Spanakopita Meatballs With Greek Yogurt Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped, divided
4 garlic cloves, chopped, divided
5 ounces frozen chopped spinach (defrost and squeeze out moisture)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground lamb
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended ( McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh dill or 3 tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
salt, to taste

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl combine 3 cloves of garlic and all of red onion EXCEPT 2 tablespoons, reserve 1 garlic clove and onion for yogurt sauce.
Squeeze the water out of the spinach until completely dry. Separate the spinach as you add it to garlic and onion.
Add feta, egg, breadcrumbs, ground beef, lamb and grill seasoning to the bowl. Mix and combine well.
Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch, bite-sized meatballs. Place the meatballs on a nonstick cookie sheet. ***At this point you could refrigerate until ready to bake.
Bake meatballs at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until they are cooked through.
To make the sauce, place yogurt, 1 garlic clove, 2 Tablespoons onion, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, oregano and a little salt in food processor and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve meatballs alongside sauce with toothpicks.