I love these delightful Greek meatballs (keftedes), and when you make them at home, you will understand why. Meatballs are delicious meaty treats that do not take long to prepare. They are so easy to make that anyone can do it. I am sure your children will enjoy rolling these little balls of meat. Wonderfully crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside when cooked, Greek meatballs make a tasty light meal and perfect finger food. They are also great to serve as an appetiser.

HISTORY OF MEATBALLS

On the Balkan Peninsula, meatballs have been a staple food for centuries and truly are a traditional Balkan dish. But how did the meatballs come to exist in the region and where did they originate?

There are several theories about the origins of meatballs. The one that most people in the Balkans know is that the Ottomans adopted the recipe of the Persian kofta, modified it and introduced it to the Balkans.

I have been researching a lot on that topic recently and encountered two more theories. One was that the Greeks imported the recipe from Persia long before the Turks came to the Balkans, when Alexander the Great conquered the Syrian Empire (333 BC). The second one pointed out that meatballs were introduced to the region even earlier by the Romans. According to this theory, Apicius, a cook in ancient Rome who lived in the 1st century BC collected recipes and assembled the antique Roman cookery book Apicius which contains a few recipes resembling meatballs. There is no clear information if these recipes were invented by the Romans or brought from the Middle East.

MEATBALL RECIPE VARIATIONS

We all know that meatballs were first cooked on fire, and much later, when cooking oil was invented, the recipes were adjusted for frying. If you are looking for a great recipe for meatballs on the grill, check out my post, Bulgarian Grilled Meatballs.

We may never know who invented the meatballs. But we know with certainty that meatballs had been rooted deeply in all Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Balkan and North African cuisines, with recipes adapted to the locals’ taste, using authentic herbs and spices and various types of meats. Today, the popularity of meatballs reaches even further, with a huge assortment of meatball recipes around the world.

Meatballs can be served on their own, but they are also used as an ingredient in saucy dishes. The most popular ones in the Balkans are meatballs in tomato sauce or meatballs in béchamel sauce.

Credit for the original meatballs in tomato sauce recipe was given to the Anatolian Greeks who were the first to make the dish. They called it soutzoukakia. You can find recipe variations for this dish in most parts of the Balkans and Italy.

The recipe for meatballs in béchamel sauce originated in Turkey. Today, variations of the Turkish recipe are popular in many parts of the Balkans, Scandinavia and Germany.

HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS GREEK MEATBALLS

Greek meatballs are made with fatty ground meat and authentic Greek herbs, shaped into small balls and fried in cooking oil to a beautiful golden colour.

📋 INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE

Meat: Traditionally, Greek keftedes are made with a blend of pork and beef. The best protein ratio for perfect meatballs is 80:20, with 20% being fat. Fat is very important in meatballs because it adds beautiful flavour and juiciness to the cooked meat. You can ask your butcher to prepare the mincemeat for you or make it at home by combining fatty ground pork and beef meat.

Spicing: The most typical Greek spice of all times must be oregano. Greeks use dried oregano to flavour meat and stews. For authentic flavours in our meatballs, we will use dried oregano, fresh parsley and spearmint. Dried oregano gives a strong herby aroma and a warm pungent flavour to the meat and the fresh herbs impart beautiful freshness and earthy flavours. Black pepper is also added for a hint of heat.

Binding agents: Traditionally, in Greek meatballs, an egg and moist bread were used to bind the ingredients in the meat base. This is a perfect opportunity to use your leftover old bread. Many contemporary recipes substituted the stale bread with breadcrumbs. If you decide to use breadcrumbs, Panko breadcrumbs work best with this recipe.

Flavoursome root vegetables: To add texture and flavour to the meat, you’ll need one medium-sized onion and 2-3 cloves of garlic. The original recipe calls for using a yellow onion, while some contemporary recipes recommend the use of red onion instead, because of its subtle flavour. If you are not a fan of the strong flavour of the yellow onion, you can also use shallots. They have a delicate texture and a mild sweet flavour.

Olive oil: Adding one or two tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil to the meat mixture will enhance the flavours. Olive oil is especially important to use when the mincemeat has less than 20% fat, to ensure your cooked meatballs are juicy.

Wine: You may think using wine in this recipe is unusual, but wine is a great way to add moisture and even more flavour to your meatballs. Always use a good quality red wine as poor wine will ruin the taste.

