Greek Meatballs

Hello everybody, it’s Drew, welcome to my recipe site. Today, we’re going to make a distinctive dish, greek meatballs. It is one of my favorites food recipes. This time, I will make it a bit unique. This will be really delicious.

Greek Meatballs is one of the most favored of current trending foods in the world. It is enjoyed by millions every day. It is easy, it’s quick, it tastes yummy. They are fine and they look wonderful. Greek Meatballs is something which I have loved my whole life.

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 get started with this particular recipe, we must 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:
  1. Make ready For the meatballs
  2. Make ready 1 pound ground beef or pork, lamb, chicken, turkey (or combination of beef and pork)
  3. Prepare 1⁄4 cup plain breadcrumbs (paleo - omit, gluten free - use GF breadcrumbs)
  4. Prepare 1⁄4 cup finely chopped red onion
  5. Take 2 cloves garlic, minced
  6. Make ready 1⁄4 cup finely chopped Kalamata olives (I use and recommend Lindsay Naturals Kalamata Olives)
  7. Make ready 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  8. Prepare 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  9. Prepare 1 large egg
  10. Prepare 1 teaspoon salt
  11. Take 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  12. Prepare 1 teaspoon paprika
  13. Prepare 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  14. Get 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  15. Prepare 3⁄4 teaspoon oregano
  16. Get 3⁄4 teaspoon thyme
  17. Get For the Roasted Vegetables:
  18. Make ready 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
  19. Make ready 5 cloves garlic, peels left intact
  20. Make ready 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  21. Get SAUCE
  22. Make ready 1 medium red onion, chopped
  23. Get 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  24. Take 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  25. Prepare 1⁄2 cup dry red wine (or use white if using chicken or turkey)
  26. Prepare 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I recommend certified San Marzano's from Italy)
  27. Get 1⁄3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
  28. Prepare 1 teaspoon salt
  29. Prepare 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  30. Make ready 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme
  31. Get 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
  32. Get 1 cup whole Kalamata olives, drained (I use and recommend Lindsay Naturals Kalamata Olives)
  33. Get 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  34. Get 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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’s going to wrap this up for this exceptional food greek meatballs recipe. Thanks so much for your time. I am sure that you will make this at home. There is gonna be interesting food in home recipes coming up. Don’t forget to bookmark this page in your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!