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Greek Meatballs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Ali
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: About 30 meatballs 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Greek Meatballs:

  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 pounds ground beef or lamb (or a 50/50 mix of both)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 scallions (both white and green parts), minced
  • 1/3 cup fresh mint or cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • zest of 1 lemon

Tahini Yogurt Sauce:

  • 1 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. Make the panade. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Panko and milk until combined. Set the mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
  2. Mix the meatballs. Once the Panko mixture has finished soaking, add the ground beef (or lamb), garlic, eggs, scallions and mint to the bowl. Sprinkle the oregano, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and lemon zest evenly on top. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until evenly combined, being careful not to overwork the mixture.
  3. Prep the oven and baking sheet. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Form the meatballs. Form the mixture into 1.5-tablespoon balls and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. (I recommend greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the meatballs from sticking.)
  5. Bake. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are golden brown and cooked through. Remove pan from the oven.
  6. Make the yogurt sauce. While the meatballs are baking, whisk together the yogurt sauce ingredients until combined. If you prefer a thinner sauce, whisk in a few tablespoons of water until it reaches your desired consistency.
  7. Serve. Serve the meatballs warm with the yogurt sauce however you please and enjoy!