Greek Meatballs
Published July 18, 2024
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ chilling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:About 30 meatballs (4 to 6 servings)
- ½cup (lightly packed) grated red or yellow onion (from about ½ large onion)
- 1medium tomato, grated (about 5 ounces)
- 1pound lean ground beef
- ½pound ground lamb or pork
- ½cup panko bread crumbs
- 1large egg, lightly beaten
- ⅓cup finely chopped fresh mint
- ⅓cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2large garlic cloves, grated or very finely minced
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- ¼cup olive oil
- Tzatziki, salad and pita (all optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
426 calories; 34 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 22 grams protein; 428 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Place the grated onion and tomato in a fine-mesh sieve over the sink and stir a few times, pressing on the mixture to drain the excess liquid. (Some moisture should remain; do not squeeze in a dish towel.) Transfer the remaining onion and tomato to a large bowl.
- Step 2
Add the beef, lamb, panko, egg, mint, parsley, garlic, oregano, coriander and cumin, plus 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper; mix gently but thoroughly.
- Step 3
Using a 2 tablespoon-scoop or two spoons, form meatballs that are about 1½ inches wide. Place them on a plate, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours, to allow the meatballs to firm up.
- Step 4
In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot (it should sizzle immediately if you drop a bread crumb into the pan), fry the meatballs in 2 to 3 batches, flipping occasionally and lowering the heat as necessary to prevent them from getting too dark, until browned all over and just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Step 5
Transfer the cooked meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate, and serve hot or warm with any combination of tzatziki, salad and pita, if desired.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Maggie Bee
About a year ago, I discovered that dried onion - I buy the big container in the spice aisle at Costco - can go into meatballs, hamburgers, meatloaf, or even my sourdough bread dough, all added dry, right in the beginning. It saves an incredible amount of time (and tears) to not have to grate or mince a raw onion, and works perfectly. I use roughly a third of the amount of dry for fresh.
carrie
Could these be cooked in the oven rather than pan frying?
Marla
How does one grate a tomato? I've never tried before.
Adrienne K
Yes, they can be cooked in the oven. 350 for about 20 minutes, with time under broiler if they don't look dry enough. I flip the tray around about halfway. I put them on a broiler pan with a drip tray.
IP
If time is short, shape the meat mix as a loaf and roast/bake in oven. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers and slice for sandwiches with sliced tomatoes, or red beets, or cucumbers, or pickles.
Sue V.
I have made a recipe similar to this one with ground turkey , it's delicious. I have also sometimes put a small chunk of feta cheese inside the meatballs when making them, put them in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm them up, then followed the rest of the directions. YUM!
Victoria
We always flour them before frying which adds a crispier exterior texture.
sebarton
Marla, cut the tomato in half and grate it on the large holes of a box grater. You will be left with the skin, which you can toss.
MarciaSF
These were super tasty — I did half and half gr lamb/gr beef. Blitzed the onions and cherry tomatoes in a food processor instead of grating and then popped the meatballs in the air fryer—15 min at 400. Used some chopped fresh dill instead of mint and served with orzo and chopped cukes, tomatoes and feta on the side.
Jen
I baked these in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. So tasty!
Kristin D.
Meatballs are always a bit of a mess, but the prep was easy and the result is delicious. I used 90% lean ground beef and I ground pork stew meat in my food processor so the pork had a bit of substance. Served with summer tomatoes, quick tzatziki, and whole-wheat pitas. Squeeze on some lemon for an extra kick.
Paul
Try fresh Basil, it should be aromatic enough
Mere
I broiled these in the top rack of my (electric) oven for about five minutes on each side and they came out beautifully done. I do recommend ground lamb, and used 85/15 beef for the mixture and they held up well without much shrinkage in the oven. Paired perfectly with tzatziki and I made the juice from the cucumbers into a cocktail with some gin and lime.
Jon Elias
My mom who was 100% Macedonian Greek always made these for me as a kid. She called them "kewfie's" as keftedes was hard to pronounce for a kid from Astoria. I still think of them. Interestingly, she made them with beef, but I always thought lamb was the "real Geek" way.
