Greek Meatballs as well called Keftedes – Are juicy tender meatballs made amongst earth beef, minced onion, earthy spices too fresh flavorful herbs. They are such a comforting mediterranean food together with at that place are and so many different ways to serve them.
Looking for more than ways to brand meatballs? Also effort my super pop Italian Meatballs in addition to the healthier Turkey Meatballs.
Greek Keftedes
Keftedes are a pop Greek dish made with earth beef, lamb or pork, bread crumbs (dried or fresh) with a liquid to soak, egg to bind, and to flavour they include onion as well as fresh herbs such equally mint in addition to parsley. Traditionally they are pan fried inward oil merely for a healthier option they can be oven baked (I’ve included both methods in the recipe).
They accept delicious rich meaty flavor paired amongst fresh herby notes, they are beautifully browned, as well as you’ll find them to be incredibly hearty too filling (5 meatballs may non look similar much just it’sec quite a generous serving).
These tin can be served bowl way equally a main dish combining them with other sides, or stuffed in a sandwich, or yous can opt to serve them as of an appetizer on a mezze platter. See serving suggestions below.
What to Serve amongst Greek Meatballs
They span beautifully amongst:
- Fresh made tzatziki sauce, lemony yogurt, tahini sauce, whipped feta, or hummus
- Homemade pita staff of life or pita pockets
- A vibrant Greek salad or simply fresh cucumbers together with tomatoes
- Olives
- White rice such as jasmine or basmati or Greek lemon rice
- Orzo, Hilopites or ditalini pasta, or couscous
- Garlic mashed potatoes or lemon roasted potatoes
Greek Meatball Recipe Ingredients
- Olive rock oil: If baking you lot won’t require much petroleum, but with pan frying y'all’ll ask a fair sum. Don’t use extra virgin olive crude oil for frying, simply regular refined olive crude oil with a lower smoke indicate (salvage the best material for something else).
- Sourdough staff of life: You’ll desire to function stale staff of life that’sec a solar day or two former. White bread tin can be used likewise.
- Milk: I purpose whole milk just whatsoever fatty per centum volition function in this recipe.
- Ground beef: Preferably use 85% thin ground beef, it has a skilful fat ratio for meatballs to continue them juicy and tender.
- Spices: Cumin, coriander, dried oregano, table salt too pepper are all used to make upwardly flavour.
- Fresh herbs: Parsley in addition to mint are both added for lots of fresh Mediterranean flavour. I’ve also made these amongst cilantro in place of mint for a tasty option.
- Red onion: Yellow onion will run likewise. Just recollect to mince the onion super tiny since it’second not sauteed to soften beforehand (you don’t desire to seize with teeth into crunchy onions inwards the heart of the meatballs).
- Garlic: Since the garlic is added raw I exclusively similar to purpose ii cloves in addition to non go besides carried away and then the flavor isn’t overwhelming. If you lot want it bolder feel costless to add together more.
- Eggs: These are the best binder to agree meatballs together. Without them they’d interruption apart when cooking.
Possible Variations
Turkey or Chicken
- These Greek meatballs tin can also be made with ii lbs earth turkey or earth chicken.
- If doing then supersede fresh breadstuff with i loving cup dried bread crumbs or panko staff of life crumbs.
- Omit the milk from the recipe equally ground poultry tends to be stickier.
- Cook to 165 using oven method or stovetop method (you tin can youngster inward but a few tablespoons of petroleum inward a skillet).
Pork or Lamb
- This recipe tin besides be made using 1 pound earth pork or 1 pound ground lamb along alongside ane pound lean earth beef.
- Keep other measurements together with ready temperatures the same inward the recipe.
How to Make Breadcrumbs for Meatballs
- To brand fresh bread crumbs (that are not dried) merely tear stale bread slices into pieces in addition to home inward a food processor.
- Pulse until they are ground to fine crumbs and they are prepare to get. No call for to bake or dry through.
- If you don’t accept a nutrient processor but tear the staff of life into small pieces and soak in milk and so pause it up into smaller bits after soaking.
How to Make Greek Meatball Mixture
- In a mixing bowl toss fresh bread crumbs with milk. Let residual v minutes spell y'all fix the ingredients for the meatballs.
- Add earth beef to the soaked crumbs, evenly sprinkle over table salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, together with coriander. Add parsley, mint, crimson onion, garlic together with eggs.
- Toss mixture with your hands in addition to gently crumble in addition to mix together until mixture is uniformly combined.
- Shape meatball mixture into balls virtually 1 1/2 inches each or 42 grams.
