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Before you jump to Greek Meatballs recipe, you may want to read this short interesting healthy tips about Healthy Eating Can Be An Easy Choice.
Healthy eating is now a lot more popular than in the past and rightfully so. There are a lot of diseases associated with a poor diet and there is a cost to the overall economy as people suffer from conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure. While we’re incessantly being encouraged to stick with healthy eating habits, it is also easier than ever to depend on fast food and other convenience items that are not good for us. In all probability, a lot of people assume that it takes too much work to eat healthily and that they will need to drastically alter their lifestyle. Contrary to that information, individuals can modify their eating habits for the better by making a couple of small changes.
One way to address this to start seeing some results is to realize that you do not need to change everything at once or that you should completely do away with certain foods from your diet. Even more crucial than entirely altering your diet is just simply substituting healthy eating choices whenever you can. As you get accustomed to the taste of these foods, you will realize that you’re eating more healthily than you did. As with many other habits, change takes place over a period of time and once a new way of eating becomes part of who you are, you won’t feel the need to return to your old diet.
Hence, it should be somewhat obvious that it’s easy to add healthy eating to your everyday life.
We hope you got insight from reading it, now let’s go back to greek meatballs recipe. To cook greek meatballs you only need 34 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you do that.
The ingredients needed to make Greek Meatballs:
- Use For the meatballs
- You need 1 pound ground beef or pork, lamb, chicken, turkey (or combination of beef and pork)
- Take 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs (paleo - omit, gluten free - use GF breadcrumbs)
- Take 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- You need 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Use 1/4 cup finely chopped Kalamata olives (I use and recommend Lindsay Naturals Kalamata Olives)
- You need 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Get 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- You need 1 large egg
- Take 1 teaspoon salt
- Prepare 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- You need 1 teaspoon paprika
- Take 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Provide 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- You need 3/4 teaspoon oregano
- Use 3/4 teaspoon thyme
- Use For the Roasted Vegetables:
- 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
- Prepare 5 cloves garlic, peels left intact
- Provide 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- You need SAUCE
- Provide 1 medium red onion, chopped
- Provide 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- You need 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- Prepare 1/2 cup dry red wine (or use white if using chicken or turkey)
- You need 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I recommend certified San Marzano's from Italy)
- Provide 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- Prepare 1 teaspoon salt
- Provide 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Use 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- Provide 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- Prepare 1 cup whole Kalamata olives, drained (I use and recommend Lindsay Naturals Kalamata Olives)
- Use 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Prepare 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Instructions to make Greek Meatballs:
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Garnish with some extra parsley and mint and serve with crusty bread, rice or orzo and a Greek or leafy green salad
These Greek meatballs are perfect served with a simple Greek salad and toasted pita bread as a great lunch or dinner. They work just as well served with an easy Greek yogurt dip (made with garlic, lemon, olive oil and Greek yogurt) as an appetizer or quick snack. Other sides to serve with meatballs: These Greek meatballs are full of flavor and include spices you might not be expecting. The beef is seasoned with a combination of parsley, oregano, coriander, cumin and a touch of cinnamon. The warm spice of the cinnamon along with the coriander and cumin are so delicious with the fresh lemon zest and juice that are also in the meatballs.
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