Greek Meatballs

I love Greek meatballs, almost more than I love Italian meatballs or Swedish meatballs.  So many good meatballs, so little time.  

When we were on our honeymoon in Greece we had the best meatballs in the Fira section of Santorini.  They were filled with mint and parsley and drenched in a delicious red sauce.  They were actually served over rice!  I thought this was weird at first, but it turned out to be perfect.  The mint adds a beautiful brightness to the meatballs without being overwhelmingly minty.  

They also make a delicious appetizer and are perfect for parties!  

Start off by chopping all of you veggies.

You need about 1/4 cup of chopped parsley and 1/4 cup chopped mint. Fresh is definitely better!!

Get 1/2 an onion and 6 garlic cloves chopped up too. Combine the parsley, mint, garlic, and onion with 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1 Tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

I like to toast ciabatta or a nice italian bread and make my own roughly cut bread crumbs. Just put them in the oven at 400 degrees drizzled with a  little olive oil, until they are nice and toasty. 

Then cut them up into little mini cubes, you’ll need about two cups. Then pour over about 3/4 cup of whole milk.  Let the bread crumbs absorb the milk.  This helps keep the meatballs moist and gives them a great flavor. 

Combine 1 lb. of ground beef with one hot italian sausage (about 1/8 lb.) and one sweet italian sausage (about 1/8 lb.)  I just buy a couple of these and slice off the casing, but you can also buy the loose sausage too! Then add the breadcrumbs, 1 egg, and meat to the herb/cheese mixture. I like to use my hands.  You gotta get a little dirty if you want to make these babies right.  Make sure the mixture is completely combined so that all of the goodness is spread out evenly. 

Use a cookie scoop to evenly scoop out the balls of meat.  Then use your hands to roll them into little balls. 

You can cook them on the stove in oil, but I like to cook them in the oven.  I think the balls keep their shape better and you don’t have to use extra oil to cook them!

Just place them on a lined cookie sheet and bake them at 400 for about 20 minutes.

While they are cooking you can whip up the sauce.  

Chop up an onion and 6 cloves of garlic.  Place them in a sauce pan with 1/4 cup of good olive oil.  Saute on medium heat until they’re soft and have got some color. 

OK, Ok so I burnt mine a little.  It’s my M.O… I can’t help it!

Add in about 4 cups of tomato puree, 1 Tablespoon of dried basil, 1 Tablespoon of dried oregano, a 1/4 cup of sugar, and 2 Tablespoons of salt. 

Let it simmer for about 20 minutes so all the flavors can meld nicely.  

Top that goodness on your meatballs and you are ready to eat!!

The printable is below!!

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