Hello everybody, I hope you’re having an amazing day today. Today, we’re going to prepare a special dish, greek meatballs. One of my favorites. For mine, I am going to make it a little bit unique. This is gonna smell and look delicious.
Greek Meatballs is one of the most popular of recent trending foods in the world. It’s enjoyed by millions daily. It’s easy, it’s fast, it tastes yummy. Greek Meatballs is something that I’ve loved my whole life. They’re fine and they look fantastic.
A traditional recipe, beautifully flavoured with red onion, fresh parsley, a touch of mint and hint of dried oregano. These meatballs are slightly crisp on the outside and are brilliant served as an appetiser with tzatiki and pita bread as part of a mezze spread (very Greek!), or as a meal with a salad. In a large skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Meatballs Meatballs are a favorite of mine, something we make often, if not on a weekly basis at my house.
To begin with this recipe, we have to prepare a few ingredients. You can cook greek meatballs using 34 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you can achieve that.
The ingredients needed to make Greek Meatballs:
- Make ready For the meatballs
- Take 1 pound ground beef or pork, lamb, chicken, turkey (or combination of beef and pork)
- Prepare 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs (paleo - omit, gluten free - use GF breadcrumbs)
- Prepare 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- Get 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Make ready 1/4 cup finely chopped Kalamata olives (I use and recommend Lindsay Naturals Kalamata Olives)
- Prepare 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Take 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- Prepare 1 large egg
- Get 1 teaspoon salt
- Prepare 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Get 1 teaspoon paprika
- Make ready 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Make ready 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- Prepare 3/4 teaspoon oregano
- Get 3/4 teaspoon thyme
- Take For the Roasted Vegetables:
- Take 1 medium eggplant (choose one that isn't too fat but more slender to avoid too many bitter seeds), peeled and diced into ¼ inch pieces
- Make ready 5 cloves garlic, peels left intact
- Take 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Make ready SAUCE
- Make ready 1 medium red onion, chopped
- Make ready 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Prepare 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- Make ready 1/2 cup dry red wine (or use white if using chicken or turkey)
- Take 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I recommend certified San Marzano's from Italy)
- Get 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- Prepare 1 teaspoon salt
- Get 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Get 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- Get 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- Prepare 1 cup whole Kalamata olives, drained (I use and recommend Lindsay Naturals Kalamata Olives)
- Get 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Prepare 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
The warm spice of the cinnamon along with the coriander and cumin are so delicious with the fresh lemon zest and juice that are also in the meatballs. Keftedes (Greek meatballs) is a famous Greek appetizer, commonly served as part of a meze platter, with some creamy tzatziki sauce and pita breads. Keftedes can also be served as a filling meal with some basmati rice and a nice Greek feta salad. These Greek meatballs are perfect served with a simple Greek salad and toasted pita bread as a great lunch or dinner.
Steps to make Greek Meatballs:
- First we’re going to get the eggplant going so that can roast while we’re working on the other stuff. Select an eggplant that is on the narrow side. Fat ones tend to have more seeds which results in a bitter flavor. The peel also tends to be bitter in flavor and tough in texture, so peel the eggplant completely. - - Dice it into chunks about 1/4 inch in size. You can make them larger if you prefer. - - Don’t worry about tossing them with lemon juice to prevent them from getting brown. They’re going to get very brown while roasting them anyway. - - First get the roasted eggplant and garlic going. Toss them with a little salt and the olive oil and spread them out single-layer on a lined cookie sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned, turning once with a spatula after about 10 minutes. Remove Set aside. Once cool, peel and mince the roasted garlic.
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Use your hands or a food processor to incorporate the ingredients. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls (you can make them larger if you prefer).
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs on all sides (See NOTE for oven baking method). Transfer the meatballs to a plate and set aside.
- Add the red onions and the oil if more is needed and cook them until soft and caramelized, about 6-8 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and cook for another couple of minutes until softened. Add the wine and bring it to a rapid boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
- Add the roasted eggplant, roasted garlic and all of the sauce ingredients, except for the olives, parsley and mint, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer for another 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the whole Kalamata olives, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes then stir in the chopped parsley and mint.
- Garnish with some extra parsley and mint and serve with crusty bread, rice or orzo and a Greek or leafy green salad
Keftedes can also be served as a filling meal with some basmati rice and a nice Greek feta salad. These Greek meatballs are perfect served with a simple Greek salad and toasted pita bread as a great lunch or dinner. They work just as well served with an easy Greek yogurt dip (made with garlic, lemon, olive oil and Greek yogurt) as an appetizer or quick snack. Other sides to serve with meatballs: Easy Greek meatballs recipe, also known as Keftedes! Flavor-packed tender meatballs with a crispy crust and a lemony sauce.
So that is going to wrap it up for this special food greek meatballs recipe. Thank you very much for your time. I am sure you can make this at home. There’s gonna be interesting food in home recipes coming up. Remember to bookmark this page on your browser, and share it to your family, colleague and friends. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!
