Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
These are my Greek Meatballs aka Keftedes and they are such a great dish to make on a summer's day.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
For the Greek meatballs (keftedes)
- 400g ground pork 15% fat percentage
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 7g fresh mint finely chopped
- 7g fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 100g breadcrumbs I used panko
- 100g feta cheese crumbled
- Salt and pepper
For the tzatziki
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 100g cucumber grated and drained
- 200g Greek yoghurt
- 100g feta crumbled
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- Salt and pepper
Toppings
- 100g cucumber diced
- Dill roughly chopped
- Mint leaves
- Lemon sliced into wedges
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine your ground pork, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped mint, chopped parsley, egg, breadcrumbs, crumbled feta, salt and pepper. Give everything a really good mix until well combined.
- Form the mixture into 14-16 equal sized balls. When forming them, squeeze gently between the two palms of your hands. Don't squidge or squeeze too hard as this will make the meatballs dense. Set them aside ready to be fried.
- Place a non-stick frying pan or skillet onto medium heat and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in your meatballs and fry on each side for 3 minutes. Rotate and fry until the meatballs are golden brown.
- Time to make the tzatziki. In a medium sized bowl, combine minced garlic, grated and drained cucumber, Greek yoghurt, crumbled feta, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes. Taste and season accordingly.
- Once your meatballs are cooked, set them aside. Get your serving plate and add a base layer of tzatziki. Top with the meatballs, some optional chopped bits of cucumber, dill, mint, and lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.
To double quantity: This recipe can be doubled to make the dish for 6-8 people.
Storage: Store the tzatziki in an airtight container and consume within 3 days. Store the meatballs in another air tight container and consume within 3 days.
Freeze: I wouldn't recommend freezing tzatziki, just make it fresh on the day. However, you can freeze the cooked meatballs in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Reheating: From the fridge, simply place the meatballs in the microwave until piping hot. From frozen, leave to thaw in the fridge overnight, then either place them in the microwave until piping hot or you can gently re-fry them on the hob until piping hot.