Flour: To ensure your meatballs keep their perfect shape, you will have to roll them lightly in flour before frying. You will need plain/all-purpose flour for that.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

You may be surprised how easy and quick it is to make these meatballs. Especially when cooking them in an air fryer. You will save money on cooking oil and will create a healthier meal. Alternatively, you can use the traditional method of deep frying meatballs or cook them in the oven. Find instructions on how to cook meatballs using each of these methods below. To prepare the meat mixture, follow these easy steps:

STEP 1: GATHER ALL INGREDIENTS.

Peel, wash and dice the onion. If you do not like the taste and texture of chopped onion in your meat, you can grate it. The grated onion will blend completely with the meat.

Peel and mince the garlic finely, or if you want it to add flavour but barely any texture to the meat mixture press it through a garlic press.

Wash the fresh herbs well and chop them finely. Beat lightly the egg to combine the yolk.

If using stale bread as a binding agent, slice the bread and place it in a bowl with water for a few seconds, to absorb water and become soft. Be careful because if too soft, the bread may fall apart and disintegrate. Dry bread takes longer to absorb moisture and you may need to wait a minute or two until it’s soft. Take the well-soaked bread out of the water and squeeze it in your hand to remove the moisture. You will have a dense ball of bread left in your hand. When substituting stale bread with breadcrumbs, measure the required quantity, but do not soak the breadcrumbs in water as you do with stale bread.

STEP 2: PREPARE THE MEAT MIXURE.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon, or use your hands to mix the mixture. Squeezing the meat mixture between your fingers will ensure the ingredients release flavours and blend well.

Cover the bowl of meat mixture with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour. The reason we chill the meat mixture before shaping meatballs is that we want it to become harder and easier to work with.

STEP 3: SHAPE THE MEATBALLS.

Take the chilled spiced meat out of the fridge and use an ice scoop to measure. One scoopful of meat mixture is enough for one meatball. Roll the meat on your palm into a perfect ball, roughly the size of a walnut. Then, toss it lightly in flour to ensure it keeps its shape when cooked. The flour cooks to a lovely crust, but do not use too much of it. The meatballs are fluffier if they are lightly covered in flour. Too much flour results in a thicker crust.

STEP 4: COOK THE MEATBALLS.

I prefer cooking my Greek meatballs in the air fryer because I find it easier and the meatballs always taste so good. But, if you do not own an air fryer, do not stress up, as you can fry your meatballs the old-fashioned way submerged in boiling cooking oil, or even bake them in the oven. Nevertheless, which method you choose, the meatballs always come out juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside, as long as you do not overcook them!

BY DEEP-FRYING:

The traditional way of cooking Greek meatballs is by deep-frying. You will need plenty of cooking oil and a large heavy-based pan. Heat the oil in the pan. To check if your oil is hot enough for cooking, place one meatball in the pan. When you see bubbles forming around the meatball, you can start cooking. Place as many meatballs as you can, leaving space between them for the heat to circulate, and also to be able to observe and move the meatballs when needed. Use a slotted spoon to turn the meatballs. As soon as the meatballs are golden brown on all sides, remove them from the oil. Transfer the cooked meatballs onto a plate lined with kitchen paper and cover with another piece of kitchen paper to keep them warm while cooking the next batch.

IN THE AIR FRYER:

Preheat your air fryer to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit). Brush the meatballs lightly with oil, spray a little oil on the walls and bottom of the air fryer pan, and place as many meatballs as you can fit loosely in the pan to allow hot air to circulate and cook for 7-8 minutes. Shake the air fryer pan every 3-4 minutes during cooking to turn the meatballs.

IN THE OVEN:

The advantage of making meatballs in the oven is that you can cook them all in one go. First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit). Arrange the meatballs on a lightly oiled baking sheet, brush with oil and cook for 20 minutes in the middle of the hot oven. Turn the meatballs midway through the baking.

🍲 HOW TO SERVE GREEK MEATBALLS – KEFTEDES

Greek meatballs are the perfect finger food, fit for any party. To save time, you can prepare the meatballs in advance and freeze them raw in a large container, then cook the meatballs from frozen when needed.

Keftedes are well-complemented with a variety of dips, salads and condiments. As an appetiser, serve Greek meatballs on a large platter with sliced pita bread, hummus, tzatziki and my eggplant dip.

Fried meatballs make a perfect mid-week dinner, well-complemented with a Greek salad. Another good option for serving Greek meatballs is in a flatbread wrap, garnished with green salad leaves and authentic Greek sauces.

These meaty treats are not only delicious but versatile, as they are a great addition to saucy pasta and rice dishes.

Enjoy! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳

More Delicious Finger Food Recipes on my Blog: Turkish Falafel, Batter-Fried Zcchini , Serbian Cevapi

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