Full-flavored oven-baked meatballs recipe Greek style

There are so many recipes with ground beef you can make for dinner or lunch, but meatballs are one of my favorite. So many ways to cook meatballs, from spaghetti and meatballs in bolognese sauce, Swedish meatballs in the white sauce to these Greek-style baked meatballs. 

What I like about this recipe is that there’s a minimal mess in the kitchen and not too much prep time. Just combine all the ingredients, knead the meat, make the balls and place them on parchment paper. 

These Greek baked meatballs turn out juicy even though they are not fried or cooked in a sauce. 

How to make Greek meatballs

• 500g ground beef, pork, or lamb
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• one egg
• 1 tbsp parsley
• Half tsp cumin
• 4 full tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp season mix for gyros

Add all the ingredients in a bowl. 

In a deep bowl, add ground beef, chopped onions, pressed or chopped garlic, a whole egg, breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh chopped parsley, cumin powder and a seasoning mix for gyros. 

Knead the meat. You can use the spatula to mix the ingredients. Then, you will need to use your hands to knead the meatball mixture. It’s important to knead the meat so all of the ingredients and especially spices are blended together. 

Make the meatballs. Shape the balls so they are of similar size. Otherwise, they won’t be baked equally. 

Fry them or bake. Similar to falafel, you can choose between fried and baked meatballs. These baked meatballs are juicy even though they are not fried in oil. 

How to bake meatballs in the oven 

Bake the meatballs for about 30 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius, fan mode. Use the parchment paper so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. These Greek meatballs are made without sauce, but if you plan to add some, brush the meatballs with sauce in the last 10 or 15 minutes of baking. 

Don’t cover meatballs with anything, they should be firm on the outside. Baked meatballs can still be juicy even though they are prepared without oil. Make sure you use the grill and fan mode in your oven. 

You can reheat leftover meatballs in a microwave or in the oven. Put them in pasta or tortilla, or make the meatball soup or salad. 

How to serve baked meatballs 

Traditionally, Greek meatballs, or what they call “keftedes”, are served with pita bread, tzatziki sauce, Greek salad, and French fries. Instead of pita bread, you can serve them with couscous as well and a tomato salad. 

Here are some other ideas what to serve with meatballs:

Pastry: khachapuri, phyllo dough with cheese 

Vegetables:

• French fries or roasted potatoes 
• kale salad or sautéed kale, 
• sauerkraut,
• sweet potato fries, 
• Brussel sprouts, 
• potato salad, 
• cauliflower rice

Grains: 

• rice pilaf
• risotto
• couscous 
• quinoa

Spreads: Tzatziki, hummus, baba ganoush

Homemade tzatziki sauce – quick and easy 

Traditional tzatziki sauce calls for shredded cucumber but if you like the crunchiness of cucumbers, here’s what to do:

• Cut the cucumber instead of grating it. 
• No need to squeeze the excess liquid. 
• Season it with salt, pepper, fresh garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and a tsp of tzatziki spice mix. 
• Mix well and add Greek yogurt and some sour cream. 

The yogurt and sour cream ratio is up to you, I like to put sour cream because it thickens tzatziki better. The amount of spices and ratio of yogurt and cucumbers is also to your personal taste. 

If you don’t have tzatziki spice mix, just add some dill and garlic powder in addition to the fresh garlic.