Greek Meatballs - Keftedes Meatballs
Servings 20 meatballs
These Greek Meatballs are perfectly plump and loaded with authentic flavor using herbs and spices to pack into ground beef and served with pita bread and tzatziki sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- ½ red onion grated
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice about one lemon
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest about one lemon
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbles
- ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1½ Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- Fresh parsley for garnish chopped
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure they are mixed thoroughly.
- Optional step: Refrigerate for an hour to make handling easier (You can also place these in the freezer for about 20 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Take the meatball mixture out of the refrigerator and form meatballs into 2 to 3-inch balls.
- Place them on the sheet pan and cook in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, then turn each meatball to the other side and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes.
- Plate and serve with fresh parsley as a garnish.
Notes
- Because of the pink from the red onions, it can be difficult to tell if the meatball is cooked through. The meatball should be firm and dark brown with an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
- Instead of putting the meatballs in the refrigerator for an hour, you can place them in the freezer for 20 minutes. You can also skip this step altogether!
- You can store these in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container in order to enjoy them later. They will also store in the freezer for a few months, so feel free to pull those out and use them when necessary.
- You can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground lamb instead.
- Heavy cream can be replaced with half and half or milk.
- You can use yellow mustard but it will change the taste slightly.
- If you don’t have a red onion, yellow or white will work in a pinch, but it won’t give it that same “Greek” flavor.
Find it online: www.sugarandsoul.co/greek-meatballs-keftedes/