This is my Homemade Cava Grill-Inspired Rice Bowl. The inspiration for this recipe came straight from Cava Grill--the uber popular Mediterranean food join in LA. 🥙
Cava Grill is basically Chipotle for Mediterranean food where you can order customized bowls with the freshest quality ingredients. Falafel, grilled chicken, lamb meatballs, crazy feta, veggies galore, you name it! My husband was obsessed with this recipe preparation and said that this may even be better than Cava Grill. Humble brag.
Health Benefits
Here's the best part: this bowl isn't just delicious—it's downright good for you. It's packed with fresh veggies, lean proteins, and finished with a mix of dressings and sauces. This bowl will boost your immune system, fuel your body and keep you full all day.
Watch how to make it
Ingredients List:
Lamb Meatballs: Making meatballs at home is quick and so delicious. My recipe calls for loads of seasoning and herbs; it's packed with flavor and honestly as good as the one they offer at Cava Grill. If you prefer a meatless bowl, then swap out for your favorite protein like falafel or even tofu.
Rice: I make a quick version of rice with Basmati long-grain, turmeric and salt. You can also use quinoa or couscous to add more grain and complex carbs to the bowl.
Sides: For sides you can use some store-bought pantry staple ingredients to make your life easier. I used plain hummus, pita chips and loads of feta, crumbled up.
Veggies: Add any veggies that your heart desires. I love a little spring mix, roasted corn, pickled red onion, Persian cucumber, grape tomatoes, and pitted black Kalamata olives.
Sauce: I made a homemade tzatziki with greek yogurt, garlic and grated persian cucumber but you can use any sauce of your choosing.
How To Make the Lamb Meatballs
The real MVP of this Mediterranean rice bowl are my Lamb meatballs. They are jam-packed with flavor and absolutely delicious. All you need to do to make my show-stopping lamb meatballs is to combine the below ingredients until the meat sticks together in one cohesive mound.
Ingredients for Lamb Meatballs
Meat: I prefer using ground lamb but you can substitute with beef if you prefer.
Spices: coriander, cumin, turmeric, allspice, nutmeg, red chilli, paprika, caraway seeds salt. These are pantry staples in my kitchen and should be in yours too. Don't let this list intimidate you.
Paste: To add some body and umami richness, I add sambal chili paste and tomato paste. You can also add harissa paste instead.
Others: cilantro, parsley and oil.
To cook, portion out the meat into equal-sized golf balls. To cook, sear them on each side for 4-5 minutes in a greased cast iron. Honestly, the best pan for searing any meat is the cast iron. Mine is 10 years old! It lives on forever and is the most used pan in my tool box. Cook the meatballs until the are no longer pink on the inside but still juicy.
How To Make Yellow Rice for the Base
In a pan, stir turmeric in a touch of oil to release its flavor, then add pre-soaked long-grain Basmati rice. Stir until the rice turn light yellow, then add water and salt , and cook for 15 mins.
How to make Tzatziki sauce
In a bowl, mix greek yogurt, grated and strained Persian cucumber, fresh dill, lemon juice and salt. It's super simple to whip up. You can use your favorite sauce such as garlic sauce, tahini sauce, cilantro mint raita or even a lemon vinaigrette! You can completely customize the flavors however you like.
Mediterranean Rice Bowl with Homemade Lamb Meatballs
Ingredients
Lamb Meatball
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sambal, or any chilli paste
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoon cilantro and parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
Yellow Rice
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- ½ Persian cucumber grated and strained in cheesecloth
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill
- Juice of half a lemon to taste
- salt to taste
- water to adjust consistency
Other ingredients
- Spring mix, Sweet corn (pan-roasted with salt and smoked paprika), Kalamata olives, Hummus, Pickled red onion, Feta, Pita chips, chopped cilantro for garnish
Mediterranean Rice
- 1 ½ cup Basmati rice
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 ¼ cup water
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the spices into ground lamb really well and portion the meat into small golf-sized balls.
- In a well-greased cast iron skillet, cook the meatballs over high heat for 2-3 mins on one side. When you see a deep color, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side until fully cooked through.
- Remove to a plate and prepare your rice. In a bowl, add a touch of oil and allow the turmeric to release its aroma and flavor. Then add the pre-soaked basmati to the pan with water and salt.
- Let the water come to a rolling boil, then cook the rice covered on low heat for 15 mins until cooked. Wrap the lid with a kitchen cloth and cover the pan for 5 more minutes on the lowest heat to steam the rice. This step helps fluff up the rice.
- For the tzatziki, mix all the ingredients and set aside.
- To assemble your Mediterranean Rice Bowl, add a bed of greens. Top with a layer of rice followed by the cooked lamb meatballs and all the sides you prefer.
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