Keftedakia (Greek Meatballs)

Name: Keftedakia (Greek Meatballs)
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 250g Ground Beef; 250g Ground Pork; 80g Bread, day-old, crusts removed; 80ml Milk, for soaking the bread; 1 Onion, medium, finely grated; 2 cloves of Garlic, finely minced; 1 Large Eggs; 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped; 1 tbsp Fresh Mint, finely chopped; 1 tsp Oregano, dried; 1 1/2 tsp Fine Salt; 1/2 tsp Pepper (Black), freshly ground; 60g All-purpose Flour, for dusting; 250ml Light Olive Oil, for shallow frying; 1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Keftedakia are small, tender Greek meatballs brightened with fresh herbs and lemon. They combine juicy beef and pork with aromatic onion, garlic and mint, then are pan-fried until golden for a crisp exterior and soft interior—perfect as a meze or a main served with a squeeze of lemon.

Keftedakia are small, tender Greek meatballs brightened with fresh herbs and lemon. They combine juicy beef and pork with aromatic... Show more

Traditional Greek Recipe

Health Grade

C · Balanced

Rating

4.3

Time

50 min

Price

1,51 €

Calories

556 kcal

easy

high protein

low sugar

kid friendly

Method

Soak the bread

Tear the Bread (day-old, crusts removed) into a bowl and pour over the Milk (for soaking the bread). Press the bread down so every piece gets wet, then let it stand for 5 minutes until completely soft. Squeeze out the excess milk with your hands and fluff the bread back up.

Prep the aromatics

Finely grate the Onion (medium, finely grated), mince the Garlic (finely minced), and chop the Fresh Parsley (finely chopped) and Fresh Mint (finely chopped) as finely as you can. Keep them ready for mixing so they blend smoothly into the meatballs.

Mix the meatballs

Add the soaked bread to a large bowl with the Ground Beef, Ground Pork, Large Eggs, Oregano, dried, Fine Salt, and Pepper (Black) (freshly ground). Add the grated onion, garlic, parsley, and mint, then mix with your hands until the mixture is evenly combined and slightly sticky, with no dry patches left. Stop as soon as it comes together.

Shape and flour

With damp hands, shape the mixture into small meatballs, about walnut-sized or 1 heaped tablespoon each. Spread the All-purpose Flour (for dusting) on a plate and roll each meatball very lightly in the flour, then tap off any excess so the coating is just a thin veil.

Fry in batches

Heat the Light Olive Oil (for shallow frying) in a wide skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Fry the meatballs in batches for 4 minutes, turn them gently, then fry for 4 minutes more until they are deep golden brown all over and cooked through. Transfer each batch to a paper towel-lined plate as it finishes.