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This Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs recipe is a one-dish meal that the whole family will love! This recipe features lemon and herb chicken meatballs and a blend of perfectly seasoned roasted veggies and chickpeas.
Easy Sheet Pan Dinner
We can’t get enough of sheet-pan dinners in our house. I mean, what’s not to love? They’re largely hands-off; you only dirty one dish and can feed the whole family.
This Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs recipe is a favorite for all those reasons, but also because the flavor is amazing, and you get a large serving of veggies with added fiber from the chickpeas! The perfectly seasoned veggies and chickpeas complement the lemon and herb flavor of the chicken meatballs.
This recipe is delicious, gluten-free, and optionally dairy-free!
Is It Better to Cook Meatballs in the Oven or on the Stovetop?
While both cooking methods have their benefits, I love to make this chicken meatball recipe on a sheet pan alongside the veggies and chickpeas. That way, I get a healthy, hearty meal with just one dish to clean later!
Ingredients Needed
This Greek meatball recipe is made with just a few good-for-you ingredients you probably already have.
For the Veggies/Chickpeas:
- Oil: Just a little bit of oil is used to coat the pan and prevent sticking.
- Chickpeas: I like to keep it simple with a can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed. If you prefer to cook your chickpeas, feel free to do that! You will need 15 ounces.
- Veggies: I use a combination of red bell pepper, red onion, and eggplant, but feel free to use any seasonally fresh veggies that sound good to you.
- Lemon Juice: A drizzle of lemon juice brings just enough citrus to the veggies.
- Spices: We’re adding ideal flavor with a simple blend of garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
For the Chicken Meatballs:
- Egg: Egg is the binder for our meatballs. It is essential to help them hold their shape.
- Almond Flour: The almond flour helps soak up the moisture from the chicken and lemon to keep it inside the meatballs.
- Salt and Pepper: A pinch of both Salt and Pepper to make the flavor of these meatballs just right.
- Lemon Zest: Zest from one lemon to bring that citrus to the Meatballs.
- Garlic: I recommend freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Spinach: You’ll need 1/2 cup of frozen, chopped spinach. Be sure to squeeze out excess water before adding it to the meat mixture so you don’t end up with soggy meatballs.
- Feta Cheese: Feta is optional but a classic addition to Greek-inspired food.
- Green Onions: Sliced thinly for even distribution.
- Ground Chicken: White or dark meat will work. You will need 1 pound.
- Parsley: For garnish!
What Ingredient Makes Meatballs Stick Together?
The egg is the key ingredient to have meatballs hold their shape! You don’t need a lot—just one for this recipe—but it does make all the difference.
How to Make Greek Chicken Meatballs
- Prep the veggies/chickpeas: In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the veggies and chickpeas. Toss to combine, then transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled sheet pan. Spread out evenly and bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes.
- Prep the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine egg, almond flour, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and garlic. Whisk to combine, then add spinach, feta, green onions, and ground chicken.
- Portion and bake: Using a small cookie scoop, portion the meat mixture onto the baking sheet with the veggies and chickpeas. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the meatballs have cooked through. Garnish with parsley, then serve or portion for meal prep.
How Long Do You Heat Meatballs in the Oven?
The meatballs themselves need 10 minutes in the oven!
Since the chickpeas and veggies need a bit of extra time, you’ll pop them in the oven for 15 minutes first, add the meatballs, and cook everything together for the additional 10 minutes the meatballs need.
To ensure the meatballs are cooked through, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. It should be 165ºF.
How Do You Keep Meatballs from Sticking While in the Oven?
Oil the pan! A light coating of oil, or cooking spray on the pan will keep the meatballs, veggies, and chickpeas from sticking to the sheet pan or burning as they cook.
Why Are My Meatballs Falling Apart on the Pan?
There may be a couple of reasons that your meatballs aren’t holding their shape as they bake:
- Over-measured the flour. A little bit of flour helps keep the moisture from the meat inside the meatballs. Too much flour creates dry, crumbly meatballs. Measure your two tablespoons carefully to get the perfect dry-to-wet ingredients ratio.
- Overbaked the meatballs. Overbaking, especially with leaner meats like chicken, will dry the meatballs out very quickly. Ensure you remove them from the oven when the internal temperature reads 165ºF.
Tips and Notes
- Prep ahead! You can prepare this meal the night before to get ahead! Chop the veggies, prep the chickpeas with spices, and make the meatball mixture. Simply store everything in the fridge overnight so it’s ready to bake the next day!
- Pre-bake the veggies and chickpeas. If you put everything into the oven at once, the meatballs will overcook by the time the veggies and chickpeas are done.
- Make sure the meatballs are even in size. I recommend about 1″ in diameter so they cook through fully and at the same rate.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. I use a 12″ x 18″ sheet pan to ensure plenty of room for all recipe components. If you only have smaller sheet pans, you may need to split everything up between two pans – veggies on one and meatballs on another.
Variations
- Use other veggies. I love the combination of red bell pepper, red onion, and eggplant with the Greek meatballs, but feel free to use any veggies that you think sound good. This recipe would be delicious with cauliflower and/or broccoli florets, diced zucchini, summer squash, grape tomatoes, you name it.