Marguerite
I followed the recipe very closely, but flipped the ratio of ground lamb to beef in favor of lamb. Also took the suggestion to bake in the oven (convection roast) on a broiler pan with a tray. Much easier than frying and they did not dry out. Looking forward to leftovers with a Greek-accented tomato sauce and rice.
AN
Delicious. Made with beef and baked at 400F for about 18 minutes. Wanted a glaze so brought to a boil and simmered for ~5 minutes a sweet/sour blend of pomegranate molasses, orange juice, honey and some salt. Dropped the meatballs in the glaze to finish them and hold until dinner.
Heather
Great recipe. Had some family in town, all of whom have tolerated my new recipe efforts for years (a few uh ohs in there) and they loved this. We were on the move a lot so for lunch I just laid out the meatballs, sheet pan roasted veggies and chicken, pita, tzatziki, and fresh cukes and tomatoes from my garden. Fantastic. I cooked mine in oven on parchment paper as it was much quicker and an easier clean up. Next effort is more lamb to see how they hold together
BB
These were a big hit with two keto eaters. I served homemade tzatziki and a chopped greek salad with them. The only issue I had was I felt like they took forever to fry on the stovetop and the outsides became very dark. This wasn't necessarily bad, but I felt like next time I should shape them flat or bake them. The flavor is great.
Jenny
To grate a tomato, I'd freeze it for 15 min first
Susan V.
I made this recipe into hamburgers that I then baked in the oven at 375℉ for 40 minutes. Smelled wonderful as they were baking, and they came out nice & juicy. I bet it would make an awesome meatloaf too. I used 1 lb of 90% lean ground sirloin. I was out of fresh tomatoes, so I finely diced up a few whole canned tomatoes instead. I followed the rest of the recipe, but used dried herbs as I did not have fresh herbs on hand. The coriander and cumin made a big difference in boosting the flavor.
marcella from Italy
I cook all meatballs in my airfryer. No mess, no greasy spatters, a batch of 12-15 is done in 10 mins at 200°C (390°F). And the fat from the meat mixture gets collected at the bottom of the basket, so it's up to you to keep or discard it.
Elizabeth NYC
Made this recipe exactly as written except I didn’t rest the meatballs — I put them directly into the pan. They held together beautifully and tasted absolutely amazing. I made a quick little yogurt/cucumber/dill sauce and wrapped them in store-bought lavash. Divine, quick and easy!
Jacquie in Ottawa
Made these lovely meatballs tonight and followed the recipe as directed. The meatballs are decadent. Thank you. Note: Putting the meatballs in the fridge to firm up before frying is a great trick or hack -- non of my meatballs fell apart. We also made the tzatziki and salad linked in the notes per the recipe and they were also very good. Thank you.
JayJay
I used beef and lamb as described in the recipe. However, I thought that the seasoning was too mild for lamb. So I upped the cumin to 2 tsp, and added sumac and Aleppo pepper, 1 tsp each. Great recipe for a buffet or pot luck.
Pam
Can I make these ahead and reheat for a dinner party?
Margo Price
Outstanding! I made as written, except used ground turkey because that is what I had. Great flavor combination. Don’t scrimp on herbs, spices or garlic.
Nils Cashman
This was an easy and excellent Monday night dinner. I mostly followed the directions but I did use my Airfryer set at 400 for 15 minutes instead of making a mess with frying in oil. I had to cook the meatballs in two batches. Next time I would add more salt and maybe a little more cumin. I served with roasted pita, tatziki, and a side cucumber and tomato salad.
Judy
Amazing recipe! I followed the ingredients as listed but opted to bake these meatballs rubbed/drizzled with olive oil at 425 degrees, 10 min on 1 side and then flipped and baked for another 15-20 min until browned.
Angela
SO YUM. Made homemade tzatziki with yogurt, dried dill, chopped mint, shredded cucumbers, olive, salt and pepper. Paired with a greek salad. Delicious
Allie
These were really delish. I baked them and they held together and were moist. I was worried they may be too savory as my herbs were fresh not dried as i grow them in my garden. but oh they were a huge hit. I used ground beef and ground lamb. I also cooked the sheet pan chicken and put it all out with accoutrements for pitas- tomatoes, roasted veggies, tzatziki, cukes etc. great summer nosh and lasted a few days until all gobbled up
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