The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
Saucy pork meatballs with orzo & tzatziki
Greece takes on Italy in this battle of the cuisines… Pork mince is seasoned with oregano and cinnamon (trust us, it works!), then squished together with grated courgette and shaped into meatballs, before being simmered in a garlicky sun-dried tomato sauce. It’s served with orzo pasta and drizzled in a fresh cucumber and yogurt dressing. Which nation wins, you decide – or will it be a delicious draw?
SWK: Source of fibre
SWK: High protein
Plants 4
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Serving size
Ingredients
- 1 courgette
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 250g pork mince (5% fat or less)
- 160g SW Orzo (Wheat) (88% Durum WHEAT Semolina, 12% Water)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste (Water, Sun Dried Tomato (Sun dried tomatoes, Salt), Tomato Paste, White Wine Vinegar 12%, Salt, Ground Oregano, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid)
- 8g chicken stock powder (Chicory Extract, Yeast Extract, Salt, Natural Flavouring, Onion Powder, Sugar, Chicken Stock Powder (100% Chicken Broth Powder) Rapeseed Oil.)
- 2 garlic clove
- 60g fat-free Greek-style yogurt (Milk) (Skimmed Milk Concentrate, Skimmed Milk, Bacterial Starter Culture)
- 110g baby tomatoes
- 200g passata (tomatoes, salt, citric acid)
- 1 midi cucumber
- 1 onion
Nutritional Information
Calories: 571
Protein: 44g
Carbs: 80g
Fat: 6.5g
Ingredients
- 1 courgette
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 cucumber
- 120g fat-free Greek-style yogurt (Milk) (Skimmed Milk Concentrate, Skimmed Milk, Bacterial Starter Culture)
- 500g pork mince (5% fat or less)
- 320g SW Orzo (Wheat) (88% Durum WHEAT Semolina, 12% Water)
- 8g chicken stock powder (Chicory Extract, Yeast Extract, Salt, Natural Flavouring, Onion Powder, Sugar, Chicken Stock Powder (100% Chicken Broth Powder) Rapeseed Oil.)
- 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste (Water, Sun Dried Tomato (Sun dried tomatoes, Salt), Tomato Paste, White Wine Vinegar 12%, Salt, Ground Oregano, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid)
- 400g passata (tomatoes, salt, citric acid)
- 2 onion
- 4 garlic clove
- 200g baby tomatoes
Nutritional Information
Calories: 557
Protein: 43g
Carbs: 78g
Fat: 6.2g
Saucy pork meatballs with orzo & tzatziki
Greece takes on Italy in this battle of the cuisines… Pork mince is seasoned with oregano and cinnamon (trust us, it works!), then squished together with grated courgette and shaped into meatballs, before being simmered in a garlicky sun-dried tomato sauce. It’s served with orzo pasta and drizzled in a fresh cucumber and yogurt dressing. Which nation wins, you decide – or will it be a delicious draw?
Cook time:
40 mins
Cuisine:
Italian
Food group:
Pork
Allergens: Wheat, Milk
Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 large non stick frying pan
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 small mixing bowl
Shape your meatballs
- Coarsely grate the courgette, wrap in kitchen roll and squeeze out the excess water.
- In a bowl, mix half the cinnamon and half the oregano into the mince along with the courgette. Lightly season and, using your hands, shape into 10 even-sized balls (20 for 4 portions).
Time to fry!
- Peel and finely dice the onions, and peel and crush the garlic.
- Spritz a large non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and put it over a medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs for 5 mins until brown all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Sort that sauce
- Return the frying pan to the heat, spritz with cooking spray and fry the onions and tomatoes fry for 3-4 mins.
- Squeeze in the garlic, tomato paste and passata, then sprinkle in the remaining cinnamon and oregano. Add the stock and pour in 200ml water (350ml for 4 portions). Return the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 6-8 mins until cooked through.
Simmer the orzo
- Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling water for 7-8 mins, then drain.
- Dice the cucumber into ½cm chunks and mix them into the yogurt.
Dish up
- To serve, spoon the meatballs over the orzo and dollop the tzatziki on top.