lb ground pork
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ cup fresh herbs such as dill, parsley and mint, finely chopped
½ red onions, finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
For Tzatziki sauce
1 cup greek yogurt
2 lemon
1 avocado, smashed
1 persian cucumber, cut into small dice
1 clove garlic, grated
½ teaspoon salt
For Grain Bowl
1 canned chick peas
1 cup cooked barley
1/2 romain Lettuce, sliced
1 persian cucumber
1 cup picked tender herbs, such as dill, mint, and flat Italian parsley
½ red onion thinly sliced
Preparation
If you are going to bake the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400˚F
Slice ½ red onion thinly and soak in water for at least 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Cut the other half onion into small dice.
In a medium size bowl, add ground pork, diced onion, chopped herbs, cumin powder, and salt. Using your hand, mix them until evenly combined. Shape them into small golf size balls.
If you are baking the meatballs, place the meatballs on a cooling rack, and bake for 15-20 minutes. If you are going to pan fry the meatballs, heat a pan over medium heat. Add neutral oil or olive oil and pan fry them occasionally flipping the sides and each side are golde brown and inner temperature reaches xyz.
Make Tzatziki sauce. In a medium size bowl, combine greek yorgurt, smashed avocado, diced cucumber, grated garlic, finely chopped herbs and salt. Squeez lemons over your palm or fine mesh sieve so the seeds won’t get into it. Mix well, taste and add salt if needed.
Assemble individual bowls with chickpea, cooked barley, sliced lettuce, sliced cucumber, sliced onion, herbs and meatballs. Drizzle Tzatziki sauce. Sprinkle flaky sea salt and olive oil.