This recipe is one I have been dreaming up for a few months now and it seriously did not disappoint. The entire meal is made in the air fryer which significantly saves time and results in a variety of perfectly cooked textures. There are so many different flavors layered in this recipe that all marry together for a truly delicious Greek inspired meal. So if you are wanting a healthy dinner that doesn’t skimp on flavor then this recipe is for you.
Greek Chicken Meatballs and Curry Roasted Cauliflower
Air fried meatballs filled with spices and feta paired with humus, curry roasted cauliflower, and crispy chickpeas.
Servings 16 meatballs
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
Greek Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup feta crumbles
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- large pinch of salt and pepper
Curry Roasted Cauliflower
- 1/2 head cauliflower
- 1/2 cup garbanzo beans
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp curry powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup plain hummus
Roasted Garlic Sauce
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 head of garlic
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Prepare the cauliflower by cutting half the head of cauliflower into small bit sized pieces. You want to keep them on the bigger side so that they don't fall apart when roasting. Add the cauliflower to a small bowl. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add 1/2 cup chickpeas to the cauliflower. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower and then season with the curry powder, salt and pepper. Stir so that all the cauliflower is evenly coated. Transfer the cauliflower and chickpeas to the basket of your air fryer.
- Cut a head of garlic in half. Place one half on some aluminum foil and drizzle the garlic with olive oil. Fold the aluminum foil up so that the garlic is enclosed in a packet. Place the garlic on the air fryer basket next to the cauliflower.
- Air fry the cauliflower for 7 minutes. Remove just the cauliflower when done but continue to cook the chickpeas and garlic. You want the outside of the chickpeas to be crispy which takes about 13 minutes in total. The garlic will need to cook for 30 minutes total so you will keep it on the air fryer basket when you cook the meatballs.
- While the cauliflower is cooking make the meatballs. Dice the onion into very small pieces and mince the garlic. Add to a medium bowl with the ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs, spices, and feta. Crack the egg and slightly whisk before adding to the chicken mixture. Combine the ingredients by using your hands so that you don't over mix the meatballs. Once all the ingredients are evenly distributed shape into balls. I used a cookie scoop to help make them all the same size. Meatballs should be about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Remove the cauliflower and chickpeas from the air fryer basket. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Spray the basket of your air fryer with cooking oil. Place the meatballs on the basket and spray the tops and sides with cooking spray. I had to cook the meatballs in two batches. Keep the garlic on the air fryer basket. Cook in the air fryer for 10 minutes until they are golden brown on top and cooked all the way through. Repeat with second batch if needed. After the first batch the garlic should be done so remove from aluminum foil and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- To make the garlic sauce in a small food processor or smoothie mixer add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice. and the garlic cloves. You should be able to just squeeze out each of the garlic cloves from the covering. Blend until the sauce is smooth. Add 1-2 Tbs water to thin out the sauce so that you can drizzle it over the meatballs with a spoon.
- Assemble the meal by spreading a small amount of hummus on a plate. Place the cauliflower and chickpeas on top of the meatballs. Add 4-5 meatballs per plate and then drizzle with the garlic sauce.
Notes
This recipe makes 15-16 meatballs and then enough cauliflower for two servings. The meatballs are enough for 3-4 servings so you can always double the cauliflower recipe or use the leftover ingredients to make fresh a second time which is what I did. The meatballs reheat better than the cauliflower did.
