Greek Meatballs
Greek Meatballs

Hey everyone, I hope you are having an incredible day today. Today, we’re going to prepare a special dish, greek meatballs. One of my favorites food recipes. This time, I’m gonna make it a bit unique. This is gonna smell and look delicious.

Try them with our Marinara Sauce. We make our sauces slowly so you can make delicious meals fast. Grab a recipe and try now!

Greek Meatballs is one of the most favored of current trending foods on earth. It’s enjoyed by millions daily. It is simple, it is fast, it tastes delicious. Greek Meatballs is something that I have loved my whole life. They are fine and they look wonderful.

To get started with this particular recipe, we have to prepare a few components. You can cook greek meatballs using 34 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you can achieve it.

The ingredients needed to make Greek Meatballs:
  1. Get For the meatballs
  2. Make ready 1 pound ground beef or pork, lamb, chicken, turkey (or combination of beef and pork)
  3. Make ready 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs (paleo - omit, gluten free - use GF breadcrumbs)
  4. Take 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  5. Prepare 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. Get 1 large egg
  10. Prepare 1 teaspoon salt
  11. Make ready 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  12. Make ready 1 teaspoon paprika
  13. Make ready 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  14. Prepare 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  15. Take 3/4 teaspoon oregano
  16. Make ready 3/4 teaspoon thyme
  17. Make ready For the Roasted Vegetables:
  18. 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
  19. Make ready 5 cloves garlic, peels left intact
  20. Prepare 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  21. Take SAUCE
  22. Take 1 medium red onion, chopped
  23. Take 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  24. Prepare 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  25. Take 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. Make ready 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  30. Prepare 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  31. Make ready 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  32. Prepare 1 cup whole Kalamata olives, drained (I use and recommend Lindsay Naturals Kalamata Olives)
  33. Take 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  34. Take 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

All I can say about these meatballs is yum. These meatballs are made with ground lamb and a little bit of salt pork, though you could substitute bacon if you prefer. The seasonings are garlic, shallots, orange zest, and fresh mint, with a little chopped hot chili pepper for spiciness. Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce are perfect for dinner or an appetizer!

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

Loaded with spices, lemon zest and even feta cheese, they are sure to please anyone who loves Greek flavors! The past couple days the weather in Denver has been absolutely gorgeous! This is my yia yia's recipe–a family favorite straight from the village of Kyparissia. Serve as an appetizer or with tzatziki, Greek salata, and pita or pasta for a full meal. They taste best served at room temp and make for wonderful leftovers.

So that’s going to wrap this up for this special food greek meatballs recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I’m confident you will make this at home. There’s gonna be interesting food in home recipes coming up. Remember to save this page in your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thank you for reading. Go on get cooking!