keftedes

Use soft bread to wrap moreish beef meatballs and a tangy tomato salad. Enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean with fresh herb-spiked meatballs

Beef keftedes with tzatziki & tomato salad

white bread, crusts removed, coarsely torn

milliliters (1/4 cup) milk

beef mince

brown onion, finely grated

egg, lightly whisked

continental parsley

mint

garlic cloves, crushed

tsp oregano leaves

milliliters (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil

mini roma tomatoes, quartered

Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways, thinly sliced

baby spinach leaves,

lemon juice

pkt Lebanese bread

bought tzatziki dip

In Greece and Cyrus, you find meatballs (keftedes) in every taverna. This is Jamie Oliver's meat-free version made with lentils.

Jamie Oliver's lentil keftedes with dill yoghurt

extra virgin olive oil

(200 grams) baby spinach leaves

can brown lentils, rinsed, drained

eggs

dill leaves, chopped

flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

feta, crumbled

(70 grams) fresh breadcrumbs

Green leaf salad, to serve

dill leaves, finely chopped

(280 grams) thick Greek-style yoghurt

garlic clove, finely grated

lemon

olive oil

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Juicy Greek meatballs made with beef, lamb and feta cheese is a delicious, easy recipe perfect for lunch, dinner or as an appetizer served with yogurt.

Easy Greek meatballs

500 g (1lb) ground/minced lamb

500 g (1lb) ground/minced beef

breadcrumbs

feta cheese (crumbled)

red onion (finely minced)

garlic (crushed)

oregano

tsp rosemary (finely chopped)

parsley (finely chopped)

tsp salt

black pepper

Combine all the ingredients and mix until the ingredients are just combined, taking care not to over mix (this can cause the meatballs to be very dense).&nbsp;

To mix the meatballs: With wet hands (this prevents the meat from sticking to your hands), form meatballs of approximately 3cm/1in and place on a chopping board.&nbsp;

To fry the meatballs: pre-heat a non-stick frying pan and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the meatballs in batches until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.&nbsp;

To bake the meatballs: Pre-heat the oven to 220ºC. Line 2 baking sheets with baking/parchment paper and add the meatballs, keeping some space between them. Drizzle the meatballs with 1-2 tbsp olive oil and place in the oven. Allow to bake, turning over halfway, until golden brown and cooked through (approximately 20-30 minutes).&nbsp;

Remove the meatballs from the heat, drizzle with lemon juice (optional) and serve.&nbsp;

These Greek Meatballs are healthy and gluten-free, making them perfect for meal prep, but they&#039;re also great for parties. Pair them with tzatziki sauce and you&#039;re good to go!

Greek Meatballs - healthy &amp; gluten-free

turkey breast

red onion

feta cheese

salt

garlic powder

dill weed

Preheat oven to broil (high). Position oven rack 4-5 inches from broiler.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I recommend using your hands so you don’t overmix.

Use a 1.5 tablespoon scoop (or eyeball it) to roll meat mixture into about 20 meatballs.

Spray a large foil-lined rimmed baking sheet lightly with oil or cooking spray. Place meatballs on baking sheet. Broil until meatballs reach internal temperature of 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes.

Based on J. Kenji López-Alt's recipe at SeriousEats.com 

Grilled Lamb Kofta Recipe (Turkish-style lamb kebabs)

lb ground lamb

Kosher salt

tsp ground cumin (divided)

Tbsp ground sumac (divided)

Tbsp ground seedless pepper flakes

Tbsp ice-cold water

red onion (thinly sliced)

flatbread (like pita)

parsley leaves

tomatoes (sliced)

Pickled peppers (such

Mix together the lamb, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp sumac, and 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes. Knead and squish it together until it becomes sticky and tacky-fibrous. Add the water and continue to knead it together until well mixed. Chill in the refrigerator. 

Start your charcoal and preheat your grill.

Combine the remaining cumin, 2 tsp sumac, and chili flakes in a small bowl. Add 2 tsp salt. 

Toss the thinly sliced onion with the rest of the sumac (2 tsp) and salt to taste. Set aside. 

Divide the lamb mixture into 6–10 equally sized balls of meat.

Form each ball into a long, flat shape on the skewers (flat metal ones are best for this). Moistening your hands with water will make the process easier.

Set your kebabs on the grill, sprinkle them with some of the spice mixture, and cook, turning every couple minutes to get even browning. Sprinkle more spice mixture on as you cook and turn the kebabs.

After about 10 minutes, start checking the kebabs with your Thermapen.

As the lowest internal temperature of each kebab reaches 160°F (71°C), remove them from the grill. 

Warm the flatbreads on the grill and serve the kebabs with the dressed onions, the peppers, parsley, and tomato. A yogurt sauce would not be out of place either...

I'm not someone who shies away from salt. But just reading this recipe, I thought "That's a lot of salt!" So when I made it (with chicken because some family members won't eat lamb), I cut the salt in the meat mixture by 25%. It wasn't enough—especially if you follow the directions to keep sprinkling more salt on the kebabs while they cook. 
I may try again using lamb and perhaps half the recommended salt. But my advice is to avoid this recipe as written unless you are an extreme salt lover. Is it worth all the fuss? I'll let you know next time. So far, I'd have to say no.

Awesome recipe!made some homemade sourdough garlic naan to go with it.  A definite Do Again!

These juicy fried meatballs are Greece’s favorite finger food. With the tomato salsa and the black garlic chimichurri, they're even better!

Juicy Greek fried meatballs (Keftedes)

For the meatballs:

(700 grams) minced beef

(300 grams) minced pork (or you can use all beef)

onion,

fine sea salt

pepper

parsley

tomato, grated

fresh mint, finely chopped (optional)

baking powder (it tenderizes the meat)

(180-200 grams) breadcrumbs

water

white wine

Olive oil oil

For the tomato salsa:

tomato,

Salt and pepper

capers

basil leaves, chopped

For the black garlic chimichurri:

parsley, very finely chopped

sweet red pepper flakes (bukovo)

Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl, except the water, and mix well with your hands until homogenized.Start adding the water, one tablespoon at a time, until a soft mixture is formed. You may not need all the water.Store the mixture in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Pour the wine or ouzo in a small plate and wet your hands. Take a small quantity of the meat mixture and shape into a 1 1/2 inch ball. Continue with the rest of the meatballs, each time wetting your hands before shaping.

Pour some oil into a large frying pan, about 1 inch high and heat over medium/high temperature.Fry the meatballs in batches, until browned on one side, flip and fry from the other side (about 8-10 minutes total)

For the tomato and feta salsa transfer all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Leave in the fridge for one hour for the flavors to develop.

For the black garlic chimichurri, shake olive oil and lemon juice in a shaker, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into a bowl and leave in the fridge for one hour for the flavors to develop.

Serve the Greek fried meatballs with fries, baked potatoes, or fluffy rice. Accompany with the two salsas.Eat!

These meatballs were so good. I’m Greek and I’ve tried half a dozen recipes for left edges and this is the best one so far. They are juicy and flavorful. I did decide to bake them instead and they were still really good. Can’t wait to make a batch for my next family gathering.

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Juicy Greek fried meatballs (Kefted...

Top 6 keftedes recipes from across the web

The most viewed keftedes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Beef keftedes with tzatziki & tomat...

Jamie Oliver's lentil keftedes with...

Easy Greek meatballs

Greek Meatballs - healthy &amp; glu...

Grilled Lamb Kofta Recipe (Turkish-...

Juicy Greek fried meatballs (Kefted...

The most viewed keftedes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Greek Meatballs - healthy & glu...