- Bake or pan shaver meatballs (equally directed below).
How to Pan Fry the Meatballs
- Pour iii/4 loving cup olive crude into a 12-inch saute pan together with oestrus over medium oestrus.
- Fry the meatballs in ii batches turning occasionally until cooked through at 165 °F inward eye.
- If needed plow downward estrus if meatballs are browning too apace before middle is cooked through.
- Use a skimmer together with transfer meatballs to a paper towel lined baking canvass to drain.
How to Bake the Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a baking canvass (preferably dark not-stick) alongside 1 1/ii Tbsp olive crude oil.
- Place meatballs on baking sheet as well as rub bottom side over fossil oil. Repeat to role upward all of the meatloaf mixture as well as space meatballs evenly apart on baking canvass.
- Bake inwards preheated oven until eye of meatballs registers 165 degrees, nigh xv to nineteen minutes (exam a few meatballs inward heart of baking canvas besides for doneness as the centre ordinarily cooks a piffling slower than edges).
How to Store too Shelf Life
Store them inward the fridge inwards an airtight container for up to iii days.
Freezing Greek Meatballs
- Greek meatballs freeze well for upwards to 3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before rewarming.
How to Reheat Meatballs
- Rewarm the meatballs in a 300 grade oven on a greased baking canvas, covered amongst foil until heated through, well-nigh xv minutes.
- Individual servings tin can be rewarmed in the microwave on l% ability until warmed through.
- Or reheat on the stovetop with just about chicken broth in a pot or skillet, covered with pan chapeau.
More Tasty Greek Recipes to Try
- Greek Chicken Bowls
- Greek Chicken Kebabs
- Gyros
- Orzo Salad amongst Feta
- Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
Juicy, tender in addition to flavorful meatballs made amongst earth beef, minced onion, earthy spices in addition to fresh herbs. They are such a comforting mediterranean nutrient as well as in that location are so many different ways to serve them.
Servings: vi servings (thirty meatballs)
Ingredients
- one ane/ii Tbsp olive rock oil*
- one 1/ii cups (3.v oz) stale sourdough breadcrumbs** (from most 2 slices)
- ane/iii loving cup milk
- 2 lbs 85% lean ground beef
- two tsp table salt
- one tsp dark pepper
- ii tsp ground cumin
- one ane/ii tsp dried oregano
- ane tsp earth coriander
- 1/iv cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- one/iv loving cup finely chopped fresh mint or cilantro
- one/ii loving cup finely minced crimson onion (chop equally minor as yous mince garlic)
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ii large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a baking sail (preferably nighttime not-stick) with one i/ii Tbsp olive petroleum.
- In a mixing bowl toss fresh staff of life crumbs alongside milk. Let residual five minutes spell yous fix the ingredients for the meatballs.
- Add earth beef to the soaked crumbs, evenly sprinkle over common salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, too coriander. Add parsley, mint, reddish onion, garlic and eggs.
- Toss mixture alongside your hands and gently crumble too mix together until mixture is uniformly combined.
- Shape meatball mixture into balls nearly i one/two inches each or 42 grams.
- Place on baking sail in addition to rub bottom side over the olive fossil oil. Repeat to use up all of the meatball mixture together with space meatballs evenly apart on baking sheet.
- Bake inwards preheated oven until middle of meatballs registers 165 degrees, most 15 to nineteen minutes (exam a few meatballs in eye of baking canvass likewise for doneness as the eye ordinarily cooks a picayune slower than edges).
- Preferably serve amongst fresh made tzatziki for dipping.
Notes
- *If yous want to deep shaver the meatballs yous'll call for three/4 loving cup olive crude oil. Fry inward the crude oil inward a non-stick skillet in two batches over medium to medium-low oestrus until cooked through inwards center, turning occasionally. Use a skimmer to transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain.
- **Use stale breadstuff that has started to dry out. If it's fresh only exit the slices out uncovered for one-half the twenty-four hours to dry out. To arrive into breadcrumbs simply pulse inwards a food processor to fine crumbs, or but tear staff of life slices into pocket-sized pieces together with soak inward milk so interruption upwardly into smaller pieces afterward soaking.
- White bread tin live substituted for sourdough. Panko breadstuff crumbs or regular breadstuff crumbs should go also, role entirely i loving cup.
- Nutrition estimate is based off baking method.
Nutrition Facts
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 455
Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 13g
Cholesterol 166mg55%
Sodium 1014mg44%
Potassium 672mgxix%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 1370IU27%
Vitamin C 18mg22%
Calcium 114mgeleven%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates alone. See total disclaimer here.