- Make it dairy-free. Keep this recipe dairy-free by simply leaving out the feta!
- Use another meat. Try swapping the ground chicken out for ground turkey – the cooking time will be similar!
Serving Suggestions
This sheet pan dinner is a complete meal all on its own. But, of course, you can’t go wrong with a side dish or two to bulk it up! Here are some ideas:
Meal Prep It!
Got leftovers? This chicken meatball recipe makes an excellent meal prep option! Portion it out accordingly, store it in the fridge, and enjoy fresh and healthy lunches all week long.
How to Store
Leftover meatballs, veggies, and chickpeas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, spread them out on the baking sheet and heat in the oven at 350ºF until warmed entirely.
How to Freeze Greek Meatballs
While I don’t recommend freezing the veggies and chickpeas, you can freeze the meatballs!
To freeze the meatballs, let them cool completely, then flash freeze them on a baking sheet until hardened. Once fully frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag or freezer-safe container and store up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to serve them, let them thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm in the oven until heated through.
Watch the Video Here:
More Sheet Pan Recipes to Try
- Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies
- Sheet Pan Classic Breakfast (Eggs, Bacon, Potatoes)
- Sheet Pan Root Vegetable and Sage Pesto Salmon
- Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken and Veggies
- Sheet Pan Marinated Steak Tips with Veggies
- Sheet Pan Herb Butter Salmon with Blistered Tomatoes and Green Beans
- Sheet Pan Cod and Vegetables in Lemon Herb Sauce
- Sheet Pan Curry Chicken and Vegetables
- Sheet Pan Kielbasa Sausage and Sauerkraut Dinner
Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs with Veggies and Chickpeas
Ingredients
For Veggies and Chickpeas:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper cored and sliced
- 1 red onion cored and sliced
- ½ eggplant diced to 1 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For meatballs:
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach squeeze out
- 1/2 cup feta cheese plus more for garnish (optional)
- 2 green onions
- 1 lb. ground chicken white or dark meat
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and lightly oil a 12″ x 18″ sheet pan.
- In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients for the veggies and chickpeas and toss to combine. Place the vegetable mixture on the sheet pan, spread out evenly and bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile to the bowl add the egg, almond flour, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon zest and garlic and whisk until combined. Add in the spinach, feta, green onions and ground chicken and mix together.
- Take the sheet pan out of the oven at 15 minutes and move the veggies and chickpeas to each side to make space in the center for the meatballs.
- Using a small scoop (like a cookie scoop) portion meatballs onto the sheet pan (you want the meatballs to me on the small size, about 1” in diameter). Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the meatballs have cooked through to 165ºF.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately, or portion in meal prep containers and cool completely before closing the lid.
Hi Lexi’s,
I was wondering what is the serving? Is the serving is how many meatballs? If so, please let me know. I’m on ww.
Thanks,
Alyson
It’s been updated to be more clear! Thanks!
I love this recipe and make it all the time, one of my go-to’s for meatballs and veggies. Decided to make greek burgers with sweet potato buns instead of meatballs for dinner and halfway through cooking I realized we didn’t have any spinach. Still just as delicious and will definitely be making again!!
Do you have suggestion on quantity of fresh spinach to use? I always struggle b/c it cools down so much. We always have fresh in the frig. Don’t care to work with the mess/time of thawing and draining frozen. Thank you.
Wow. Made this for dinner last night and it was AMAZING. Made a few minor changes: Used ground turkey (personal preference), used zucchini in place of eggplant (not an eggplant lover), and needed a bit more cooking time. I broiled it for 3-4 mins, then tossed and broiled another 3-4 mins to get the meatballs and veggies nice and brown (and get rid of some of the weird slimy stuff that always seems to come out of round meat). Oh, and added a bit more crumbled feta on the veggies to serve. I wanted to lick my plate. Make sure to read the tips for making the ground turkey easy to deal with. Super helpful. LOVED this recipe.
I am allergic to almonds/almond flour. Can I substitute whole wheat flour?
I’d suggest you substitute it with breadcrumbs!
Absolutely love this recipe! We always sub more onions and peppers for the eggplant (not huge eggplant fans). So good!
Love this recipe. We swapped the eggplant for zucchini since we used what veggies we had in the fridge. So easy and so much flavor, thank you for the delicious meal!
How would these be without the feta for dairy free?
They’re great either way, as the lemon, oregano and garlic give them lots of flavor 🙂
Looks yummy! Do you have any substitutions for a vegetarian meatball with all of these same flavors?
We don’t currently, but perhaps we will put it on our list to get a vegetarian meatball recipe!
I was wondering the same thing, I looked at the other pan recipes and guest 400 F. This is a great recipe
Yes so sorry – updating now 🙂 So glad you enjoyed!
Thank you! That’s what I guessed. Made this yesterday and it was delicious!
There is no indication of what temperature the oven should be set at. Was just about to make the recipe but did not know how hot the oven should be!
400ºF! The post is updated!!!!
I am so excited to make this! What temperature should it be baked at?
400ºF! The post is updated!!!!